- Subscription price: $5.99 per month.
- Sports coverage: NFL, Big Ten college football and basketball, English Premier League soccer, WWE, the Olympics and PGA.
- Storage and retention: Not listed.
- Number of screens: Three.
- 4K livestreams: No.
Let’s face it, costly cable and satellite TV subscriptions are less utilized in today’s viewership market. According to Nielsen Insights, streaming services have consistently taken away market share from traditional cable and broadcast networks in recent years, becoming the most watched form of television programming.
Smart TVs and streaming devices like Amazon’s Firestick allow audiences to condense their viewing choices into neater, customized packages that better suit their preferences, especially in sports. But with so many sports services, which is best for you? Here, we narrow down the best sports streaming services for every type of fan.
According to NBC Universal, “Sunday Night Football” has ranked as the No. 1 prime time show among adults aged 18 to 49 for 16 consecutive seasons, and a standing reason to bust out your best projector and host a party. Since the 2021 NFL season, Peacock has streamed the weekly gridiron games alongside its NBC parent network. “Peacock carries every NFL game on NBC broadcast, including a streaming-only game in week one from Brazil,” says Taylor Kujawa, sports editor at CableTV.com. “The service also streams the ‘Football Night in America’ pregame and postgame studio shows.”
If you don’t have cable TV or a digital antenna, Peacock for “Sunday Night Football” is a good bet for your streaming bucks.
Get it here: Peacock
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more inclusive, economical sports streaming choice than Paramount+. For just a few dollars to start, you can stream live sporting events including international soccer, college basketball, NFL games and professional golf. If you miss your preferred events, you also get complete access to CBS Sports HQ for the latest news and highlights from around the sports world.
Paramount+ is arguably the best entry-level bang-for-your-buck sports streaming service.
Get it here: Paramount+
NBC Universal is calling their coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics “the most comprehensive Olympic destination in U.S. media history.” As the Games’ streaming home, Peacock will broadcast every sport and event, including all 329 medal events, as well as access to full-event replays, video clips and other features. “Peacock is also introducing new interactive and multiview features for fans who want to experience every moment,” Kujawa says. “We’re excited to test the features because some of our favorite Olympic events happen simultaneously.”
Peacock’s Olympics coverage is unrivaled by any other streaming service and comes at the provider’s cup of coffee price.
Get it here: Peacock
Peacock does it again as a sports streaming powerhouse in U.S. territories, this time in the pro wrestling category. The recent WrestleMania 40 event was the most-streamed entertainment event ever on Peacock. With a basic subscription, you get every WWE premium live event, including Crown Jewel, Survivor Series, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. You can also dive into archival events from the defunct but beloved World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling promotions.
Peacock sports streaming is available in 1080p at best, but the provider delivers one of the most comprehensive pro wrestling packages.
Get it here: Peacock
Fubo features virtually as many sports viewing options as there are hexagons on a soccer ball. National and local programming from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are included in the starter plan, as well as channels like CBS Sports Network, FS1, FS2, Fubo Sports Network, NBA TV, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network and The Golf Channel. That’s a lot of variety in your sports choices if you’re an all-around sports fan. If you’re not sure exactly which sports you want, utilize Fubo’s seven-day free trial for a test run.
If national and international sports channels are a chandelier, Fubo has virtually all of the light bulbs.
Get it here: Fubo
Paramount+ may seem like the best service for watching CBS Sports coverage, but it won’t get you all of it. “Most content that airs on CBS Sports Network doesn’t stream live on Paramount+,” Kujawa says. “The best way to get Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network in one subscription is through Hulu + Live TV. The live TV streaming service includes CBS Sports Network in its core channel lineup.”
If you don’t mind the somewhat hefty monthly price, Hulu offers you all the CBS Sports you’ll want, and then some.
Get it here: Hulu + Live TV
According to Kujawa, Hulu + Live TV also wins in this category, thanks to its inclusive streaming coverage of both gridiron and on-the-links action. “Hulu + Live TV is a top option for watching the NFL and PGA Tours,” he remarks. “It has the main NFL, PGA tour and LPGA tour channels, and includes PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ at no extra cost for expanded PGA coverage.”
An efficient option if you want to narrow your sports viewing to just the NFL and PGA.
Get it here: Hulu + Live TV
TNT hosts a myriad of national sports, but if you want to exclusively stream all of them you have to get a bit crafty and subscribe to HBO Max with a B/R Sports Add-On. “While the add-on doesn’t give you 24/7 access to TBS, TNT and truTV, you can still stream most sporting events and studio shows that appear on those channels,” Kujawa says. “It even carries exclusive live sports that don’t air anywhere else in the U.S., including select cycling and motorsport events.”
Not a bad option if you like your action exclusively from TNT Sports — just watch out for subsequent monthly fees for the add-on.
Get it here: HBO Max with B/R Sports Add-On
“Finding a service that expertly balances live sports and on-demand shows can be difficult,” Kujawa says. “But Paramount+ and Peacock do it best. Whether you choose one over the other depends on each service’s coverage, which is where brand loyalty really comes into play. Fans of CBS sports and Paramount Pictures movies should choose Paramount+, while the NBC sports and Universal Pictures faithful should go with Peacock.” Personally, I think Paramount+ just takes this category, but you’re free to make up your own mind.
Discover a great balance of sporting events and on-demand shows with Paramount+.
Get it here: Paramount+
Naturally, the particular sports coverage that comes with your chosen streaming service should be top of mind. “The first thing someone should consider when signing up for a streaming service is, ‘Does this service show the sports and type of content I want to watch?’” says Stefan Lederer, co-founder and CEO of multimedia streaming company Bitmovin. “A highly recommended sports service can show all the major sports, but if you’re interested in more niche sports, then it’s not the one for you.”
Many of the best streaming services also offer features like playback and recording, so if you’d like to rewind your sports action while watching or record it on DVR for later viewing, be sure the streaming service you choose checks all the boxes you’re looking for.
No matter which sports streaming service you choose, your choice will be futile if the provider delivers poor-quality events. There’s nothing worse than building up to an action-packed play only to have your service pause or start buffering, making even the best smart TV look dumb.
“User interfaces in sports streaming have massively improved since the pandemic,” Lederer says. “Features such as multiple camera viewpoints, additional overlays, watch parties and the widespread adoption of 4K and HDR are all things that make the sports streaming experience more immersive. It’s something that gets me excited when watching sports because it’s more interactive. It’s super cool for me, as someone who works in video streaming, to see its evolution firsthand.”
Some streaming providers offer a free trial period before you begin paying, which is a good opportunity to assess the quality of the service’s broadcasts. Also, you should utilize free trials to be sure their programming is reliable, as subscribers often complain that some providers don’t always stream the sporting events included in their packages.
Everyone wants value for their money and streaming services for sports can certainly vary in price. Some go as low as $5 to $10 per month, while others reach as high as $100 or more each month, depending on the particular provider and the package you purchase. You don’t want to buy a streaming package with one provider only to learn another provider offers the same services for less, so shop around and compare prices from different providers before you buy.
To make these picks, I enlisted a panel of some of the most knowledgeable experts in the sports streaming industry. I also conducted extensive research into several top streaming providers to confirm our panel’s choices.
“Streaming services are generally cancelable at any time,” says Mark Boidman, head of global media at Solomon Partners. “Many even offer free trials or discounts to new users that are cancellable before payments begin.”
“Not really when it comes to sports,” Boidman says. “But for other programming, there are certain services that can provide content to a mass audience.”
“At CableTV.com, we’ve ranked YouTube TV as the best streaming service for several years,” Kujawa lauds. “Its competitive pricing, robust channel lineup and unlimited DVR storage make it a top-tier service. But it stands out the most for its constantly evolving user-friendly interface.” We may not yet be able to watch sports in VR, but some high-quality streaming services come close with 4k and HDR features.
“No matter what streaming service you choose, you’ll likely see a delay of around 30 seconds when watching live sports,” says Kujawa. “Factors like high latency, network congestion, weather interference and other factors can affect a streaming service’s performance.”
