The best streaming services for watching sports in 2024

Although Hulu’s Live TV tier might not be our top recommendation for watching one special sports, it’s a great general option if you want access to NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL games and more, but Also want to watch Hulu Originals, and the option to watch episodes of SNL, The bachelor and more live or on-demand the next day.

Hulu’s live TV tier also includes ad-supported access to Disney+ and ESPN+ (a separate service we recommend later in this list for tuning into NHL games, UFC fights, and select F1 races). Hulu + Live TV starts at a pricey $77/month after a three-day free trial, but considering everything you get, it’s not a bad deal for a sports AND entertainment fan who only wants to commit to one subscription .

Fubo TV gives you access to ESPN, NFL Network, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and more than 100 live channels, with many niche sports offerings. Starting at $80 per month, the live TV streaming service is definitely pricey (though certainly not the most expensive option on this list), but offers almost every channel you need to watch NFL, NCAA, WNBA, NBA, NHL games and more to view. Fubo subscribers also get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage.

The platform also offers a free trial so you can play some games risk-free. And now you can also get $30 off the first month of any Fubo tier after the free trial ends!

YouTube TV gets you almost every channel you need for the 2024 NFL season, including Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network. Plus, YouTube TV is home to NFL Sunday Ticket this season! The Sunday Ticket package, while pricey ($479.99/season), gets you ALL off-market Sunday games (over 160 games per season).

Another benefit to this option: YouTube adds four months of Max with the YouTube TV + NFL Sunday Ticket bundle.

If you bundle Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV, you can get them both for $158.99 per month for four months (that’s $586 for the season). Now you will have to continue paying for YouTube TV to continue accessing the NFL Sunday Ticket package.

One thing to note: YouTube TV live streams tend to play on a slight lag, which isn’t great if you’re trying to keep up with the live game down to the second.

The DirecTV Stream’s Choice tier (currently $105.98/month with fees) gives you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, NBC, CBS, and Fox. Plus, with the Choice level you get CBSSN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network, and a plethora of local RSNs – great for watching college football and many MLB games.

Right now, DirecTV is offering a free trial at every tier, which means you can try it all out for free. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.

Some of the stuff that airs on ESPN (or ABC) also streams on ESPN+, making it a great way to get a taste of lots of sports, including NHL, MLB, F1 and a fair amount of grand slam coverage (this past year the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open were available on the platform). Plus, UFC Fight nights and prelims are streamed on ESPN+, and it’s an easy platform to order PPV UFC events.

An ESPN+ subscription also gives you access to fantasy sports tools and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ via an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, computer and on ESPN.com.

Max has been the ‘one to watch’ for entertainment fans for quite some time when they decided to launch their live sports activities. While it’s currently unclear how long the B/R Sports add-on will be available for free to subscribers, you might as well enjoy access to live games on TBS, TNT, and TruTV while you can.

Apple TV and MLS Season Pass have teamed up to bring subscribers every MLS and Leagues Cup match without blackouts. Subscribers get English and Spanish broadcasts of hundreds of live MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches, plus game replays, highlights, analysis and more original programming. With or without an Apple TV+ subscription, an MLS Season Pass subscription through Apple TV costs just $9.99 for the remainder of the season, then renews at full price through 2025 ($14.99/month or $99/season) . Please note that a subscription to Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month separately.

In addition to MLS games, Apple TV+ offers award-winning programming such as Ted Lasso, Palm Royale And Masters of the air, plus great original films and sports documentaries such as Messi’s World Cup: the rise of a legend. Apple TV+ has a seven-day free trial available for new subscribers. OR, if you recently purchased a qualifying Apple device, you can get up to three months of the streaming service completely free.

Starting at $30 for your first month, Sling TV’s Orange & Blue plan offers TNT, TBS, TruTV, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and USA. This gives you access to a wide range of sports, including NFL games, NCAA football, select football matches, WWE coverage and more.

The biggest disadvantages of Sling? You don’t get CBS, the DVR storage is limited to just 50 hours, and it includes a lot of channels that aren’t relevant to sports… or anything else, really. The platform also doesn’t currently offer a free trial to test it out, but you can get $25 off your first month of Sling Orange & Blue (usually $60/month)

Starting at $8 per month, a Peacock subscription gets you access to some exclusive NFL games, every NFL game on NBC, select college football games, Premier League matches and more. Plus access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms like Parks and recreation And The office. For $14 per month, you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription, which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during select sports and events) and the ability to download select titles for offline viewing.

Paramount+ offers subscribers access to NFL games on CBS. Furthermore, the platform is great for fans of Champions League football, Star Trek, Survivor, The Challenge and much more.

Paramount+ starts at $7.99/month for the ad-supported plan and $12.99/month for the ad-free plan that includes SHOWTIME and access to live CNS 24/7. Unlike many other streaming services these days, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial, so new subscribers can sign up to watch this weekend and watch the rest of the Paramount+ library completely free for seven days.