With massive changes announced seemingly every day this month, one might be reasonably confused as to what the sports streaming landscape looks like — not for the media companies, but for the general sports fan. SMW contributor Ben Huddleston takes an in-depth look at the state of sports streaming, at least for now, in 2025.
With an ever-growing list of streaming-exclusive content, the average sports fan might find all of the ever-changing options daunting. Sports Media Watch has fans covered with a full breakdown of how to watch your favorite teams, and the pros and cons of each.
Traditional cable and satellite (Xfinity, Charter, Spectrum, Cox, etc.)
The rapidly-declining “cable bundle” is still the best choice for many households. Traditional cable offers perhaps the most complete package of content and usually includes local regional sports networks. TV packages can often be combined with home internet and/or telephone service for a discount. However, traditional cable is typically the most expensive option. Although some providers may include subscriptions to various streaming services (Peacock, HBO Max), fans may have to purchase additional subscriptions to access streaming-exclusive games like Prime Video’s NFL and NBA coverage.
Despite the wide availability of streaming content, there are some sports that can only be accessed through linear cable. Specifically, events on CBS Sports Network (college football and basketball), USA Network (Premier League and NASCAR), and Golf Channel (PGA Tour) are not available through any direct-to-consumer streaming platform.
Virtual bundle (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, Fubo, DIRECTV Stream)
The virtual cable bundle offers much of the same content as traditional cable at a lower price point, and without long-term contracts or hardware fees, although the availability of networks varies by product (the TNT networks are not available on Fubo, for example). Of the options listed above, Fubo and DIRECTV Stream are far more likely to carry local regional sports networks (FanDuel Sports Network, NBC Sports local) than the other options, although coverage varies by market.
Currently, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and DIRECTV are the only virtual bundles that includes access to the full ESPN DTC product (which includes ESPN+ and WWE premiere events beginning in 2026), although more options may become available later this year. (Disney owns Hulu and is in the process of acquiring a majority stake of Fubo.) All of these services offer bundles with other streaming products like Disney+ and HBO Max.
Fubo reached an agreement in January to merge with Hulu as part of a settlement with Disney to drop its opposition to the since-abandoned Venu streaming service. Disney reportedly plans to continue offering the Fubo service as a separate product, but will merge the Hulu + Live TV service into the Disney+ app in 2026.
New in 2025, Sling has announced “Day Pass” options that offer access to the Sling Orange networks (ESPN/ESPN2, TNT/TBS) for $5 for a day, $10 for a weekend, and $15 for a full week. The Sports Extra add-on adds $1, $2, or $3 to the short term options and includes ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, NBATV, MLBN, NHLN, and Tennis Channel.
Direct-to-consumer streaming (Netflix, Peacock, Prime Video)
Major sports rights are currently scattered across nearly a dozen direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. While individual services are far cheaper than a traditional or virtual cable bundle, no one platform has every game, and the cost of subscribing to all can start to add up.
Some streaming services offer exclusive content, while others are simply a simulcast of content airing on a linear network. It’s worth examining these individually:
- Apple TV+ ($9.99/month): Includes exclusive Friday-night MLB games, as well as all Formula 1 races beginning in 2026. The “MLS Season Pass” product, which includes every Major League Soccer game, is primarily available through Apple TV+, though starting this year it is also available through third-party providers as an add-on.
- Disney+ ($10.99/month): Includes some ESPN studio shows, as well as occasional access to major live sports events from ESPN.
- ESPN Select ($11.99/month): Previously known as ESPN+, offers access to thousands of live events (out-of-market NHL, college sports, and international soccer), but generally does not include events airing on an ESPN linear network.
- ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month, beginning August 21): Offers full access to all events airing on an ESPN linear network (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network) as well as digital content (SECN+, ACCNX, ESPN3) and exclusive content (ESPN+, WWE PLEs beginning in 2026). Select cable and streaming providers (Charter, DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV) will offer this product for free to subscribers, with that list set to expand later this year.
- Fox One ($19.99/month, beginning August 21): includes every event airing on FOX, FS1, Big Ten Network, as well as Fox News Channel. There are no known plans to make any events exclusive to the Fox One service.
- HBO Max ($16.99/month): For now, includes simulcasts of every event airing on TNT, TBS, and truTV. The larger Warner Bros. Discovery is in the process of spinning off the linear networks to a separate company, and the status of the sports rights is unclear. Currently available content includes MLB, NHL, and college sports, including portions of the College Football Playoff and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
- Hulu ($9.99/month): Not to be confused with the Hulu Live TV bundle, the Hulu SVOD platform includes access to NHL games exclusive to ESPN+. The standalone Hulu app is planned to be phased out, but the brand name will continue to exist as a part of the Disney+ app in 2026.
- Netflix ($7.99/month): In addition to its enormous library of entertainment content, Netflix carries select sports properties, including the NFL on Christmas Day, the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and WWE Raw.
- RSN packages: Many local regional sports networks offer a DTC streaming product to supplement their cable coverage. This includes the FanDuel Sports Network app, as well as the carriers for many other MLB, NBA, and NHL teams. For the NBC-owned networks, see “Peacock” below.
- Paramount+ ($7.99/month): Includes nearly all events airing on the CBS broadcast network (NFL/college football, college basketball, golf), as well as hundreds of international soccer games (Serie A and UEFA Champions League). In 2026, the service will begin exclusively carrying every UFC event. Does not include college football and basketball games set for CBS Sports Network.
- Peacock ($10.99/month): Includes simulcasts of nearly every event airing on NBC, as well as lots of exclusive content: Monday night NBA, college football and basketball, Olympic sports. Generally does not include events airing on USA Network (Premier League, NASCAR) or Golf Channel. For an additional cost, Peacock offers access to the NBC-owned regional sports networks, which include local games from the 76ers, Celtics, Kings, Warriors, Athletics, Giants, Phillies, Sun, Flyers, Sharks, and more.
- Prime Video ($8.99/month): Exclusive coverage of Thursday night NFL games, and Thursday/Friday/Saturday NBA games, in addition to WNBA and NWSL coverage. Also includes select exclusive Yankees games in the New York market.
Bundled streaming options
An increasing number of options allow consumers to subscribe to multiple streaming services through a single transaction, sometimes at a discounted rate. It was announced Monday that fans will be able to subscribe to ESPN Unlimited and Fox One for $39.99/month, a savings of around $10 from subscribing to those services individually. The HBO Max plan that includes its live sports offerings is available in a bundle for $29.99/month with Disney+ and Hulu, although that does not include much of ESPN’s sports content.
Some direct-to-consumer products are available to subscribers of traditional cable television or cable internet service. Xfinity TV or Internet customers are eligible to purchase StreamSaver, a $15/month bundle of Peacock, Apple TV+, and Netflix. As mentioned above, many traditional and virtual bundle providers will offer free access to the new ESPN product.
Some streamers are often bundled in with unrelated services. The most prominent of these is Amazon’s Prime Video, which is included as a free benefit of the Amazon’s much larger business — Amazon Prime retail shipping. T-Mobile offers subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, MLB.TV and MLS Season Pass for free to users of its wireless cell service. Shoppers who enjoy the grocery delivery provided by a Walmart+ subscription can also enjoy UFC fights through their complimentary Paramount+ access.
League-owned packages (NBA League Pass, Sunday Ticket)
For fans that can’t miss a second of the action, sports leagues offer streaming products to include access to out-of-market games, i.e., games not televised on a channel in your area. (It should be noted that one’s ‘market’ can sometimes include multiple teams whose availability — typically on RSNs — may be limited. In Iowa, for example, MLB.tv will include only 24 of 30 teams, as the Royals, Twins, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, and Cardinals are considered in-market teams.)
Keeping that caveat in mind, MLB.TV and NBA League Pass include every ‘out-of-market’ game, except generally exclude those airing on a national network. The NHL’s out-of-market package is included with a subscription to ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+). MLS Season Pass is available through Apple TV+.
NFL Sunday Ticket is available exclusively through YouTube, and provides access to every Sunday afternoon game at a steep price ($480 annually for returning users). The service does not include games televised on CBS and FOX in a viewer’s home market.
NFL+ provides access to NFL Network and out-of-market preseason games, as well as access to local and primetime games on mobile devices only. NFL+ Premium includes the same, along with access to the RedZone channel on Sunday afternoons.
The free options
The value proposition offered by a broadcast antenna is hard to beat, which, for a one-time purchase, provides access to local ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, and NBC stations, although only on one television per antenna, and not on mobile devices. These networks televise thousands of hours of sports each year, including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, golf, racing, and college sports. Combining this option with some of the streaming services above can be a cost-effective way to watch the sports you want for less.
Some NBA, MLB, NHL, and WNBA teams have recently begun to simulcast select games — or even full seasons — on local broadcast television stations. These games would be receivable by an antenna, although some may be carried on a digital subchannel.
A long-standing policy by the NFL requires that every game be available on broadcast television in the markets of the participating teams. This means that, for example, if you live in the Kansas City area, every Chiefs game will be broadcast on a local station, regardless of whether the game is being carried in a CBS regional window, or on ESPN, or on Peacock, or any other platform.
Additionally, Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels are widely available (on platforms like Tubi, Roku Channel, Fire TV Channels) and sometimes offer sports. The CBS Sports Golazo Network carries soccer matches from around the world every day, and the NBC Sports Now channel occasionally carries college sports and other events. The ION network is available as a FAST channel, and carries weekly WNBA and NWSL matches.
Lastly, if you are a person who does not need to watch live, highlights and condensed games are made available shortly after completion for nearly every major sport, and are widely available on YouTube and other platforms.
