The Ultimate Cord Cutting Guide for Sports Fans (Updated April 2019)

friends watching football on TV

friends watching football on TVSports is still one of the main reasons people pay for cable TV because they want their sports live. The good news is watching sports as a cord cutter is easier than ever and can save you a lot of money. So here is our quick guide to being a cord cutting sports fan.

This post was updated on April 14th, 2019.

Sports Channels

The first thing many people want is access to their favorite sports channels. ESPN, FS1, BTN, and more are all available to cord cutters with services such as Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TVPlayStation VuefuboTV, and DIRECTV NOW.

Here is a quick chart on which service has what:

Channels Sling PS Vue DIRECTV NOW Hulu YouTube TV  Fubo TV
Bein X X
Big Ten X X X X X
CBS Sports X X X X X
Eleven Sports X X
ESPN X X X X X
ESPN Goal Line X  X X X
ESPN U X X X X X
ESPN2 X X X X X
FS1 X X X X X X
FS2 X X X X X X
Golf Channel X X X X X X
MLB Network X X X X
NBA TV X X  X X X
NBC Sports X X X X X X
NFL Network/Redzone X X X
NHL Network X
Pac -12 Networks X X
SEC Network X X X X X
Sports Illustrated TV X
Stadium X X  X
TBS X X X X X X
Tennis Channel X X X
TNT X X X X X X

*ESPN Goal Line is only available in the WatchESPN app for some services.
**This list displays channels avilaible in the new DIRECTV NOW Plus & Max Packages.
***Stadium also streams for free online.
****Did I miss something or make an error? Send us a message.

ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC

Many of the biggest sporting events every year are 100% free on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. A good antenna will give you these channels without the need to pay for anything. Not sure what antenna you should get? Check out Antenna Web and type in your address to see what kind of antenna you will need.

If you can’t get the locals you want for free, check out Sling TVPlayStation Vue, HuluYouTube TV, Fubo TV, or DIRECTV NOW to see if they offer them in your area.

Regional Sports Channels (Fox Sports, NBC Sports, MSG, Etc)

If you want access to your local sports networks such as Fox Sports or NBC Sports, we have good news for you. Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, Hulu, fuboTV, and DIRECTV NOW all offer local sports channels – just not all of them. Sadly, you will have to do a bit of research to see what local sports network each service has in your area. They all seem to have Fox Sports and the rest have a smattering of different regional sports networks. So be sure to visit their sites to find out what they have where you live.

NFL

The NFL is our most commonly asked for in sports. The good news is with an antenna 90% of Americans will be able to access their local CBS, FOX, and NBC stations. Add a streaming service such as Sling TV, FuboTV, or PlayStation Vue for ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL Redzone and you have the same coverage your local cable TV company can give you. CBS All Access now streams in-market Sunday games through its streaming service.

You can find our full NFL guide HERE.

College Football

College football is our second most requested guide from sports fans. As you saw above, many streaming services including Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV NOW offer access to popular channels for college football fans. SEC Network, BTN, and the Pac-12 Network are all now available to cord cutters.

ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC are available to more than 90% of Americans with an antenna. If you cannot get it over the air look into services such as Sling TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue, which offer locals in many different markets. So be sure to visit their sites to see what you can get in your local market.

You can find our full College Football guide HERE.

NBA

Both Sling TV, fuboTVYouTube TVPlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW will give you NBA TV and networks such as ESPN and TNT. You can watch the games on ABC with an antenna or by using your login for WatchESPN apps.

Again, you may need to shop around for the service that has your regional sports channel but most Americans should be able to get it from one of the services.

You may also want to look into NBA League Pass if you live outside of your sports team’s local market. For a one-time payment of $99.99, you can watch every game for your out-of-market team. Now you can also subscribe to NBA League Pass through Sling TV and YouTube TV.

NHL

If you are an NHL fan then Sling TV is what you want. It has the NHL Network as well as the NBC Sports network for great NHL coverage. Add an antenna for local NBC games or stream NBC games for free on NBC’s website.

Golf

Are you a golf fan? Sling TV, HuluPlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW all offer the Golf Channel along with ESPN and more. Again, add an antenna for locals such as CBS and you have your golf fix. If you have poor OTA coverage check out some streaming services. More than half of PlayStation Vue subscribers now get local CBS stations live. Twitter will also now live stream some Golf events.

MLB

If it’s baseball you’re looking for, MLB Network is currently only on Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV.

If you want access to your local sports networks such as Fox Sports or Comcast SportsNet (CSN) we have good news for you! YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW all offer local sports channels – just not all of them. Unfortunately, you will have to do a bit of research to see what local sports network each has in your area. They all seem to have Fox Sports and the rest have a smattering of different regional sports networks. So be sure to visit their sites to find out what they have where you live.

UFC Fighting

Now if you want a UFC PPV event you need to use ESPN+. This year ESPN and UFC Launched a new partnership making UFC PPV events an exclusive to ESPN+.

Nascar

If you’re trying to watch Nascar, the main channels you want are FOX, NBC, FS1, & NBCSN. The good news is Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV NOW all offer what you want. Als,o don’t forget an antenna for you locals.

Do you have a sport we didn’t cover? Leave us a comment and we will work on adding it to the list.

Check out some of our favorite streaming services with live sports here.

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