If you want to catch every game for all your favorite teams, you’ll need to find the right streaming service. Here’s a look at the best streaming services for live sports, including platforms for football, baseball, soccer, and wrestling.
How to Pick the Best Streaming Service for Sports
The number of available streaming services has ballooned over the years, and viewers now have access to more options than ever. Cutting the cord and ditching cable is a great way to save a few bucks, but if you’re an avid sports fan, you might be worried about how to watch your favorite teams. Thankfully, plenty of streaming platforms offer live sports—giving you access to big sporting events like the Super Bowl or World Series, along with the vast majority of regular season matchups.
When looking for a streaming service for live sports, you’ll first need to figure out what sports (or which teams) you want to follow. Some services are great for soccer but lackluster for football, while others offer nearly every live MLB game but come with no additional perks.
You’ll also have to come to terms with the fact that one service won’t cover every game from every team. That means sports fans looking to watch games from various leagues may need to spring for multiple services (an unfortunate result of today’s fragmented streaming marketplace).
Aside from determining which sports you want to watch, it’s important to consider the usual factors that make a streaming service desirable. This includes access to DVR space, the ability to stream on multiple devices at once, and a wide selection of other TV shows and movies on demand. Price also plays a factor, as does the service’s user interface. After all, there’s no point having access to hundreds of games if it’s impossible to find and watch them.
To help narrow down your options, here’s a look at the five best streaming services for sports, covering everything from football and baseball to soccer and wrestling.
Best Streaming Service for Sports Overall: Hulu + Live TV
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Pros |
Cons |
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Wide selection of sports |
Expensive |
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Access to premium channels like NFL RedZone |
Missing some college football and soccer matches |
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Generous DVR |
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Access to hundreds of live games |
Hulu + Live TV is incredibly popular, and for good reason. It offers dozens of today’s most popular channels, boasts an impressive DVR with unlimited space, and gives you access to add-on content to expand your library. All these features make it ideal for watching sports, as you can tune into various games—including big-ticket items like the Super Bowl and World Series.
Before singing its praises, it’s worth noting that Hulu + Live TV won’t get you access to every game for every sport. In fact, no service is capable of doing that. However, Hulu does have a few notable gaps in its coverage, including the PAC-12 Network for college football and some matches from European soccer leagues.
Beyond those small drawbacks, Hulu + Live TV is a great destination for sports fans. Key networks like ESPN, NBC, FS1, CBS, and the Big 10 Network are all part of the catalog, letting you view hundreds of live sporting events. Toss in add-on content like NFL RedZone and FanDuel Racing, and it’s easy to build a channel list that covers all the major games and matches.
It’s quite expensive, starting at $77/month (which comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+), but Hulu + Live TV is a great all-around platform for live sports.
Best Streaming Service for Sports Overall
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu offers a variety of content, including tons of key matchups across sports like football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and more.
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Pros |
Cons |
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Offers an unbeatable sports package |
Lower tiers missing regional networks |
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Multiple subscriptions to choose from |
TNF only on Prime Video |
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Plenty of DVR storage |
Football fans can’t do much better than DirecTV Stream, as it provides access to NFL RedZone, NFL Network, and a bundle of other stations like the SEC Network and ACCN. Thursday Night Football is one of the few things you’ll miss out on, but as a Prime Video exclusive, that’s the case for all streaming services.
Beyond that omission, you can check out all your local games without issues. The availability of NFL RedZone is a big win, as it jumps between all live games on Sunday, ensuring you don’t miss any of the action. If you want regional channels, just be sure you step up from the Entertainment Package to the Choice Package, as the lower tier is lacking those broadcasts.
Other perks include an unlimited cloud DVR, the option to stream on unlimited devices in your home (or three concurrent out-of-home devices), and support for a variety of smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles.
If you don’t live near your favorite team (and miss out on local broadcasts), you may want to consider looking at YouTube TV + NFL Sunday Ticket. This gets you access to out-of-market games, though it’s quite expensive. But for everyone else, DirecTV Stream remains a great option.
Best Streaming Service for Football
DirecTV Stream
With access to NFL RedZone and the NFL Network, along with all your local and national broadcasts, you can catch most games with a DirecTV Stream subscription.
Best Streaming Service for Baseball: MLB.TV
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Pros |
Cons |
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Access to nearly every MLB game |
Only baseball |
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Stream LLWS and other events |
Expensive for what it offers |
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Library of documentaries |
If you want to catch every MLB game, look no further than MLB.TV. It’s designed specifically for out-of-market viewing, giving you access to games that aren’t broadcast in your region. When combined with your local channels, it’s perfect for catching every game all season long.
Along with streaming live games, MLB.TV offers a variety of documentaries and other baseball-related content. Another great benefit is access to other leagues, such as the Little League World Series, spring training, and off-season packages for La Liga Dominicana.
The big drawback to MLB.TV is that it’s all baseball, all the time. While other services offer secondary content like live movies and TV shows, this is purely baseball. Consider pairing it with a Prime Video membership to get a well-rounded streaming experience.
Best Streaming Service for Baseball
MLB.tv
Signing up for MLB.TV lets you watch out-of-market baseball games that otherwise wouldn’t be available in your region, along with a deep library of baseball documentaries and off-season matchups.
Best Streaming Service for Soccer: fuboTV
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Pros |
Cons |
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Watch Premier League, Champions League, and more |
Expensive |
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Includes other live sports |
Many streams limited to 720p |
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Great interface to quickly find your matches |
If you want to catch every soccer (or football) match under the sun, fuboTV needs to be on your radar. Not only does it give you access to hundreds of live channels, but you’ll be able to tune into a variety of matches across a variety of iconic leagues.
The big draw for soccer fans is access to matches from the Premier League, Champions League, MLS, Ligue 1, Liga MX, and more. Navigating all these matches is a breeze, thanks to a user interface that’s tailor-made for each device you own—fuboTV looks very different depending on whether you’re watching on your smartphone, TV, or laptop. But regardless of device, tuning into your favorite teams is as simple as it gets.
fuboTV also benefits from several add-on packages for premium networks, available DVR, and even a free trial so you can test the service before dropping any cash. That’s a great benefit, too, as fuboTV can get expensive depending on your plan and additional packages, with things starting at $80/month. Many streams are also limited to 720p, though select programming is available at higher resolutions.
Best Streaming Service for Soccer
Fubo TV
While Fubo TV is a solid choice for any cord-cutters looking for access to a broad range of cable channels, it’s especially well-suited for soccer fans.
Best Streaming Service for Wrestling: SlingTV
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Pros |
Cons |
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Watch WWE and AEW |
Fox only available in select markets |
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Low price |
Limited concurrent streams |
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Includes other live TV stations |
To watch WWE matches, you’ll need access to USA and Fox. AEW, meanwhile, is available on TBS and TNT—all four of which are available through Sling TV. A few different plans are available through Sling, though the Blue Plan is the best option for wrestling fans, as it’s just $40/month (with the first month discounted to just $15).
Along with access to all these great channels, you’ll be able to purchase pay-per-view events through the streaming service. So if you want to tune into some of the biggest WWE matches of the year, Sling has you covered.
Sling TV also gets you a bunch of other live sports, including select NASCAR races and NBA games. There is a caveat to the service, however, as Fox is only available in select markets. Be sure to check the coverage list before signing up. And with the Blue Plan, you’ll only be able to stream on three devices at once.
If you want to get the most out of Sling, consider checking out the Orange + Blue Plan. This gives you four concurrent streams and access to a bundle of channels not found on Blue. But if you really only need it for catching your favorite AEW and WWE Superstars, the Blue Plan is hard to beat.
Best Streaming Service for Wrestling
Sling TV
Its lower price comes with a more limited channel selection, but it offers everything you’ll need to view WWE and AEW broadcasts.
FAQ
Is it cheaper to pay for cable or stream live sports?
Depending on what you want to stream, the answer will be different. Streaming services are typically cheaper than cable, though that has been changing recently, with many platforms raising their prices. Consider which sports you want to watch, then check their availability on today’s leading platforms like Hulu and fuboTV.
Are sports streaming services geolocked?
This varies by streaming service, but most platforms incorporate some form of geo-blocking. However, you can mitigate this issue by using a VPN.
Are there any free sports streaming services?
Select games can be viewed online for free through websites like ESPN, though most major matches require you to pay for a subscription to one of the many providers.
