
Fall is prime time for sports fans. There’s both college and NFL football. The baseball regular season wraps up, followed by the playoffs and World Series. The first NBA games tip off, too. And with such a rich stew of possibilities, the buffet of options for viewing sports is tastier than ever.
Once, a sports fan might be limited to viewing the feats of only regional teams, and the selection of those games was limited to the lineup a TV network offered. Now, however, sports fans can choose streaming services that best suit their interests and budgets. Pricing can change at any time, though, so verify the cost when you’re ready to make a game-time decision.
Some Potential Winners
NFL Game Pass: For pro football fans, NFL Game Pass is a game-changer. This streaming service provides access to live out-of-market games. It’s hard to beat if you’re a fan who wants to keep up with a favorite team whose games typically aren’t broadcast in your TV market. NFL Game Pass also offers on-demand replays, condensed games, and access to an extensive archive of previous seasons. While Game Pass is just one possibility for streaming NFL games, it’s a good one.
NBA League Pass: Do you love professional basketball? Thanks to NBA League Pass, there’s a premium service perfect for anyone hooked on the NBA. There’s coverage of live games and the opportunity to watch past games on demand. There’s plenty of analysis, features, interviews and more. And it also works great on most devices.
Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV: These services aren’t known primarily as platforms that feature sports. Instead, they established footholds by offering deep libraries of new TV shows and movies, as well as catalogs of longtime favorites. But if you’re already subscribing to stream from one of these services or other similar ones, take a closer look. You might be surprised by the sports available on a subscription you already have.
YouTube TV: If you want an experience that’s close to traditional TV — all the big networks and smaller ones, too — check out YouTube TV. ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and more are all available, and they’re streaming in real time. You see the games as they’re happening. You can even record events so you can watch them later.
ESPN+: Are you a fan of sports other than the big leagues? ESPN+ takes a deep dive into soccer, tennis, and more. There’s coverage of everything from Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts to U.S. Open tennis. Smaller college conferences, such as the Ivy League and Conference USA, are showcased, with baseball, softball, hockey, wrestling, and more. There’s even access to a library of content from the ESPN documentary series “30 for 30.”