Watching sports in the streaming era can be a fractured and frustrating experience for fans. Leagues have found it immensely lucrative to slice up their schedules and sell portions off to the various streaming services, each of which is desperate for live sports programming. This leaves most fans without a single subscription that covers all the games they want to watch. Instead, you need to cobble together a collection of services and then remember which games are on which service on which nights.
Take the NFL, for example, where this past season you could watch most games with a cable or live TV streaming service, but you also needed Prime Video for the Thursday night games, Netflix for a pair of Christmas Day games and Peacock for a game back in Week 1. It’s worse for NBA fans, who must subscribe to three streaming services in order to be able to watch nationally televised games on any given night this season.
If you’re more of a diehard fan of your local NBA, NHL or MLB team and care more about watching its games than catching national broadcasts — say, Knicks fans in New York, Avalanche fans in Colorado or Cubs fans in Chicago — you’ll need a regional sports network. And options are limited for cord-cutters. Fubo and DirecTV are the only live TV streaming services that offer a wide selection of RSNs.
This winter, you have more than hockey and basketball to get you through the cold, dark months. The Winter Olympics start Friday are happening right now, followed by the NBA All-Star Game weekend, so you’ll probably want to sign up for a month of Peacock for full coverage of all the action from Italy. You’ll be able to watch a lot of the Olympics on NBC (and CNBC and USA Network) with a live TV streaming service, but many events will stream exclusively on Peacock. You can also watch the big game on Peacock or NBC this Sunday.
Given the range of sports and sports fans, it’s impossible to point to one streaming service as the single solution for your sports-watching needs. Most likely, you will need to mix and match. But I do have some good news to share for frustrated fans.
For one, there are no long-term contracts with any of the streaming services, which means you can sign up at the start of the season and cancel your subscription at the end — or somewhere in the middle if your team is suffering through a rough season to the point you no longer want to watch.
For another, some of the live TV streaming services, including Fubo and DirecTV, have started offering skinny bundles geared towards watching sports. These skinny bundles have a reduced set of channels for a lower monthly cost, which can save you some money (or allow you to deploy some of your sports-watching budget to another streamer you might need). And Sling now offers Day, Weekend and Week passes starting at $5 that let you jump in and out for a specific game or two.
At CNET, we’ve done the research to help you assemble the best roster of streaming services for the sports and teams you want to watch. You might need to add and subtract from your lineup depending on the season to keep your monthly costs at a reasonable level, but there is probably a small group of streaming services that will work for you on any given month of the year.
Keep reading to see the best streaming services for sports fans and learn which sports each service is best for watching as you map out the best lineup of streamers for the sports and teams you care about.
Best sports streaming services of 2026
Pros
- Robust live channel selection
- Excellent cloud DVR
- Great interface and useful search bar
Cons
- Not a lot included in 4K upgrade
YouTube TV costs $83 a month, though new subscribers can get a discount for the first few months. It offers four RSNs, along with FS1, FS2, ESPN and all of the major national networks. The standard package includes just about every league channel with the exception of the NHL Network. There is an additional Sports Plus package, but it doesn’t offer much other than Tennis Channel and NFL Red Zone, so you might be able to skip it.
YouTube TV is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that Sunday Ticket does not include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you need Sunday Ticket plus a YouTube TV subscription (or get Sunday Ticket and use an antenna for local games).
Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks and RSNs are available in your area.
Pros
- Low price
- Offers Sunday Night Football
- Live WWE, Olympics broadcasts, Premier League
Cons
- More sports content available elsewhere
Peacock, owned by NBC, offers some live sports to go along with its on-demand entertainment. The $11-a-month Premium tier gives you access to the big game and Winter Olympics this month, along with English Premier League soccer, select WWE events, Indy Car races and some PGA golf tournaments. The service also airs a few other less popular sports, such as rugby, figure skating, cycling and track and field. Access to Sunday Night Football is great during the NFL season, but for most of the year, the platform is best suited for soccer and wrestling fans. After the NFL season ends, NBA on NBC will bring live basketball to the platform. You can upgrade to the Premium Plus plan at $17 per month to stream ad-free.
Pros
- Solid channel lineup Hulu on-demand
- Disney Plus and ESPN Unlimited included
- Unlimited DVR
Cons
- Fewer channels than YouTube TV
Hulu Plus Live TV offers an interesting middle ground for sports fans. On the one hand, the service lacks the ability to get many league-owned channels, but on the other, it comes automatically bundled with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 a month and carries five RSNs along with all the major networks, plus ESPN, FS1 and FS2. It also offers the NFL Network, but even the Sports add-on lacks the MLB, NHL, NBA or Tennis channels. The biggest appeal of the add-on is the inclusion of NFL Red Zone. Otherwise, it doesn’t bring much value to the package.
The inclusion of the Disney bundle might make Hulu Plus Live TV more appealing than some of the other services on this list. Not only do you get full access to the sports on ESPN Unlimited, but you also get Disney Plus. Perhaps Hulu Plus Live TV could be a good compromise for sports fans who are also Disney lovers or who share a house with those who are.
Click the “View all channels in your area” link at the bottom of Hulu Plus Live TV’s to see which local networks and RSNs are available where you live. You can snag the first three months at a discounted rate right now.
Pros
- Lots of live NHL and other sports
- Original content
- Team-centric features
Cons
- Pricey without bundle
- No live NFL or NBA games
ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service comes in two flavors. The ESPN Unlimited plan costs $30 a month (or $300 a year) and lets you stream all ESPN linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network and ACC Network. You also get access to programming on ESPN on ABC, ESPN Plus, ESPN3, SECN Plus and ACCNX.
There is also a $13-a-month ESPN Select plan that is like a rebranding of ESPN Plus. It offers you access to thousands of live games — including small college conferences, whose games you can’t watch anywhere else — but not the NFL or NBA.
An ESPN Unlimited subscription encompasses a lot of sports — more than 47,000 live events a year, according to ESPN. There’s the NFL and WWE with recent major deals, and ESPN’s rights portfolio also includes the “NBA; NHL; MLB; WNBA; UFC; UFL; SEC; ACC; Big 12; College Football Playoff; 40 NCAA championships, including the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship; LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL and FA Cup soccer; Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open tennis; The Masters, PGA Championship, PGA Tour and TGL golf” and more, according to the company.
For NFL fans, this ESPN Unlimited lets you watch every Monday Night Football game and the ManningCast during the regular season, as well as one Wild Card playoff game.
For NBA fans, an ESPN Unlimited subscription will let you watch 80 regular-season games — that includes games shown on ESPN and ABC. It will show Wednesday night doubleheaders throughout the season before adding Friday night doubleheaders and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon games starting midseason.
Pros
- Carries large selection of sports channels and networks
- Ideal for channel surfers
- Live pause feature
Cons
- Expensive
- Must upgrade to access most RSNs
DirecTV has grown to offer streaming-only packages, including its new-ish MySports subscription for $70 a month.
It’s the priciest of the five major live TV streaming services, but it’s also the one with the most RSNs and offers the most for sports fanatics. Its cheapest signature offering is the $85-a-month Entertainment package that includes the major networks as well as ESPN and FS1. You’ll need to move up to the Choice plan to get any available RSN and many league channels, such as the Big Ten Network and NBA TV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels and RSNs are available in your area.
If you don’t mind fewer channels, check out the MySports Genre Pack, a budget-friendly option with 20-plus channels and access to ESPN Unlimited at no extra charge. Channels include NBC, FS1 and NBA TV.
Pros
- Great for soccer fans
- Easy to navigate
- Lots of channels for live sports
Cons
- Lacks TNT, TBS and other Turner channels
- Expensive
Fubo starts at $85 per month and offers over 35 RSNs, but tacks on an extra RSN fee up to $15 per month. It includes ESPN, but not TBS and TNT, though that’s less of an issue now that the NBA has parted ways with Turner. It also has most of your local networks, like ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, along with FS1, FS2, BeIn Sports, the Big 10 and the Golf Channel.
You’ll have to pay an extra $8 a month for the Fubo Extra Package or the $105-a-month Elite streaming tier, which includes Sports Plus for the NHL, NBA, MLB, SEC, PAC 12 and Tennis channels. Check out which local networks and RSNs FuboTV offers here.
Pros
- Inexpensive live TV option
- Can use AirTV 2 tuner for local channels
- Offers ESPN, TBS, FS1
Cons
- Little access to local stations
The Sling TV packages don’t have a ton to offer any but the most casual fan. Sling Blue currently lacks a single RSN, but you can use it to watch some national broadcasts. Sling TV’s Orange plan includes ESPN, while the Blue plan has FS1 and the NFL Network — but neither gives you access to ABC, which could be a problem for many fans.
The Sports Extra add-on, which costs $11 a month for either the Blue or Orange plan or $15 for the combined Orange and Blue plan, offers the NBA, NHL and MLB channels, along with the PAC 12, BeIn Sports and Tennis Channel, among others.
The individual plans start at $46 a month each, and the combined Orange and Blue plan starts at $61 a month (in some regions, it’s a little more). You can see which local channels you get here.
Sling is unique among live TV streaming services with its one-day pass for $5 for watching a specific game on a specific night. There are also weekend and week passes, which could be useful for watching the end of, say, a golf or tennis tournament.
Pros
- Affordable monthly price
- Live NFL games
- Carries AFC games, UEFA Champions League, NWSL soccer
Cons
- Must have premium to get local CBS stations
Paramount Plus starts at $8 per month and gives its subscribers access to NFL football games during the season, along with some UEFA Champions League soccer and college basketball, as well as most matches from the NWSL women’s soccer league. Upgrade to Paramount Plus with Showtime for $13 a month for access to live, local CBS feeds.
Users can access NFL games in their local market, which may be a good option for those looking to get CBS without spending a lot of money. You could also just get an over-the-air antenna and get all your local channels for free.
- Availability of sports programming: Some services offer greater access to live broadcasts on major networks, while some platforms are better for specific leagues or sport types.
- Local channels/RSNs: You’ll need a live streaming service to watch most RSNs without cable, but if you want to watch games on a local station, an antenna or basic live TV streaming package could meet your needs.
- Simultaneous streams: Services usually charge more for more streams. Be sure you’re covered for yourself and other members of your household, and consider whether you have to pay extra to share your account.
You may know many of the services on this list, but it’s not fully reflective of every sports streaming platform available. There are separate apps out there for Fox Sports, NBA, NFL, DAZN, F1 TV and more that may offer what you want. There are plenty of other ways to stream and other options to choose from. As we analyzed these streaming platforms, we considered a few things, including price, content availability and user-friendly navigation.
We considered which platforms provide live channels across the spectrum for football, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, wrestling and other fields. We also analyzed which ones offer access to RSNs and the most budget-friendly platforms for you to stream major sporting events. Some services are worth the cost for access to live broadcasts, and while the less expensive platforms are better for a single games or seasonal runs.
Sports streaming services compared
| Monthly price | Channels, sports | RSNs? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV | $85 | ESPN, ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, TBS, TNT, F1 | Yes |
| Hulu with Live TV | $83 | ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, TBS, TNT, FS1, FS2 | Limited |
| Fubo | $85 | ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN FS1, FS2, Big 10, RSNs | Yes |
| YouTube TV | $83 | ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, TBS, TNT, FS1, FS2, league channels | Limited |
| Sling | Starts at $46 | ESPN, TBS, FS1, some major networks | No |
| ESPN Unlimited | $30 | MNF, NBA, NHL, MLB, UFC, college sports, soccer, tennis, golf | No |
| Peacock | Starts at $11 | Sunday Night Football, Premier League, WWE, Olympics, golf, rugby, skating | No |
| Paramount Plus | Starts at $8 | CBS sports, AFC NFL games, soccer | No |
HBO Max: The video-on-demand streaming service launched a sports add-on package called B/R Sports, and it’s available on the Standard and Premium plans. You can stream content such as NBA, NHL, NCAA and US Soccer games. Because it’s an add-on option, we left the service off this list, but if you’re an HBO Max subscriber — and cord-cutter — who wants to watch live games from TBS, TNT and truTV, it’s a great option.
Don’t some on-demand streaming services show live sports, too?
Is there a lag or delay when streaming sports live compared with cable?
Can I cancel my subscriptions when the season is over?
How do I access these services on my devices?
