You can drop cable and keep ESPN for as little as $19.99 a month. Between ESPN’s own standalone streaming plan, a new low-cost skinny bundle, and full live TV replacements, there are more cable-free paths to ESPN right now than at any point in the channel’s history. This guide cuts through every option and matches the right one to your actual viewing habits.
ESPN is raising the price of ESPN Unlimited from $29.99 to $31.99 per month starting September 17, 2026 — its first price increase since launch. The annual plan rises from $299.99 to $319.99. If you’re considering subscribing, signing up before that date locks in the lower rate for your current billing cycle. The ESPN + FOX One bundle price at $39.99/month has not been officially confirmed to increase. Bundle prices with Disney+ and Hulu are not increasing. Verify current pricing at espn.com before subscribing.
These are the questions people search for at midnight when they’re thinking about dropping cable. Each one gets a real answer — not a redirect to a pricing page.
Yes, absolutely. Disney launched ESPN Unlimited in August 2025 as a direct-to-consumer streaming service — meaning you subscribe at espn.com, pay by credit card, and watch ESPN on any device without a cable company, cable box, installation appointment, or contract. The only thing you need is a home internet connection. You can also get ESPN through live TV streaming platforms like Sling TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, and Hulu + Live TV, all of which work over broadband with no cable required. The era of ESPN being cable-only ended in 2025.
Sling Essentials at $19.99 per month is the lowest price for live ESPN available from any service. It includes ESPN and ESPN2 plus around ten entertainment channels. The catch: one simultaneous stream only, no local channels, and no ESPNU or college conference networks. If those limitations matter, ESPN Unlimited at $29.99 per month (rising to $31.99 after September 17, 2026) gives you the full ESPN family — seven channels — with no cable company involved. For event-only viewing, Sling also sells day passes starting around $4.99, which is the only way to legally watch ESPN for under $10.
No. Amazon Prime Video does not include any ESPN channel and does not offer ESPN as an add-on. The two services have no streaming partnership. Amazon’s NFL coverage is limited to Thursday Night Football, which airs exclusively on Prime Video as part of the base Prime membership — that is entirely separate from ESPN. If you have Amazon Prime and want ESPN, you subscribe to ESPN separately. The most straightforward path is ESPN Unlimited at espn.com. Your Prime membership and ESPN subscription run independently with no linking required.
Yes. ESPN Unlimited at espn.com is exactly that: the complete ESPN family of channels — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, the SEC Network, the ACC Network, and ESPN on ABC coverage — with nothing bundled in. No Hulu, no Disney+, no local channels, no cable company. This is the option cable companies spent decades making unavailable. Now it exists. You subscribe directly at espn.com, download the free ESPN app on your smart TV or streaming device, and log in with your ESPN account. The app works on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG smart TVs, iPhone, Android, iPad, PlayStation, and any web browser.
ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99 per month through September 16, 2026. Starting September 17, the monthly price rises to $31.99. The annual plan increases from $299.99 to $319.99 (roughly $26.67 per month). This is the first price increase since launch. The ESPN + FOX One bundle, which packages ESPN Unlimited with FOX One for both services combined, currently sits at $39.99 per month — its bundle price post-September 17 had not been officially confirmed at time of publishing. Bundle prices combining ESPN with Disney+ and Hulu are not increasing. Verify exact pricing at espn.com before subscribing.
ESPN Unlimited itself has no free trial. Among live TV services that carry ESPN, the longest trial available is YouTube TV’s Sports plan at up to 21 days for new subscribers — enough to cover several weeks of games before you’re charged. Fubo offers a 7-day trial on most plans. Hulu + Live TV offers a 3-day trial. All trials require a credit card and auto-charge when they expire. Set a phone calendar reminder the moment you sign up — you keep full access through the end of the trial period even after canceling mid-trial. Without a trial, the ESPN app does offer a small selection of free clips, highlights, and rotating documentary content to anyone who creates a free ESPN account.
No. ESPN Unlimited does not include FOX, FS1, or FS2. Those are separate channels owned by Fox Corporation, not Disney. This matters significantly for fans of certain sports: the FIFA World Cup broadcasts in English on FOX and FS1, UFC pay-per-view prelims on FS1, and Big Ten conference football on FOX all require access to the FOX network — not ESPN. The cleanest solution for both ESPN and FOX content without cable is the ESPN + FOX One bundle at $39.99 per month, which combines all ESPN channels with the complete FOX One lineup including FOX Network, FS1, FS2, local FOX stations, and FOX News.
Broadcast blackouts are a league policy, not an ESPN technical problem. The NFL, MLB, and NBA maintain blackout rules that prevent certain games from streaming in local markets where they’re simultaneously airing on a local broadcast station. If your phone’s GPS shows you’re in that market, the ESPN app applies the blackout automatically. The game you can’t stream is almost always available for free on your local ABC, NBC, CBS, or FOX affiliate — which you can receive with an inexpensive HD antenna. A $20–$35 antenna picks up those local channels at no monthly cost, solving the blackout problem permanently for any game that migrates to local broadcast.
Seven real options are available today, from $19.99 to $89.99 per month. Sorted cheapest to most expensive. Prices verified as of late August 2026 — always confirm at each service’s website before subscribing.
| Service | Price/mo | ESPN Channels | Free Trial | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sling Essentials Cheapest | $19.99 | ESPN, ESPN2 | None | 1 stream only · no locals · no ESPNU or college networks |
| ESPN Unlimited (Direct) | $29.99–$31.99* | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN Deportes | None | No FOX/FS1 · no locals · ESPN app only · *$31.99 after Sept. 17 |
| ESPN + FOX One Bundle | $39.99 | Full ESPN family + FS1, FS2, FOX, local FOX, FOX News, Big Ten Network | None | Two separate apps · no NBC/CBS/ABC locals · no DVR |
| Sling Orange | $45.99 | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU | None | 1 stream only · no local ABC/NBC/CBS · no FOX News or FS1 |
| Fubo Pro | $73.99 | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS + ESPN Unlimited access | 7-day trial | No NBC channels (contract lapsed Nov. 2025) · best for regional sports |
| YouTube TV Sports Plan | $64.99 | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS + ESPN Unlimited rolling out through 2026 | Up to 21-day trial | No Disney+/Hulu included · ESPN Unlimited rollout still in progress |
| Hulu + Live TV Best All-In | $89.99 | Full ESPN Unlimited + ESPN app · Disney+ + ESPN Select bundled | 3-day trial | Most expensive option · 2 streams base · Disney+ is with-ads version |
*ESPN Unlimited price increases from $29.99 to $31.99/month on September 17, 2026. Fubo’s NBC channels have been unavailable since November 2025 (contract lapse). YouTube TV’s ESPN Unlimited rollout is ongoing. Always verify current pricing and channel availability at each service’s official website before subscribing.
The right pick depends on what sports you watch, how many people in your household want to watch at the same time, and whether you need local channels. Here’s the honest match for each common situation.
ESPN is a cable channel and cannot be received over a TV antenna. But ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX broadcast their signals for free in virtually every U.S. city — and those channels carry some of the most-watched sports on television.
- NFL Sunday afternoon games on CBS and FOX — every week during regular season
- NFL primetime games on NBC (Sunday Night Football) and ABC (Monday Night Football simulcast)
- Super Bowl — rotating annually among NBC, CBS, and FOX
- March Madness college basketball — first and second round games on CBS and TBS
- FIFA World Cup — FOX and FS1 in English (FS1 requires a streaming plan, not antenna)
- College football bowl games and conference championships on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX
- Olympics — NBC and Peacock
- MLB World Series — FOX network (free over antenna)
Buy a flat indoor antenna at any hardware or electronics store — the $20–$35 range picks up most signals in suburban and urban areas. Plug the coaxial cable into the port on the back of your TV labeled “ANT IN” or “RF IN.” Then on your TV remote, go to Settings, find Channel Setup or Antenna, and run an automatic channel scan. The TV does the rest — it finds every over-the-air station in your area and adds them to your channel guide. The scan takes two to three minutes. No monthly fee, no subscription, no account. If reception is weak, try repositioning the antenna near a window facing toward downtown or your nearest city center. Most indoor antennas handle a range of 35 to 50 miles. The math: adding a free antenna to Sling Essentials at $19.99 gives you ESPN + ESPN2 plus all your local broadcast sports for under $20 a month — compared to $89.99 for a full live TV bundle that includes both.
Every major streaming device and smart TV sold in the United States today is compatible with ESPN Unlimited and every live TV service in this guide. Here is what you need to know before buying anything new.
- Roku (any model) — download the ESPN app or your live TV service app from the Roku Channel Store
- Amazon Fire TV Stick (any generation) — download from the Appstore
- Apple TV (4th generation or later) — download from the App Store
- Samsung Smart TV (2016 or later) — ESPN app pre-installed or available in Samsung TV Plus
- LG Smart TV (webOS) — ESPN app available in the LG Content Store
- Sony and Vizio smart TVs (Android TV or SmartCast) — ESPN app in the app store
- iPhone and iPad — download the free ESPN app from the App Store
- Android phone and Android tablet — download from the Google Play Store
- PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 — ESPN app in the PlayStation Store
- Any computer — stream directly at espn.com or the service’s website in a web browser
If your TV was made before 2018 or simply doesn’t have built-in apps, any TV with an HDMI port can be converted to a full streaming television with a Roku Stick 4K (around $35–$50) or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (around $40–$50). Plug the stick into any open HDMI port, plug the power adapter into any outlet, and follow the on-screen setup. The whole process takes under ten minutes. Once set up, the stick handles ESPN, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and every other streaming service through its built-in app store. This is the most cost-effective upgrade path for older televisions and avoids replacing a working TV just to get streaming capability.
Use the buttons below to find places to buy a streaming device, an HD antenna, or to get hands-on help setting everything up. Always verify exact ESPN subscription pricing at espn.com before subscribing.
📌 Confirm local store inventory before traveling · Always verify ESPN subscription pricing at espn.com · espn.com is the only official source for current plan pricing
Subscribe through each service’s official website for the cleanest billing setup. Subscribing through Apple or Amazon billing on a phone or tablet works but can complicate plan changes and limits access to some promotions.
- Step 1 — Decide how much ESPN you need. ESPN and ESPN2 only: Sling Essentials at $19.99/month. Full ESPN family: ESPN Unlimited at espn.com. ESPN plus FOX and FS1: the ESPN + FOX One bundle at $39.99/month. Full cable replacement with locals: Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV.
- Step 2 — Get an antenna before canceling cable. A $20–$35 indoor antenna adds free ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX locals — picking up Sunday NFL, the Super Bowl, and local news. Have it working before you cancel cable so you don’t lose those channels for even one day.
- Step 3 — Confirm your TV or streaming device is ready. If your TV is more than five years old and lacks built-in apps, a Roku Stick or Fire TV Stick ($35–$50) turns any HDMI-equipped TV into a full streaming device in about ten minutes.
- Step 4 — Use a free trial before committing to a live TV service. YouTube TV offers up to 21 days, Fubo offers 7 days, Hulu + Live TV offers 3 days. Set a calendar reminder the day you sign up — cancel anytime before the trial ends and you owe nothing. You keep full access through the end of the trial period.
- Step 5 — Cancel cable only after ESPN streams cleanly. Run both your new streaming service and cable simultaneously for one week. Confirm ESPN streams without buffering on your home internet before you call to cancel. Then cancel, return the cable box, and stop paying for channels you never used.
Pricing, plan availability, and channel lineups for ESPN Unlimited, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, and FOX One are set by their respective companies and change frequently. ESPN Unlimited increases from $29.99 to $31.99/month on September 17, 2026 — the first price increase since launch. The annual plan increases from $299.99 to $319.99. Bundle prices combining ESPN with Disney+ and Hulu are not increasing as of this writing. Fubo has not carried NBC channels since November 2025. YouTube TV’s ESPN Unlimited integration is ongoing. Free trial lengths and eligibility vary by service and subscriber history. No affiliation with ESPN, Disney, Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, Fubo, or any service mentioned. Always verify current pricing and channel availability at each service’s official website before subscribing or canceling any existing service.