Also: The best movies and shows to stream right now There are a variety of options when it comes to sports streaming as some providers cover just sports like ESPN+, while others like Youtube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV offer a cable experience without a cable box. With so many great providers offering excellent streaming services, the time to join the cord-cutters is now.  Here are the 5 best sports streaming services of 2023. YouTube TV has emerged as one of the best options for live streaming services, but when it comes to sports, they have the top spot by a long shot. At its starting price of $64.99 per month, you get over 100 channels with unlimited DVR space. But if you’re willing to pay extra, you can subscribe to their Sports Plus Add-on or select various networks from their collection to add to your streaming library. If you’re a sports junkie like myself, YouTube TV provides all the sports coverage I need with the ESPN collection, Fox Sports 1 and 2, NBA TV, and both the MLB and NFL Network. In addition to the channels covering professional sports, YouTubeTV also offers the ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and the SEC Network for collegiate sports fanatics. While the Google-owned service has an impressive lineup of sports channels, there are also plenty of channels available in entertainment and news including local channels, CNN, Fox News, and the FX collection. There’s truly a channel for everyone on YouTube TV, and coming from someone who uses this service daily, you get loads of content for just $64.99 per month as compared to the competition. ESPN+ isn’t a live TV streaming service as the likes of YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, but the live sports on the service feature some high-quality leagues. Beginning last season, the NHL began streaming many of their games on ESPN+, and this season, the platform will stream over 1,000 live NHL games.  While professional athletics take up most of the popularity surrounding the ESPN+ platform, it’s their college athletic broadcasts that really allow it to impress. Select games from the Power Five conferences are streamed while a majority of the games consist of mid-majors including the American Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10, Big South, and Conference USA to name a few. In addition to their live sports coverage, there are also ESPN+ original shows including The Captain, Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, and Bananaland. Where most live TV streaming services lack in sports coverage, ESPN+ picks up. While this can’t replace your cable or streaming subscription, at a low price of $9.99 per month, you can subscribe while your favorite sport is in season and cancel at any time. The competition between Netflix and Hulu has been ongoing since Hulu’s creation in 2007. But now, Hulu enters a new field with a new competitor, YouTubeTV. While Hulu + Live TV has a high subscription price, it ultimately adds more for the viewers with a Disney+ and ESPN+ subscription included in two of their three packages. Essentially, Hulu offers access to three streaming services, Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+, along with live TV starting at $70 per month with ads, or for $13 more per month with no ads.  When it comes to sports channels, Hulu + Live TV is behind without offering NBA TV and the MLB Network, but if basketball and baseball aren’t your thing, then this doesn’t make a major impact to your decision. If you’re a football fan, Hulu + Live TV could be the perfect option for you, especially with access to “seven hours of commercial-free football” on NFL RedZone. With Hulu + Live TV, all your local channels, national news networks, and entertainment channels are at the tip of your fingers. Though it lacks the number of channels as its competitors, the quality of channels are top-notch and a great pick for any cord cutter. Most live TV streaming services make it hard to be a fan of your local team. Fortunately, DIRECTV Stream allows you to have access to Bally Sports so you can watch your home MLB or NBA team based on your zip code. In addition, the service offers an array of packages ranging from $74.99/mo to $154.99/ mo for live TV streaming. But, the $99.99/mo “CHOICE” plan will be the one that gives sports fans all they need. With the “CHOICE” package, subscribers will have access to 105+ channels including the ESPN collection of channels, an assortment of collegiate conference networks, and FS1. But for non-sports fans, this package includes plenty of channels in entertainment, local channels, and kids channels so there’s a channel for the whole family. For the hardcore NBA fans out there, DIRECTV Stream offers NBA League Pass Premium for an additional $19.99/mo. This add-on gets you up to 40 out-of-market games so you won’t miss a single layup, three-pointer, or buzzer-beater this NBA regular season. As a recent college graduate, I know a lot about making the most of my money. That being said, a subscription to Sling TV will give you the most bang for your buck with packages starting at just $40/mo for a 31-channel package. To get the most out of a Sling TV subscription as a sports fan, you’ll likely need to subscribe to the $55/mo, Orange and Blue package which is still $10 cheaper than YouTubeTV. With the Orange and Blue package from Sling TV, subscribers will get sports channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FS1, and the NFL Network. Additionally, the subscription includes TNT, truTV, and TBS so you won’t miss a minute of upcoming NCAA March Madness Tournament. For just $11 extra, subscribers can add-on the Sports Extra package to watch the NFL RedZone, MLB Network, NBA TV, and the NHL Network among other collegiate networks. If you’re looking for the cheapest option to stream your favorite sports and don’t mind missing out on CBS and some regional NBA and MLB games, Sling TV is a top-tier choice. Use this table below to compare the various sports streaming platforms.

Most of the streaming platforms included in this guide, I have used including YouTube TV, ESPN+, and Hulu + Live TV. With my prior experience with the platforms, I was able to rank them accordingly as to how they satisfied my sports viewing needs. As for the ones I haven’t had hands-on experience with, I researched them heavily to make sure their placing in the top-five was accurate based on their features.