Cable companies and broadcasters have been controlling the broadcasting of sports since for as long as professional sports have existed. So its no surprise that many potential cord cutters are concerned over whether or not their access to major sporting events for their favorite teams will still exist as traditionally the best way to watch sports has been on network television and cable.
Traditionally the very nature of live sporting events meant that cable and over the air television networks was the best and often only way to your favorite sports team win however we are seeing more and more options to stream sports live via streaming platforms.
The NFL for example has signed huge contracts with traditional networks such as CBS, FOX and NBC to broadcast live sporting events meaning that some digital media companies cannot provide funding for the full package.
However as television is changing and the way we watch sports is changing along with it. Surprisingly there are now many options for sports fans who want to watch live events outside of traditional cable TV packages. Below are some of the streaming services to watch sporting events from anywhere .
DAZN (pronounced Da Zone)
A powerful streaming service traditionally geared for fight fans with a growing number of events available each month to broadcast. DAZN is now one of the best options for sports fans for not just combat sports but traditional sports as well.
What began as a streaming service catering to combat sports fans has evolved over the years to a more diverse offering of more than 8,000 events a year, including the Premier League football, NBA, NFL, MLB, NH1, F1 and, of course, boxing and MMA.
While the service initially focused on fighting and marketed as an alternative to expensive Pay Per View events , it was launched with the promise of offering customers access to more than 100 premiere fights a year it has since evolved rapidly to encompass more sports and this trend will likely continue as more subscribers join.
DAZN was first launched in Austria, Germany, Japan and Switzerland in 2016 and has since then expanded to Canada as well as the US. and Italy in 2018 and now its also available in Brazil and LATAM.
Watching sports with DAZN is easy, as it supports a wide variety of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation, iOS, Android and Chrome, FireFox, Internet Explorer and Safari over the web.
Fanatiz
Start watching the best soccer matches live in HD. Watch events, matches, sports channels and more whenever and wherever you want. Available content may vary by location. Fanatiz gives you access to all matches and channels available in your country, whenever and wherever you want. All you need is a high speed internet connection. Choose a favorite team to easily access club stats, view previous games and receive team notifications.
Available in the U.S. A:
- BeIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Ñ and all beIN Connect channels, including beIN SPORTS XTRA.
- Enjoy Conmebol Libertadores, Conmebol Sudamericana, French Ligue 1, Turkish Superlig and more.
- Gol TV in English and Spanish
- Transmission of Liga NOS de Portugal, Liga Pro de Ecuador, Liga 1 de Perú and Liga de Uruguay.
- CentreAmericaTV and Tigo Sports
- Enjoy the best of Central American football
- Liga Argentina, which includes all River Plate and Boca Juniors matches, and access the most complete Argentine football offer with AFA Play
- Brasileirao Serie A and B and access the most complete Brazilian football offer with Brasileirao Play
- TyC International, broadcasting the Argentina Cup and much more.
- Italian football with RAI TV and Inter TV.
- A football
- Real Madrid TV and Sevilla TV
Fanatiz offers a variety of subscriptions, including daily, monthly and annual plans. Fanatiz is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Google Chromecast, mobile devices and on our website. Fanatiz also includes an On Demand service that allows you to watch previously completed matches.
ESPN+
Arguably the largest and most popular sports streaming app available . With access to most of the important American and European leagues as well as some of the most important open tennis matches and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Football League (NFL) and Formula 1.
These are the main sports content available on ESPN Plus :
- Soccer : UEFA: rights for the qualifiers, UEFA Nations League and friendly matches.
- Major League Soccer (MLS): rights to broadcast off-market matches.
- Liga MX: rights to broadcast the matches of the Mexican league.
- Liga España: LaLiga, Segunda División, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España.
- League England: EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two, EFL Cup.
- German League: Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
- Others: leagues from Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Scotland, India, Sweden, Netherlands.
- Motorsport: Formula 1: all races on the circuit.
- Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB)
- Combat: Ultimate Fighting Championship ,Top Rank ,Professional Fighters League
- American Football: NFL: Broadcast of Monday Night Football and the international exclusivity of a match.
- Hockey: National Hockey League, Ice Hockey World Championships and Tennis
- Rugby: Pro14 , The Rugby Championship : Bledisloe Cup
fuboTV
Once specifically a niche streaming service for soccer matches. fuboTV is still a premier live streaming platform for soccer fans around the world, but now also bundling other live sports and entertainment channels across multiple digital platforms. The service grants access to live matches from the biggest soccer leagues in the world on desktop, mobile, OTT, and Smart TV platforms.
Formula 1 TV
A must have app for all fans or car racing , its niche focus allows it to stand out from other apps that provide streaming races for F1 events.
The service also has unique features such as enhanced graphics and displays , data and analytics made specifically for racing fans . Subscribers still have unlimited access to radio conversations between drivers and crews, famous for showing a little behind-the-scenes to the public.
A great feature of the service is that it allows subscribers to see the entire race from the point of view of their favorite driver, from the recording of the camera attached to the athletes’ helmets.
Showtime
Pictured: Paramount+ interface design. Photo Cr: CBS2021 Paramount+, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Besides its long list of movies and premium tv series showtime has long been considered the home of combat sports.
With over 40 live fight nights a year, go ringside with exclusive access to SHOWTIME Championship Boxing and Bellator MMA. Showtime also has a large collection of sports related documentaries . You can stream all the action live or on-demand, or download full matches to your mobile devices and watch offline.
HULU
While mostly known for its big collection of live and on demand television program Hulu also features a large selection of sports content including your favorite sports on CBS, ESPN, FS1, FOX, NBCSN, NFL Network . Whether it’s football and basketball or baseball , you can catch all the action live on Hulu. Aside from the sports you can also get 75 live channels, plus Hulu’s entire streaming library depending on your plan. For even more sports action HULU can be bundled with ESPN+ for extreme sports fans.
DIRECTV STREAM
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DIRECTV STREAM offers an impressive amount of regional sports networks in most US markets than any most live streaming service. From baseball to football you can get your sports fix 24/7 with access to the top national, regional, and league-specific networks. Basketball lovers will enjoy the NBA League Pass Premium where they can watch most NBA games live. Die hard sports fans should definitely check out DIRECTV STREAMING as a possible single app for most of their entertainment needs,
Paramount Plus
Pictured: Paramount+ interface design. Photo Cr: CBS2021 Paramount+, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Paramount Plus is the broadcast service of American media giant ViacomCBS. Previously known until recently as CBS All Access, it is one of the leading streaming platforms for accessing live sports content in the United States.
In conjunction with the CBS Sports , the platform is home to major international soccer competitions at club level, such as the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League, as well as other popular local leagues.
The platform is also strategic partner of the NFL, so it broadcasts the most important American Football games, including the Super Bowl, and also offers ice hockey, basketball and golf competitions, among other sports.
Paramount Plus arrived in Latin America and Nordic countries and the Middle East in the first quarter of 2021 (it was available in Canada and Australia as CBS All Access). However, most of its sporting offerings are restricted to the United States only.
Soccer :
- UEFA Champions League: all matches live (United States only).
- Europa League: all matches live (United States only).
- Serie A Italiana: the 380 matches of the Italian football league and 25 matches of Coppa Italia.
- Argentina’s Primera División: all matches live (United States only).
- Brasileiro Championship: all matches live (United States only).
- National Women’s Soccer League: 87 women’s league games (United States only).
- Scottish Premiership: broadcasting rights to the first and second divisions of Scotland, in addition to the Scottish League Cup. (United States only).
American Football:
- National Football League (NFL): rights to broadcast Sunday afternoon games, including several Super Bowls. (United States only)
Golf:
- The Masters: rights to broadcast the first (April) of the majors (United States only).
- PGA Championship: rights to broadcast the fourth (July) of the majors (United States only).
- PGA Tour: rights to broadcast the US professional golfers tournament. (United States only)
