Which subscription is best for sports?

The Best Sports Streaming Services

Of course, when it comes to watching live sports online, you have many streaming services to choose from. Prices have been ranging from free to more than $100 per month, and the features that come with each service, including exclusive live games, on-demand replays, and original content, make it quite hard to choose the most suitable sports streaming service. Here, we review ESPN Plus, Paramount Plus, Peacock Premium, Sling TV, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, NBA League Pass, MLB TV, and NHL TV to determine which streaming service offers the greatest value based on the specific sports and teams you wish to follow.

ESPN Plus

But if you are a dedicated fan of college sports, ESPN Plus might just serve you right. For only $9.99 a month or $99 a year, ESPN Plus offers live streams and replays of thousands of games and events for college football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and more. You also receive unique ESPN content along with selected NHL and MLB games from other markets not available in your area. However, to this date, ESPN Plus does not offer live streaming of most of the primetime NBA, NFL, and other professional games other than selected NHL and MLB games.

Paramount Plus

Launched recently after CBS All Access rebranding, the Paramount Plus offers the ad-supported Essential subscription at $4.99 per month and the commercial-free Premium at $9.99 per month. Earlier, Paramount Plus only streamed live CBS Network feeds and on-demand content from other channels like BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and the Smithsonian Channel. Regarding sports, the Paramount Plus subscription provides you with Sunday NFL on CBS regionally and UEFA Champions League games and some of the exclusive NFL on CBS broadcasts. However, besides that and several other live sporting events, Paramount Plus is still limited when it comes to sports at the moment.

Peacock

The NBCUniversals Peacock streaming service offers three subscription options: free (limited version with ads), paid (premium) for $4.99 monthly with ads, and premium plus for $9.99 monthly without ads. Regarding live sports, the Peacock channel offers soccer: Premier League, football: Sunday Night Football, Olympics, wrestling: WWE, golf, horse racing, etc. More privileges of Premium subscriptions include access to other sports documentaries, replays, and highlights, as well as Peacock original content. Still, most of Peacocks sports programming is accessible only through the paid subscription of Premium, so the casual viewer will be content with the basic free platform, while the dedicated fan will likely get at least Premium.

Sling TV

Sling TV is one of the cheapest live TV streaming services, with base plans starting at $35 per month. Sling Orange and Sling Blue offer 30+ live channels, and customers can add various Sports Extra packs for $11-$15 more per month based on the current offer. Sling comes with options like Comedy Extra, Lifestyle Extra, News Extra, and many more add-ons, which make it possible to select and set up a variety of channels. As for sports, Sling lets you watch live ESPN, FS1, TBS, and TNT but does not include regional sports networks. This package includes NFL RedZone, NBA TV, beIN Sports, ESPN U, NHL Network, etc., in addition to the regular Sports Package. Sling is perfect for casual viewers and those who want to cut their expenses, but this service does not include some regional sports networks.

fuboTV

If you want to spend a little more to get the most comprehensive package for sports streaming, fuboTV is what you should go for. Pricing begins at $69.99 per month for the Pro tier that offers well over 124 channels. Or move up to the Elite plan for $79.99 with over 178+ channels. In any case, fuboTV provides coverage across NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA football, soccer, tennis, and more through channels like ESPN, FS1, beIN, CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, and many regional sports networks. There are no restrictions on streaming on multiple devices simultaneously, in addition to 250 hours of cloud DVR storage. In the end, fuboTV gives the ultimate sports streaming, although it is slightly expensive.

DirecTV Stream

Formerly marketed as AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now, the newly named DirecTV Stream offers cable-like live TV over the internet with packages starting at $69.99 and going up to $149.99 per month. The Entry package has more than 65 channels, while the Ultimate package has a maximum of 140 channels. Regardless of the chosen bundle, DirecTV Stream users can watch live sports on ESPN, TNT, TBS, NFL Network, FS1, and others. You also get to watch regional sports networks depending on which region you are in. Like Sling TV, there are additional packs of channels and extras available, including HBO Max, Showtime, and Starz. While being slightly costlier than competitors, one of the main advantages of DirecTV Stream is the seamless migration from the traditional satellite service, DirecTV.

NBA League Pass

If you are a serious devotee of pro basketball who cannot afford to miss any game from any team, then NBA League Pass is where it is at. For $14.99 per month or $99 per season, an NBA League Pass allows you to watch more than 1,100 games from across the league without facing any blackout. It means that with NBA League Pass, basketball never ends, as one can just watch his favorites and exciting stories whenever they want. From LeBron and the Lakers to Giannis and the Bucks across both conferences, pro hoops is covered from all angles by NBA TV analysts. However, games that are aired locally in your region are still blacked out from NBA League Pass depending on NBA broadcast regulations.

MLB TV

Baseball season is now underway, and if you’re an American sports fan, you can catch all the action on MLB TV. Depending on the current offer, MLB TV subscriptions are $25 per month or $130 for the whole season. Like NBA League Pass, MLB TV provides fans with live telecasts of virtually every out-of-market regular season game not televised in the home-team market. That means thousands of MLB games you wouldn’t get to see if they include teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, Mets, etc. that cross paths. MLB TV additionally provides all of the great features baseball fans expect, such as watching multiple games at once, highlights during the games, the ability to overlay statistics, game archives, and the MLB Network, which is a 24/7 channel dedicated to baseball analysis. If you are a hardcore baseball fan, then MLB TV is a perfect choice for you.

NHL TV

Although it has been outdone by Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association as far as the United States sports culture is concerned over the recent past, hockey still enjoys an active and loyal following. And for the true passionate NHL die-hard hockey fans, NHL TV does the job by offering live out-of-market regular season games across the entire league. For the year 2021/2022, the NHL TV package costs $24. 99 monthly or $299. 99 for the year, the Single Team Pass costs $49. 99 or $89. 99 for the year, and the All-Access Season Pass costs $144. 99 or $249. 99 annually. Just like NBA League Pass and MLB TV, yes, local blackout rules will also apply depending on the viewer’s location and the blackout area assigned to the game. However, NHL TV offers the opportunity to get acquainted with interesting players, famous teams, intense division matches, and the battle for the Lord Stanley’s Cup in more than a thousand games per season when the puck is dropped.

The Best For You

If the major sports streaming services and their benefits that I have hopefully presented above are any indication, then it should be easier to determine which platform works best for your viewing habits. There is not one type of program that can be said to be the best for all the sports fans out there. It is all about your budget, the type of sports, the teams you are interested in, the number of channels you want to stream at once, the seasons, and any other promotion that might be on offer. But by now, you have all the necessary information to decide on whether the service, like ESPN Plus for college sports, Peacock Premium for Premier League matches, NBA League Pass to watch every NBA game, or any other service, is the best to subscribe to so you can never miss your favorite matches and athletes again.

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