How to Watch ESPN Without Cable?
Considering that today traditional cable TV is becoming less and less necessary, when it comes to choosing an option for watching our desired channels and content, viewers have the choice to explore other ways to do so. Streaming ESPN, the leading network for live sports, exclusive commentary, and original sports content, is one of the most popular networks people want to stream. To watch ESPN without cable, streaming platforms are available that offer access to your favourite sports, events, and shows for much less money than you’d spend on cable.
If you’re looking for ways to watch ESPN without cable, this article will teach you how to even if you don’t have a cable product and iProVPN will teach you about how to elevate your streaming experience across all platforms with ESPN’s content. For this reason, you can either be a diehard sports fan or you just watch a few sports games and sports documentaries in time to time, which is why the best ways to stream ESPN without cable are what you’re about to read.
Why Watch ESPN Without Cable?
Before diving into the different streaming options, it’s worth considering why so many people are opting to watch ESPN without cable:
- Cost-Effective: Many traditional cable subscriptions are pricey, and streaming services make ESPN available without hurting your wallet.
- No Long-term Commitments: Typically, you’re committing to a year or more with a cable contract. But there are flexible month-to-month plans with streaming services, so you can cancel or change plans without penalties.
- More Convenience: With streaming, you can watch ESPN without being stuck to a television. It works just on your phone, tablet, laptop, or smart TV, and it’s just so convenient.
- Customizable Viewing Experience There are a lot of streaming services that will let you pick sports channels and networks that are most important to you. This makes it easier to choose how you would like your subscription to work and if you wish to include ESPN, or other sports channels, or entertainment channels for example, this is something you can pick.
It’s obvious why more and more people are cutting the cord and opting to watch ESPN without cable with these advantages. And let’s find out the best way to do that.
Best Ways to Watch ESPN Without Cable
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ESPN+ Subscription
An ESPN+ subscription is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to watch ESPN without cable. ESPN+ is a separate standalone service of sorts that delivers a lot of sports, but not the usual ESPN stuff. This focuses on live sports events, exclusive original content and documentaries — although some of the latter aren’t available on other services.
What you can watch on ESPN+:
- Live sports events: ESPN+ includes live coverage of UFC, MLS, NHL, college sports and more.
- Original programming: Original content from ESPN includes the much-buzzed-about shows 30 for 30, sports documentaries, their daily sports analysis shows, and much more under the ESPN+ banner.
- Replays and highlights: Replays of popular games and a look at highlights from across a variety of sports.
- Exclusive access to premium events: Exclusive events like the UFC Fight Night, PGA Tour Live, and Major boxing shows are all accessible by subscribers.
ESPN+ does not have all live events on ESPN. But if you don’t want to shell out for ESPN’s flagships, games such as Monday Night Football, you don’t get that — you have to subscribe to a TV streaming service.
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Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV will get you those ESPN channels without cable and then let you stream all of Hulu’s on-demand library. As Sports lovers and entertainment people alike, Hulu’s live TV package is really good news for you guys who have ESPN among many of the most popular channels.
What you get with Hulu + Live TV:
- Live streaming of ESPN: ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 in real-time Included in this service is live access to major sporting events, news and analysis.
- On-demand content: However, for the sports and entertainment fans combined, Hulu’s on-demand TV shows and movies library, and exclusive content included with the package, make for a well-rounded package.
- Cloud DVR: Hulu + Live TV will stream live events like games and sports for you, for a fee, and can store those games and sports in the cloud DVR so you can watch them later if you missed the broadcast.
Access to all major channels and sports events and this service is one of the most popular ones for those who don’t want ESPN cable service.
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YouTube TV
Another great way to stream ESPN without cable is through YouTube TV. In case you don’t know, this service has as much as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPN U, so you don’t need to worry about missing any major sports events on YouTube TV.
What you get with YouTube TV:
- Live streaming of ESPN networks: USATODAY also offers a chance to watch live sports, news and analysis with ESPN, ESPN2 and the other sports channels.
- Unlimited DVR: On YouTube TV, you get unlimited cloud DVR storage to record as many sports events as you want and watch them later.
- Wide device compatibility: Watch sports whenever, wherever on YouTube TV on smart TVs, phones, tablets and gaming consoles.
Affordable and offering ESPN and sports in general, YouTube TV is a good deal for sports fans looking for a quality streaming service.
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Sling TV
Sling TV enables ESPN for a package and it’s one of the most affordable live TV streaming services out there. Sling TV has only two subscription plans on it, Sling Orange and Sling Blue. You get ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 with Sling Orange, and you’ll have a decent sports package.
What you get with Sling TV:
- ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3: Included with Sling Orange is ESPN’s live sports coverage.
- Affordable pricing: Sling TV is often considered the more budget friendly way to stream ESPN without cable if you’re cutting the cord.
- Customizable add-ons: The good news here is if you want additional sports channels with your Sling TV subscription, you can buy sports extras for an extra fee.
If you don’t want ESPN and cable for a budget and want to watch ESPN on Sling TV, this is just perfect. It is flexible enough to be customizable enough to tune to a variety of viewing preferences above and beyond the basics and is flexible enough to include some of those basics.
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FuboTV
If you’re a sports lover and a little ambitious when it comes to channel lineup, FuboTV is another great option of streaming ESPN without cable. FuboTV is probably most recognized for its focus on sports and its expansive lineup of live sports, which includes ESPN and plenty of other sports channels if you’re into following live sports events.
What you get with FuboTV:
- Live sports streaming: Outside of the sports networks, you also gain access to ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 (plus other networks such as FS1, FS2 and NFL Network).
- Extensive channel selection: Over 100 channels, including entertainment, lifestyle and news networks and a plethora of sports channels are on board in the FuboTV line up.
- Cloud DVR: FuboTV’s cloud DVR lets you record live sports events and shows up to 1000 hours.
FuboTV is a fantastic option for those wanting to enjoy ESPN on air as well as lots of other sports and entertainment channels without cable.
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AT&T TV Now
You can watch ESPN without cable on another option known as AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now). It’s reliable for sports fans for a reason, as AT&T TV Now includes ESPN and ESPN2 among the live TV channels it offers.
What you get with AT&T TV Now:
- Live ESPN coverage: Enjoy live sports coverage of major games, news and analysis on ESPN and ESPN3, as well as ESPN2.
- Multiple channel packages: This package includes your selection of sports channels and premium networks to choose from.
- Cloud DVR: With sports event storage in the cloud, you can record what you want to see later on with AT&T TV Now.
Using iProVPN to Stream ESPN from Anywhere
All of the above streaming services allow immense access to ESPN, except for you have that one problem — geo-restriction. ESPN content has some region lock: that means the content you see won’t be available in your country. Let’s face it, you may not have access to all the sports events or those exclusive shows that people flock to in some parts.
However, where iProVPN comes in is here.
How iProVPN Enhances Your ESPN Viewing:
- Access ESPN content from anywhere: With iProVPN you can connect to servers in countries where ESPN content is provided. iProVPN allows you to mask your IP address and hide your location so that you appear as if you’re in a different country and bypass geo-restrictions to access all that ESPN has in store for you.
- Enhanced privacy: iProVPN encrypts your internet connection, making your internet usage private and secure.
- No buffering or lag: High-speed servers optimized for streaming are iProVPN’s, meaning you can watch live sports without interruptions or lag.
- Protects against online threats: Over time, if you’re streaming sports events online or any other content at that, especially on public Wi-Fi, your data can be exposed and it is here that iProVPN comes to save the day as it provides strong protection against hackers and online threats as you read two ESPN.
You can make sure you have access to all of ESPN’s content regardless of location and you can stream it in a secure and without worrying about your privacy by using iProVPN.
Devices You Can Use to Stream ESPN Without Cable
A unique benefit of streaming ESPN without cable is that there are also how many devices you can operate on to watch your desired sports. ESPN is available on the go as well as on multiple platforms – enjoy this on your desktop in your home, or on the go.
Here are some devices compatible with most streaming services:
- Smart TVs: In a time where so many smart TVs can work on some of the most popular streaming services, Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, etc. And that makes it easy to have ESPN streamed to your TV.
- Laptops and Desktops: Want to watch ESPN without cable? If you have a laptop or desktop, you can watch ESPN streaming over your browser.
- Tablets and Smartphones: If you are mobile, and you are going to attend live sports on ABC or ESPN or ABC News Live, then you’ll be able to watch live sports on the move via apps like YouTube TV, Hulu or Sling TV.
- Streaming Devices: With just a click of a button, devices from Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, Roku and many others have taken the streaming world and given us access to stream anything on our computer from our TV.
Conclusion
How to Watch ESPN without Cable: There are, really, lots of great ways to get ESPN and watch it without cable, and keep costs down. Any sports fan has a streaming service that will allow them to stream whatever they want to stream: ESPN+ or Hulu + Live TV or Sling TV or FuboTV. iProVPN also gives you the chance to unblock the geo-restrictions and protect your privacy when using iProVPN. Using iProVPN, you can not only stream ESPN from anywhere around the world but also unrestricted by restrictions based on your location.
Watch ESPN anytime, from anywhere with all the sports, events and shows from every corner of the world.
FAQs
- Can I watch ESPN for free?
Unfortunately, it’s a subscription-based service, however, several streaming platforms including ESPN+ give very affordable options. Some services may also have a free trial where you have temporary access to that service.
- What streaming services offer ESPN without cable?
If you don’t care about ESPN’s available ESPN3 live streams but want to watch ESPN without ESPN3, services like ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, and AT&T TV Now all have ESPN as part of their channel lineup.
- Can I watch live sports on ESPN+?
Yes, ESPN+ telecasts Live Sports like UFC, MLS, NHL, College Sports and more along with its original and repeats.
- What devices can I use to watch ESPN without cable?
ESPN is available on smart TVs, laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast.
- Do I need a VPN to watch ESPN from outside the US?
It works–if you live outside the US, like masking your location with a VPN, like iProVPN, you can get around geo-restrictions and see ESPN content.
- How can iProVPN help with streaming ESPN?
With iProVPN you can connect to servers in countries where ESPN is available, so you can watch live sports and unique shows without geo-restrictions.
- Is streaming ESPN with a VPN secure?
iProVPN fully encrypts your internet connection to keep you anonymous and secure while watching ESPN or any other content.
