How to watch ESPN for free
How to watch ESPN for free
ESPN is widely available across a variety of live TV streamers — here’s how to watch it!
Sports fans know ESPN delivers the best collection of games and analysis on TV. Whether you follow the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, or almost any other sport, ESPN’s mission is “To Serve Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere”. Thankfully, if you want to watch ESPN without cable, you don’t have to dig too far (or go down any dark paths), as there are plenty of legal ways to stream ESPN for free. That said, you can also cut straight to the point and take the easiest route possible, just get a subscription to ESPN Unlimited. While it’s obviously not free (it’s currently $31.99 per month), it’s dead simple and saves the hassle of constantly figuring out where to watch live sports.
Still not wanting to bust out your wallet to watch ESPN? Read on, and we’ll explore all the ways you can watch ESPN live for free without cable.
Watch ESPN for free with a trial of a live TV streaming service
Most live TV streaming services carry ESPN — DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV — and you can start watching right away with a free trial on many of them, for up to a week or more. There’s no contract in sight, just a monthly subscription fee. You can access these services directly on a smart TV, via a streaming device like a Roku or Fire TV, or on your phone, tablet, or computer. As long as you have an internet connection, you can watch content on ESPN.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ESPN | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
ESPN options at a glance
| Feature | DIRECTV | Hulu Live TV | Sling TV | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Price | $20.99 | $89.99 | $19.99 | $63.99 | $82.99 |
| Base Channels | 277 | 126 | 58 | 214 | 123 |
| Max Channels | 296 | 155 | 144 | 241 | 172 |
| Local Channels | Yes | Yes | In select markets | Yes | Yes |
| Sports Channels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regional Sports Networks | 40 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 6 |
| DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 Hours (upgradable) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| On-Demand Services | No | Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ | No | No | No |
| Free channels | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Free Trial | 5 Days | 3 Days | No | 7 Days | Yes |
ESPN live streaming options
DIRECTV
Our top choice for ESPN fans is DIRECTV, where you can get started with a 5-day FREE trial. You’ll find an unbeatable channel lineup with 35 of the top 35 cable channels, a top-notch user interface, an unlimited DVR, and 20 concurrent streams at home.
With the best lineup of regional sports networks available and many tempting add-on channels and packages, DIRECTV is our top choice for live TV streaming services, including ESPN — although it’s not the most affordable option. You’ll also get ESPN Unlimited included at no extra charge.
Hulu Live TV
If DIRECTV doesn’t fit the bill for you, we also recommend Hulu Live TV for streaming ESPN, which you can try free for 3 days. That’s plenty of time to catch a few live events and decide if you want to keep it longer. In addition to 32 of the top 35 cable channels, you’ll also get the great on-demand libraries of Hulu and Disney+. That’s a fantastic value for 3 free days with no strings attached.
With a great channel lineup that includes ESPN, this is the best entertainment value available. You can also easily bundle Hulu with Disney+ and ESPN+ for even more savings – often offset by other services like your cell phone provider, as is the case with Verizon Wireless.
Sling
If you want to save money over the long haul, we recommend Sling TV. This ultra-flexible live streamer offers many different channel packages, but you can get ESPN on the Sling Orange package or the Orange+Blue combo. While there is no free trial, Sling frequently offers great deals on your first month. No other live-streaming service offers more ways to save money. It’s currently still the cheapest monthly option for ESPN.
Fubo
Another strong choice is Fubo. Subscribers get 18 of the top 35 cable channels as well as many regional sports networks (RSNs). It’s on par with DIRECTV in many areas, but be sure to take a good look at any other channels you’ll want to watch, or teams you follow, before comitting.
What about the ESPN streamer - ESPN Unlimited?
Last year, ESPN launched its own dedicated streaming service, ESPN Unlimited, and while it’s not free, it does provide access to all of ESPN’s networks and live coverage for a monthly fee. If you’re solely looking to stream ESPN content and are willing to pay for a monthly subscription, you can get started for $31.99 per month.
Can you watch ESPN on Peacock, Max, or Prime Video?
While Prime Video, HBO Max, and Peacock have important sports rights, they do not offer any way to watch ESPN. You can watch specific games (namely NFL broadcasts), but you won’t have access to ESPN at all.
Can you watch ESPN without a live TV streamer or cable package?
There is no totally free, standalone ESPN option right now, but ESPN Unlimited is the easiest way to stream everything as long as you don’t mind paying for a subscription. Disney was planning to bundle ESPN with several other sports providers with a service called Venu Sports, but a lawsuit from Fubo stopped the service prevented it from launching. You can, however, find ESPN’s streamer bundled with Disney+ and even Fox One for a fee.