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We are only two weeks away from college football season!!
Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to stick with cable to get live sports. In reality, you’ll have MORE channels if you cut the cable and switch to streaming—not to mention you’ll save a ton of money!
No matter what you want to stream, there are tons of options with the 5 best streaming providers below. Each is a flat rate monthly, with no taxes, hidden fees or contracts. Plus, they all offer free trials!
Tip: Remember there is no contract so you can always just use these services during your favorite sports season. We turn off our YoutubeTV from January to August and only pay for it during college football season!
Streaming Devices
With any of these options, you’ll need a device to watch content on. Going super basic, you could stream from your smart phone or laptop. If you want to watch it on your TV, here are some options:
Roku
Fire Stick (works with Alexa)
Amazon Fire TV Cube
Smart TV
They are each a little different, but our personal favorite after trying almost all of them is definitely the Roku.
2024 Best Streaming Providers for Live TV
Many streaming providers seem to be the same when you just look at price. However, the real comparisons are when you look at things like channel line ups, the number of screens allowed and other features.
Note: ALL of these providers are paid monthly. There are no sign up fees, or cancellation fees, or extra taxes. We only pay for service during college football season and then cancel after the bowl games until the next August.
Hulu with Live TV (bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+)
Price: $76.99 per month with ads; $89.99 per month without
Hulu with Live TV is the best of both worlds in terms of content. You can watch things as they air but you will also have access full seasons of shows that have already aired as well as movies. You have an unlimited amount of space to record live TV. You can check their list of which sports channels are offered here.
YouTube TV
Cost: $64.99 per month for first three months, then $72.99 per month; 10 day free trial
You Tube TV allows you to stream live TV from 85+ networks plus local sports and news. You can have up to 6 accounts per household and can stream on 3 devices at a time. There is also a Cloud DVR with no storage limits. Go to the website and type in your zip code to see which channels are available.
Tip: Youtube TV doesn’t care who you add to your 6 accounts “family”. We currently share Youtube TV every fall with our in-laws and each pay 33% of the cost. You don’t want to share with more than 3 people though as that is the max that can stream the same show at the same time.
Sling TV
Cost: $20 for first month with either Orange or Blue and $27.50 for first month for both; $40/month after that for each and $55/month for both + more for other sports packages
Sling TV allows you to stream live TV. You will get different channels based on which package you get. To get all the sports channels that Youtube and Hulu offer you’ll need to get the additional $11 sports package.
Fubo TV
Cost: $79.99 per month; 7 day free trial
The newest player in live streaming, FUBO TV is the most sports heavy of all the providers. They offer all the top channels for college sports without needing add on packages. Currently available anywhere in the US, Canada and Spain. You can get local and national channels and use this with any streaming device.
DirectTV Stream CHOICE (Formerly AT&T TV and DirectTV Now)
Price: $98.99 for first two months; 5-day free trial
You can get 105+ channels with DirectTV Stream. You’ll want to get the CHOICE plan if you need all the sports channels. There is no satellite or annual contract required. It includes DVR cloud access.
Side By Side Comparison
| Hulu Live | Sling | DirectTV | FUBO | YouTube TV | |
| Price (monthly) | $76.99+ | $55+ | $98.99+ | $79.99 | $64.99+ |
| Channels | 65+ | 70+ | 106+ | 116+ | 85+ |
| DVR | Yes | $5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-Demand | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Simultaneous Streams | 2 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
Each offers great service, and you’ll love that there are no contracts, taxes or hidden fees! Pick based on the channels you need and prices.
You could even use the ones that offer free trials back to back to get a couple weeks of free streaming!
