ESPN is synonymous with cable. The sports giant is known for its around-the-clock coverage via its famous SportsCenter show, live sports games (including NFL livestreams), lively debate shows like "First Take" and "Pardon The Interruption," and much more. But as cord-cutting grows, sports fans want to watch ESPN without a cable subscription. Fortunately, we've found multiple ways to keep ESPN in your life, including using some of the best live TV streaming services.
Now, it used to be that ESPN didn't offer its own way to stream ESPN without cable. Annoyingly, ESPN Plus didn't offer an ESPN network livestream. But now, you can sign up for ESPN's streaming service, confusingly dubbed ESPN, and get ESPN, ESPN 2 and more with an ESPN Unlimited plan. For just $29.99 a month, you'll get every linear TV channel ESPN has to offer without needing cable.
But that's not the only way to get the most popular ESPN channels while cutting the cord. So, without further ado, here's everything you need to watch ESPN without cable.
How to watch ESPN without cable in the U.S.
ESPN is available on all of the best cable TV alternatives, except Philo TV. The cheapest option is Sling TV Orange, which starts at just $46 a month and typically offers a first-month discount. It only offers ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN 3, but that gives you a lot of ESPN content, and dozens of other channels, for not a ton of cash.
For more information on the differences between Sling's two packages — and why it may be worth getting both for a discounted bundle rate — check out our Sling Orange vs. Blue comparison.
You can also watch ESPN with our favorite live TV streaming service, YouTube TV. Not only does it let you watch ESPN, as well as multiple channels at the same time, but you get features such as multiview and catching up with key plays so you never miss a moment.
Sling and YouTube TV both make our shortlist of the best streaming services, but we ultimately recommend YouTube TV as the best live TV streaming service for most people.
There are other options, of course. Fubo offers ESPN, ESPN 2 and more ESPN networks, but a new price hike makes it nearly $40 more than Sling Orange. Hulu + Live TV is also at the same price as YouTube TV, so it's not cheap either. But it does give you ESPN Unlimited for free.
Of course, you could just go with the ESPN streaming service in the first place. At just $29.99, ESPN Unlimited gives you every ESPN linear TV channel there is, and you can bundle it with Disney Plus, Hulu and even Fox One. The only catch is that it doesn't offer as wide a range of channels as the live TV streaming services do.
What about ESPN Plus?
ESPN Plus used to be a streaming service, but now it's just one of the content brands in ESPN's broader portfolio. The streaming service is now ESPN Select, which only offers ESPN Plus content, meaning there's no ESPN live feed to watch.
How to watch all the ESPN channels online
Curious to see how ESPN Unlimited and the live TV cable alternatives compare when it comes to watching ESPN without cable? Here's a breakdown of who offers what and how much it costs.
ESPN Unlimited |
Sling TV |
Fubo |
YouTube TV |
Hulu + Live TV |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ESPN |
Yes |
Yes (Orange) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
ESPN2 |
Yes |
Yes (Orange) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
ESPN3 |
Yes |
Yes (Orange) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
ESPNEWS |
Yes |
Sports Extra ($11 per month) |
Fubo Extra ($8 per month) |
Yes |
Yes |
ESPN Deportes |
Yes |
No |
International Sports Plus ($7 per month) |
No |
Español Add-on ($5 per month) |
ESPNU |
Yes |
Sports Extra ($11 per month) |
Fubo Extra ($8 per month) |
Yes |
Yes |
Price |
$29.99 a month |
$46 a month (Sling Orange) |
$79.99 a month |
$82.99 a month |
$82.99 a month (Includes ESPN Plus) |
