Best sports streaming services: Watch live games without cable

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No matter your sport, it can be hard to figure out how to watch every game, especially if you've given up cable. Fortunately, some of the best sports streaming services can help you start watching your favorite teams today. 

Whether you're into football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, boxing, or something else entirely, we've combed through some of the most popular sports streaming services and identified the very best of the bunch. Our highlights range from three live TV packages that serve as wide-spanning cable alternatives to seven cheaper options that focus on one specific channel or a handful of popular sports. 

Keeping in mind a variety of budgets and sports, we've scoured the top streaming services out there to identify some of the best options for live streaming sports. For each service, we've highlighted some basic specs and sports you're able to stream.

Fubo

Fubo is a sports fan's best friend when it comes to streaming, especially if you're into football, baseball, soccer, golf, or women's basketball. It was initially started as a soccer streaming service, but it has morphed into one of the most robust live TV packages out there. Standard Pro plans cost $79.99 a month and offer over 100 channels right off the bat. From there, fans can get add-ons for additional channel packages. This includes the $9.99 monthly Sports Lite add-on for NBA TV, MLB Network, and the Tennis Channel, among others.

Given that it's catered toward sports, the only notable flaw is the omission of TNT and TBS, eliminating a batch of NBA and NHL games each season. Otherwise, it is one of the best true cable alternatives out there, given its broad catalog of channels and comprehensive local network coverage (like ABC, NBC, FOX, and, notably, CBS), the latter of which is often missing from live TV services.

• See full plan details on the Fubo website.

Sling TV

Sling TV is one of the more affordable live TV packages, with an adaptable slate of plans that can easily be tailored to your budget and specific sports needs. Sling Orange and Blue, the two base plans, each cost $40 a month. Each includes anywhere from 34-42 channels, with certain options exclusive to each plan (Orange carries several ESPN channels, while Blue has FS1 and the NFL Network). If you combine the two for the Sling Orange + Blue plan, you can find some savings at just $55 a month, and get the most out of Sling's sports offerings.

Where Sling differs from some of its pricier live TV counterparts is in the local channel coverage. A Sling Blue or Sling Orange + Blue combo plan can provide some local channels (like NBC, ABC, or FOX) in certain regions, but coverage is selective, and Sling is missing CBS altogether. Fortunately, if you live in a region that cannot stream local channels on Sling, the streaming service has a fairly generous offer that will send you a free HD antenna if you prepay for a few months, which should allow you to supplement any major missing local networks.

• See full plan details on the Sling TV website.

DirecTV Stream

If you're looking for something just like cable but don't want to lock into a contract or have any hardware, DirecTV Stream is a great option. Plans start at $79.99 a month and feature more than 90 channels — including ESPN, TNT, and local networks — in the base Entertainment subscription. A helpful thing about DirecTV Stream is that you can get almost every cable channel with an upgrade or add-on, but this also means that it can quickly become one of the priciest live TV streaming packages out there.

A Sports Pack add-on ($14.99) is the cheapest way to flesh out the missing sports channels in your subscription, including the NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, and CBS Sports Network, among others. You can also upgrade to the Choice or Ultimate subscriptions for even more options.

• See full plan details on the DirecTV Stream website.

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV is a great live TV package for sports fans who don't have other streaming services since it includes Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu on-demand bundled in. Plans start at $76.99 a month and offer more than 95 channels upfront, as well as ad-supported plans for the aforementioned streaming services. Hulu + Live TV only has one upgrade, for $89.99 a month, which gives you the same live TV channels and Disney+ and Hulu ad-free.

The service has sports-centric add-ons available, but its base plan is pretty sports-friendly on its own, with lots of local channels and only a few missing elements, like NBA TV and ION. The Sport Add-on, which costs $9.99 a month extra, includes NFL RedZone and the Tennis Channel, among other perks.

• See full plan details on the Hulu + Live TV website.

ESPN+

If you're not looking for a live TV package and want something more ESPN-specific, you can try out ESPN+. There's just one plan (for $10.99 a month, although you can bundle with other services) that gives subscribers access to select live games and on-demand content. ESPN+ isn't a direct live stream of the ESPN channel, and the games the service covers are fairly selective. In addition to select ESPN games, the streamer also carries live coverage of certain ESPN2 and ABC games.

Where ESPN+ truly shines is with its event-specific coverage. The streaming service often offers live coverage of tennis and golf tournaments. It has popular pay-per-view (PPV) content, most notably with UFC. People without cable who want to watch UFC main events must have an ESPN+ subscription and pay an additional PPV fee through the service.

• See full plan details on the ESPN+ website.

Paramount+

CBS is a fixture in most major sports leagues, so access to the network has become paramount (no pun intended) to the average sports fan's viewing experiences. Enter Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access, which is best known for its on-demand catalog of original CBS broadcast series and several of the latest film releases from Paramount Pictures.

Paramount+ Essential plans cost $7.99 a month, but you should upgrade to Paramount+ with Showtime for $12.99 a month if you're hoping to tap into CBS and CBS Sports Network live streams. This will give you access to select NWSL, PGA, WNBA, Big Ten Football, and March Madness coverage. Fortunately, both available Paramount+ plans allow you to live stream the NFL on CBS and the UEFA Champions League.

• See full plan details on the Paramount+ website.

Max

HBO's streaming counterpart might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sports, but the streaming service rolled out a new B/R Sports Add-on earlier this year, bringing live and on-demand sports to the platform. Max offers live streams of games that air on Warner Bros. Discovery channels like TNT and TBS, making it a particularly handy app during basketball and baseball season. The streaming service also live streams select other sports that might not have a broadcast home in the US, like MotoGP and several major global cycling events.

The B/R Sports Add-on currently comes free with every subscription tier, but it will eventually cost an additional $9.99 a month. Max subscriptions start at $9.99 a month for the With Ads plan, but you can upgrade to Ad-Free for $16.99 a month or Ultimate Ad-Free (4K and other perks) for $20.99 a month. The service also has annual plans, which offer savings to users who commit to a yearlong subscription.

• See full plan details on the Max website. 

DAZN

DAZN is a truly global sports streaming service, with select coverage available in more than 200 countries. The service carries tons of sports, but it's best known for its PPV boxing events. Subscription prices vary from region to region, but in the US, you can get a subscription for $19.99 monthly. PPV prices are a bit steeper, but they are the only way to watch the big events, with most major fight cards costing around $50 to $80.

The service also offers MMA, Esports, and women's football, among other sporting events, although exact offerings are specific to each country, and not all events are available on a global scale. International viewers can also purchase packages like the NFL Game Pass, which offers every regular game of the NFL season, in addition to the Playoffs and Super Bowl.

• See full plan details on the DAZN website.

Peacock

If you purchased a Peacock subscription for the Olympics, it could be worth holding onto going into the fall. While the service is often thought of for its catalog of popular NBC sitcoms like The Office and Parks and Recreation, it also offers ample sporting coverage of select events broadcast on NBCUniversal networks. Thanks to live streams of NBC Sports and other channels, including designated sports hubs, coverage of most major cycling races and golf tournaments can be found here.

If you upgrade from Premium ($7.99) to Premium Plus ($13.99), you can live stream NBC 24/7, allowing you to catch Sunday night football. This option also makes on-demand content ad-free and allows viewers to download select content to watch offline.

• See full plan details on the Peacock website.

Prime Video

Live sports might not be the main draw to Amazon for most people, but the Prime Video platform has become a live TV hub in the past few years, with an emphasis on some top sports. Prime Video is the official home of Thursday Night Football and this year's Black Friday Football game. The service also has exclusive rights to several WNBA games on Thursday nights, NWSL games on Friday nights, and other select sporting events.

Prime Video's live streaming options are included in standard Amazon Prime subscriptions, which cost $14.99 a month. You can also just subscribe to Prime Video for $8.99 a month. Select events will be included with a PPV fee, and many of the best sports streaming services allow you to subscribe via an add-on in Prime Video if you'd rather have all of your watch options in one place.

• See full plan details on the Prime Video website.

Apple TV+

Apple's TV counterpart might be best known for its prestige scripted series, but the streaming service has begun to dip its toes into live sports over the past year or two. The crown jewel of Apple TV+'s sports content is the MLS Season Pass, which allows viewers to watch every match (including the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup Playoffs) without blackout restrictions. A standard Apple TV+ subscription will also grant you access to two MLB games every Friday night.

An Apple TV+ subscription costs $9.99 a month (although you can usually get a few months free if you purchase a new Apple product), and the MLS Season Pass costs an additional $12.99 a month or $39 a season. If you don't have an Apple TV+ subscription, you can also just buy a MLS Season pass for $14.99 a month or $49 a season.

• See full plan details on the Apple TV+ website.

If you're looking for advice on specific streaming apps you need for football this season, don't miss out on our guide on how to watch NFL games. We've got you covered for all the latest sporting events and hit TV shows with an extensive selection of streaming guides.