How to Watch Sports Without Cable TV
You absolutely can watch local sports without cable TV. Options include Streaming, OTA TV and Online.
One of the major reasons families delay cutting the cord is the fear of losing out on their beloved local sports teams. While local sports do add some complexity to the process, it is by no means impossible. Watching sports without Cable TV is definitely possible!
If you only have a team or two that you care about, we suggest picking it out of the list below and seeing specific options to that team.
Watching In-Market Local Sports
Over-the-Air Antenna
Some local games are on broadcast TV. This includes almost all games from your local NFL team plus other games within the NBA, MLB, NHL and College ranks. You can check out your local TV guide to see if one is on now. Most of these games are broadcast on weekends and can be watched with a digital TV antenna. A TV antenna allows you to watch your local broadcast channels for free once you’ve purchased the antenna. However, this requires your home to be within range of the local station that is carrying the game.
Streaming Services
Many local sports games are now starting to show up on various streaming services. For instance, most Regional Sports Networks that carry your local NHL, NBA and MLB games are available on Hulu Live, AT&T TV Now and others. While they usually require an additional fee to watch, they are available. While availability differs per metropolitan area, these 5 services have pretty good coverage and free trials.
Hulu Live | YouTube TV | AT&T Now | fuboTV |
Free Trial $45 / month | Free Trial $49 / month | Free Trial $50 / month | Free Trial $55 / month |
Watching Out-of-Market Sports
If you do not live in what is considered the “home” area of the team you’d like to watch, then utilizing one of the official league apps will be your best choice. Before signing up for these services, check to see if they exist as an “add-on” to a streaming service that you already subscribe to (like Amazon Prime, Sling, etc.).
NHL
The NHL has NHL.tv, which shows all out-of-market games for all teams. Unfortunately, games on here are subject to blackouts if you live within what is considered the team’s “home region” and you’ll need a VPN to mask your location if that happens.
NBA
The NBA has NBA.tv, which shows all out-of-market games for all teams. Unfortunately, games on here are subject to blackouts if you live within what is considered the team’s “home region” and you’ll need a VPN to mask your location if that happens.
NFL
The NFL has two apps that allow you to stream games. The first is NFL Gamepass, which allows you to stream any NFL game after the live game has ended. This will be your cheapest and easiest option, but obviously you won’t be able to watch the games live. There is a free trial available.
The second (and most popular) is NFL Sunday Ticket which will allow you to stream live NFL games from any device, but the catch is that you can only watch out-of-market games. This means if you live in the market you are trying to watch the game for, you’ll need to mask your location with a VPN.
MLB
The Major League Baseball has MLB TV, which shows all out-of-market games for all teams. Unfortunately, games on here are subject to blackouts if you live within what is considered the team’s “home region” and you’ll need a VPN to mask your location if that happens.
Sports Channels on Streaming Services
Every streaming service is different in their channel lineup. While this is confusing when trying to decide which service to subscribe to, NoCable has tried to make it a bit easier. Here is the most up-to-date list of dedicated sports channels on the streaming services they are available on.
Sling | Hulu Live | YouTube TV | AT&T Now | fuboTV | |
ACC Network | Y | Y | Y | ||
bein Sports | Y | Y | |||
BTN | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
CBSSN | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
ESPN | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
ESPN Classic | |||||
ESPN College Extra | Y | ||||
ESPN Goalline | Y | Y | |||
ESPN2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
ESPN3 | Y | ||||
ESPN Desportes | Y | Y | |||
ESPN News | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
ESPNU | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Fox Soccer Plus | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
FS1 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
FS2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Golf Channel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
MLB Bases Loaded | Y | ||||
MLB Game of the Week | Y | ||||
MLB Network | Y | Y | Y | ||
MLB Strike Zone | |||||
NBA League Pass | Y | ||||
NBA TV | Y | Y | Y | ||
NBCSN | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
NFL Network | Y | Y | |||
NFL Redzone | Y | ||||
NHL Network | Y | Y | |||
Olympic Network | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Outside TV | Y | ||||
Pac-12 Networks | Y | Y | |||
SEC Network | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Stadium | Y | ||||
Tennis Channel | Y | Y | |||
Free Trial $25 / month | Free Trial $45 / month | Free Trial $49 / month | Free Trial $50 / month | Free Trial $55 / month |