No matter what the month, it’s the right time of year to pull out your fan gear and root for your favorite team. More and more streaming options are available to help you get that sports fix, so it's easy to find video or audio coverage of a beloved team wherever you roam. Go ahead—get your game on!
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See All the Action From the Comfort of Your Couch
Gone are the days when you had to live in a certain area of the country to watch a particular sports team; streaming options now allow fans to cheer on favorites from anywhere.
The only thing you have to decide these days is which game to watch, and which device to use.
Once you know that, your viewing options are only as limited as the apps you want to use. There are live streams for just about every sport out there, but it’s important to note that both national and regional sports networks have broadcast rights.
Because of that, different networks and teams have sports licensing agreements with multiple streaming services so you might need to use more than one service to get all the coverage you’re looking for.
For example, regular-season NBA games air on four different networks and multiple regional networks.
NBA playoffs are broadcast on a combination of channels and services (TNT, ESPN, NBA TV, and ABC), while the finals can be watched in their entirety only on ABC.
41% of global sports fans are already watching at least some events via ‘over the top’ (OTT) streamed content over the internet. Nielsen
These types of broadcast arrangements can make it tricky to find all of the games for a particular sport all season long, so your best bet might be to go with a live TV streaming service (Hulu or YouTube TV, for instance) plus grab an NBA League Pass to cover your bases (er, hoops.)
Apps and services aren't always free although many offer free trial options. If you’re willing to pay the price, you can settle into that armchair, grab a slice of pizza and a chilled beverage, and start shouting at the screen.
In 2021, approximately 57.5 million viewers in the United States watched digital live sports content at least once per month, a figure that is projected to rise to over 90 million by 2025. Statista
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Listen Up: Catch Every Play by Ear
Sometimes, you just can’t watch (or bear to watch). If that’s the case, turn up the earbuds and catch your chosen sport on a smartphone, in your car (are you using your Android Auto or Apple CarPlay app yet?), on your skateboard, or anywhere else you can snag a wireless signal.
There are lots of listening options; the trick is finding the one that works for you.
You can use a combination of options, too. Podcasts trend more toward showing you the bigger sports picture while internet radio has the live action of the game at hand; there's no reason you can't listen to both.
Just want to catch a live game? Use an internet radio station. Looking for more insights into the coaching techniques, players, or business of sports? Try a sports podcast with hosts that take you behind the scenes.
For example, you can listen live to minor league baseball via the MiLB's internet radio offering and get the big picture surrounding game day itself from the MiLB's The Show Before the Show podcast, which covers top prospects, managers, player development experts, and other newsmakers.
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Edison Research/Triton Digital
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Where to Watch and Listen by Sport
Not sure where to go for your favorite sport? We've listed some of our favorites below, with resources for you.