Cutting the cord? Where to live stream NFL, NBA, MLB and more

Cutting the cord is many a sports fan's worst nightmare, as I've re-learned researching where the many professional sports teams can be streamed online. Sure, the NFL is rather simple, but when you go past that, to the NBA, MLB and MLS, your eyes start spinning. Cable isn't great, but this confusion isn't better.

But, because we at Tom's Guide are dedicated to decoding the chaos of cord-cutting, I pushed through and found the ways that you can follow your favorite pro football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer teams in the US. Below, I've compiled which of the best cable TV alternatives stream the national and regional sports networks that die-hard fans need to see each and every game.

This round-up just got updated for the new year when FuboTV is gaining the Bally Sports networks. Oh, and both YouTube TV and Fubo will have 4K Super Bowl 2023 live streams

Where to live stream NFL Football

Watching NFL live streams is easier than any other kind, the games are easy to find, and easier to watch on one of the best streaming devices. You want Fox for NFC games on Sunday afternoon, CBS for AFC games that same day, NBC for Sunday Night Football, ESPN for Monday Night Football and the NFL Network for most Thursday Night Football games (some, though, air on Fox or Amazon Prime). The Super Bowl in 2022 will be on NBC, so that's going to be easy for all to get.

Of course, the games you get on those channels will vary by region, as there are multiple 1 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET games in each conference across the country.

Here's a refresher to break down who's in which conference:

AFC teams (CBS): Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans

NFC teams (Fox): Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team

Best streaming services for NFL: And for all of that, you'll likely want fuboTV, which we rate as of the best streaming services. It has all of the above channels, while Sling TV has everything but CBS. So, basically, households that follow primarily NFC teams could get away with Sling, where the $55 per month Orange + Blue package (for getting ESPN, NBC and Fox) is $15 less than the $70 fubo package.

All the networks

Fubo.TV: The best streaming service for getting 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

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If you don't need all of the NFL games, Sling TV provides a middle ground. The $50 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has Fox, NBC and ESPN.

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You have more options, though, as YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV also offer all those channels. Both are also $65 per month. DirecTV Stream (fka AT&T TV), which we don't recommend, has everything but NFL Network.

What about NFL RedZone? Want to see every touchdown? fuboTV, Sling and Youtube TV all offer NFL RedZone in their $11 per month sports channels add-on packages. Hulu's RedZone package is $9.99, but includes fewer other channels.

Where to live stream NBA basketball games

Leaving the NFL for the other pro sports leagues, we hit the confusing world of regional sports networks. Many, if not most, are only available in DirecTV Stream's $85 per month Choice package. That's much pricier than the other streaming services mentioned above, but that's the price you pay. 

Also, of course, it must be noted that regional sports networks are called "regional" for a reason. They're not available nationwide, but in the regions of that those teams "represent." For example, the folks in Boston won't be able to watch Celtics vs Nets games on YES Network with DirecTV Stream, and so on and so forth. 

Best streaming services for NBA: While your team's RSN may dictate the right service for you, NBA live streams are also on national channels, such as NBA League Pass, ESPN (Sling Orange and all other services), and ABC, which is everywhere but Sling, though some ABC games are on ESPN3 (which is on Sling Orange). RSNs aren't necessary once you get to the playoffs, as well as the NBA play-in tournament live streams.

TNT (which is everywhere but fuboTV) also hosts many games, including playoffs action), while NBA TV is on YouTube TV, the $85 per month DirecTV Stream package and available in the $11 per month sports add-on packages on fubo and Sling.

So, while many regional sports networks are available on fubo, know that it doesn't have TNT, which is a problem for nationally televised games and playoffs.

Where to live stream MLB baseball games

Just like with basketball, the story of MLB live streams revolves around local RSNs. But if your team's channel is available on multiple providers, we have some other notes for national games.

Best streaming services for MLB: Nationally broadcast games are on FOX (Sling Blue and available everywhere else), FS1 (same), ESPN and ESPN2 (Sling Orange and everywhere else) and TBS (everywhere but fubo). This would make Sling, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream good options, depending on your team's channel.

Games are also on MLB Network, available with fubo and Sling with their $11 per month Sports add-ons, YouTube TV and the $85 and up DirecTV Stream packages.

The $70 per month Hulu with Live TV package has a surprising number of regional sports channels, though your mileage may vary, depending on the team you're looking to follow.

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Where to live stream NHL hockey games

The big story about NHL games, outside of the below regional sports channels, is ESPN Plus, as 75 exclusive, ESPN-produced regular-season games will air on ESPN's streaming service. On top of that, more than 1,000 out-of-market games will be on ESPN Plus (but those are subject to regional blackout rules).

Best streaming services for NHL: While DirecTV Stream and fubo dominate the RSNs, Sling, due to its price, looks like a front-runner for national games. You may have your choice of service if you have ESPN Plus. ESPN (available with Sling Blue and all other cord-cutting services) is going to have 18 exclusive regular season games, while ABC (available everywhere but Sling) will have 10 regular season games that are also available with ESPN Plus. 

Where to live stream MLS soccer games

In addition to MLS Live on ESPN Plus (as well as Twitter and FoxSports.com) MLS games are broadcast on a really-wide range of networks, with the local channels listed below and many others for national games.

Best streaming services for NHL: As you'll see from the below list, nationally-televised games are all over the place. The best pick here looks like fubo.

• ABC: DirecTV Stream, fubo
• ESPN Deportes: Hulu + Español add-on, Sling + Best of Spanish TV
• ESPN3: fubo, Sling Orange, YouTube TV
• Fox Deportes: fubo
• FS1: DirecTV Stream, fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling Blue, YouTube TV
• TUDN: DirecTV Stream, fubo
• UniMás: DirecTV Stream, fubo, YouTube TV
• Univision: DirecTV Stream, fubo, YouTube TV

Where to live stream other sports

What if you're looking to go beyond those? Premier League live streams are found Peacock and on USA and NBC Sports, which are on Sling Blue and all of the other services.

And then there are the Champions League live streams, which live on Paramount Plus, with some games on three other channels: 

• CBS: DirecTV Stream, fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV
• TUDN: DirecTV Stream, fubo
• UniMás: DirecTV Stream, fubo, YouTube TV

F1 races are on ESPN, which is on Sling Orange and all the other services.

UFC fights are available on ESPN Plus.