How to Watch ESPN Without Cable

Whether you’re a cord-cutter trying to access the U.S. Open, or a DirecTV subscriber who just lost Disney channels, watching ESPN online live is easy! Here’s everything you need to know for how to watch ESPN without cable.

How to Watch ESPN Online Without Cable

Sling TV
Sling TV

Sling Orange

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How to Watch ESPN Without Cable
How to Watch ESPN Without Cable

Fubo Pro Plan

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Hulu-deal
Hulu-deal

Hulu + Live TV

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How to Watch ESPN Without Cable for Free

There are plenty of ways to watch ESPN online for free — you just need to find a platform that offers free trials. Below we’ve outlined all of the ways to watch ESPN and outlined which live-TV streaming services offer free trial periods. Using a free trial to watch ESPN for free is your best path to a one-time event you’re hoping to catch. Simply cancel the subscription once the free trial is over!

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Can I watch ESPN With ESPN Plus Without Cable?

No! You cannot watch regular ESPN programming with ESPN Plus without connecting your account to a cable provider. ESPN Plus, however, does offer exclusive programming that you can access without cable. To gain access to live sports on ESPN without cable, you’ll need to sign up for one of the live-TV streaming services below.

How to Watch ESPN Without Cable: Sling TV

Sling TV is one of the most affordable cord-cutting options for accessing ESPN. The service offers three subscriptions with different channel lineups. We recommend the Sling Orange plan for $40/month, since it includes ESPN and ESPN2. With Sling, you can’t watch ESPN for free since there’s no free trial period. But if you act fast, you can watch ESPN for one month for just $20 because the service is offering new users half off their first month! In terms of live-TV streaming services, this is the cheapest way to watch ESPN without cable.

Sling TV
Sling TV

Sling Orange

$40/month $20/month

Buy Now

  • Free Trial: N/A

  • Price: $40/month $20/month

  • Device Availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, Google Nest, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox, Xfinity

  • Channel Lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MGM+ Drive-In, MotorTrend, Nick Jr., QVC, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Vice

Sling Orange

$20/month$40/month50% Off

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How to Watch ESPN Without Cable for Free: Fubo TV

Looking for how to watch ESPN for free for one whole week? Fubo has you covered. The live-TV streaming service offers new users a seven-day free trial and its Pro plan grants subscribers access to ESPN and ESPN2. You get over 175 other channels — including the NFL Network and the CBS Sports Network — and the plan costs $79.99/month. More good news? You can cancel and change your plan at any time, making Fubo an easy and low-commitment way for watching ESPN without cable.

How to Watch ESPN Without Cable
How to Watch ESPN Without Cable

Fubo Pro Plan

$79.99/month

Buy Now

  • Free Trial: Seven days

  • Price: $79.99/month

  • Device Availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Hisense, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Vizio, Xbox

  • Channel Lineup: ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, AccuWeather, Animal Planet, Bein Sports, Bein Sports 4, Bein sports 5, Bein Sports 6, Bein Sports 7, Bein Sports 8, BET, The Big Dish, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg TV, The Bob Ross Channel, Bounce, Bravo, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, Comedy Central, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dark Matter TV, The Design Network, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Dove Channel, E!, EarthxTV, ESPN, ESPN2, Estrella TV, Fail Army, Food Network, Fox, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Soul, Fox Weather, FS1, FX2, Freeform, Fubo Movie Network, Fubo Sports Network, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Galavision, GetTV, Glory, Golf Channel, Great American Family, Grit, Gusto TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, INFAST, Insight TV, Investigation Discovery, ION, ION Mystery, ION Plus, JTV, Law & Crime, LiveNOW from Fox, Local Now, LX News, Magnolia Network, Marquee Sports Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic, NBC, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, New 12 New York, Newsmax TV, NEWSNATION, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Origins Sports Network, OWN, Oxygen, Pac 12 Networks, Paramount Network, Perfect Game, The Pet Collective, PFL, Pop TV, Popcornflix, QVC, Real Madrid TV, Scripps News, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Speedvision, Swerve Sports, SYFY, Tastemade, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, TLC, Toon Goggles, Travel Channel, TUDN, TUDNxtra1, TUDNxtra10, TUDNxtra11, TUDNxtra2, TUDNxtra3, TUDNxtra4, TUDNxtra5, TUDNxtra6, TUDNxtra7, TUDNxtra8, TUDNxtra9, TV Land, TVG, Unimas, Universal Kids, Universo, Univision, USA, VH1, Women’s Sports Network

Fubo TV

$79.99/month

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How to Watch ESPN Without Cable: Hulu + Live TV
The Hulu + Live TV subscription is the most expensive option for watching ESPN without cable, ringing in at $76.99/month. With that being said, you get a lot of content with this bundle subscription. You gain access to the Hulu streaming library, ESPN and ESPN2 as well as ESPN+ and Disney+. This is a comprehensive packing for addressing all you cord-cutter needs.

Hulu-deal
Hulu-deal

Hulu + Live TV

$76.99/month

Buy Now

  • Free Trial: N/A

  • Price: $76.99/month

  • Device Availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV, Xbox

  • Channel Lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cozi TV, Crime+Investigation, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN College Extra, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, HLN, ID, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Localish, Military History Chanel, Motor Trend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBC News Now, NBCLX, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Holiday, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel

Hulu + Live TV

$76.99/month

Buy Now

Can I Watch ESPN on DirecTV?

No, DirecTV is currently in a carriage dispute with Disney, meaning ESPN can not be accessed with the platform. Keep checking back on all the latest information on watching ESPN with DirecTV, should the dispute be resolved. (For more details, head here.)

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