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My analysis of streaming services for ESPN sports
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:00 am
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:00 am
Since I have tried them all out, this is how I analyzed it.
YouTubeTV - Everybody loves this but ESPN is gone for the time being
High Quality - High Cost: Fubo - Plus you can get all the Fox Sports channels as well
OK Quality - Ease of use - Low Cost: Sling Orange - Get the sports extra as well. You do get an ABC 4k feed when they offer it. You can also use it to sign in to the ESPN app directly. You have a restriction for 1 screen on ESPN though.
Good Quality - Low Cost: ESPN Unlimited - I was already paying for Hulu so it was cheap to just bundle in Disney+ and ESPN. You can watch games on all 3 services (ESPN, HULU, Disney+) - Hulu has the lowest quality stream of the 3
EDIT: For any elderly people, I always advise Sling. It's cost effective and more like a traditional cable service with the guide feature, so it is something they can understand.
YouTubeTV - Everybody loves this but ESPN is gone for the time being
High Quality - High Cost: Fubo - Plus you can get all the Fox Sports channels as well
OK Quality - Ease of use - Low Cost: Sling Orange - Get the sports extra as well. You do get an ABC 4k feed when they offer it. You can also use it to sign in to the ESPN app directly. You have a restriction for 1 screen on ESPN though.
Good Quality - Low Cost: ESPN Unlimited - I was already paying for Hulu so it was cheap to just bundle in Disney+ and ESPN. You can watch games on all 3 services (ESPN, HULU, Disney+) - Hulu has the lowest quality stream of the 3
EDIT: For any elderly people, I always advise Sling. It's cost effective and more like a traditional cable service with the guide feature, so it is something they can understand.
This post was edited on 11/7/25 at 11:11 am
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Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:03 am to Landmass
quote:
Hulu has the lowest quality stream of the 3
Can't you use your Hulu login credentials on the ESPN app?
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:04 am to Landmass
Fubu has support issues.
Hulu is good enough as far as I'm concerned.
Btw, any reason why Prime sucked last night for the Thurs NFL game?
Hulu is good enough as far as I'm concerned.
Btw, any reason why Prime sucked last night for the Thurs NFL game?
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:05 am to TigerLunatik
quote:
Can't you use your Hulu login credentials on the ESPN app?
Only if you have an ESPN subscription on Hulu.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:07 am to theballguy
quote:
Fubu has support issues.
I haven't had to use their support, so that's good to know.
quote:
Hulu is good enough as far as I'm concerned.
I agree and I like that it has a cable style guide, unlike Disney+ and ESPN.
quote:
Btw, any reason why Prime sucked last night for the Thurs NFL game?
I didn't watch last night because I was away all evening.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:13 am to Landmass
quote:
it has a cable style guide, unlike Disney+ and ESPN.
I do love this feature.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:18 am to theballguy
quote:
I do love this feature.
I don't know why ESPN doesn't have this. It's so much easier to navigate than tiles.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:22 am to Landmass
I have the ESPN bundle special and it's not too bad but sometimes the crap will just shut off and make me have to restart the app.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:31 am to Landmass
Yall really need to consider getting a Tablo plus a decent antenna.
One time purchase of around $120 for both (I got it for $70 in a sale I expect to repeat black friday) and then you can have ABC, CBS, Fox, CW and NBC on any smart device in your house (your phone, AppleTV, Roku, Android TV).
With Tablo you get a TV-guide style menu, you can record games, pause/fast forward in games, and can watch either two or four games at once (depending on which Tablo you get).
Doesn't give access to ESPN, but it gives you access to a LOT of college football without worrying about what major company is fricking over some other major company for the price of one month of Youtube TV (if you get the device on sale).
One time purchase of around $120 for both (I got it for $70 in a sale I expect to repeat black friday) and then you can have ABC, CBS, Fox, CW and NBC on any smart device in your house (your phone, AppleTV, Roku, Android TV).
With Tablo you get a TV-guide style menu, you can record games, pause/fast forward in games, and can watch either two or four games at once (depending on which Tablo you get).
Doesn't give access to ESPN, but it gives you access to a LOT of college football without worrying about what major company is fricking over some other major company for the price of one month of Youtube TV (if you get the device on sale).
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:34 am to theballguy
quote:
Hulu is good enough as far as I'm concerned.
I ditched DirecTV and went Hulu right before 2025 kickoff.
I was leaning YouTubeTV but I went Hulu for some reason I can't remember.
But evidently I did choose correctly.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:37 am to Landmass
I think this turns into an annual hostage negotiation with Disney/ESPN. We say we shouldn't negotiate with terrorist but seems like if we miss a few games, a whole lot of people lose their shite and contact their providers demanding that they give Disney whatever they ask. And then we have to pay more to our providers/subscriptions. They know sports are like a drug and the american public can't go without.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:43 am to Landmass
This is probably a dumb question, but does ESPN+ not show the games?
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:54 am to Landmass
ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW -- OTA digital antenna linked to router to wirelessly cover house. One time charge of about $150 for antenna and linking device.
ESPN Family (with +) incl ABC, SEC Network and ACC Network -- direct ESPN subscription (streaming) $30/mo (can be cancelled in offseason)
This approach misses FS1 and FS2 but they are shite anyway.
Cheapest approach by far.
Rodo
ESPN Family (with +) incl ABC, SEC Network and ACC Network -- direct ESPN subscription (streaming) $30/mo (can be cancelled in offseason)
This approach misses FS1 and FS2 but they are shite anyway.
Cheapest approach by far.
Rodo
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:54 am to tiggy
not anymore unless you upgrade to unlimited. ESPN+ is useless now
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:56 am to Landmass
I use Direct TV Stream. I never miss a game. It gives you access to ESPN as well. I don't know how they compare in price but I never miss a game. 
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:58 am to Landmass
I wish I had had more time to analyze and think about it before going with Fubo, but I appreciate this writeup and think it should be stickied and have RA'd.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 11:58 am to Landmass
TLDR: TV OS’s blow. Use a stick with one of the OEM-agnostic options (Google, Roku, Fire, etc.)
One big variable rarely talked about: Operating system / platform.
My 86” Samsung QLED has a great picture. Operating system and memory absolutely blow. Mind bogglingly bad and slow AF, and the apps from various services are notably deficient.
Example: ESPN app on Tizen (Samsung OS) does not have a “skip” function. Want to go forward or backward? Drop down into timeline and use “rewind” or “fast forward” function (at 3 different speeds) and hope you can nail the increment you are looking for (with no real-time preview).
On the Fire stick I plugged into the (older) office TV, the ESPN app has the industry-standard function of skipping 10 or 15 seconds in either direction if you tap the remote in that direction. You can still drop down to the timeline and fast forward for bigger movements.
One big variable rarely talked about: Operating system / platform.
My 86” Samsung QLED has a great picture. Operating system and memory absolutely blow. Mind bogglingly bad and slow AF, and the apps from various services are notably deficient.
Example: ESPN app on Tizen (Samsung OS) does not have a “skip” function. Want to go forward or backward? Drop down into timeline and use “rewind” or “fast forward” function (at 3 different speeds) and hope you can nail the increment you are looking for (with no real-time preview).
On the Fire stick I plugged into the (older) office TV, the ESPN app has the industry-standard function of skipping 10 or 15 seconds in either direction if you tap the remote in that direction. You can still drop down to the timeline and fast forward for bigger movements.
This post was edited on 11/7/25 at 12:13 pm
Posted on 11/7/25 at 12:00 pm to theballguy
quote:
why Prime sucked last night for the Thurs NFL game?
The game sucked so hard it fricked up the feed.
This post was edited on 11/7/25 at 12:02 pm
Posted on 11/7/25 at 12:05 pm to Landmass
I got this streaming service called an antenna that you plug into the back of your tv and it lets you watch the most important games of the week totally free. It’s crazy.
Posted on 11/7/25 at 12:07 pm to Landmass
quote:
I was already paying for Hulu so it was cheap to just bundle in Disney+ and ESPN.
Unsure of pricing but wondering if it would've been cheaper for you to upgrade your HULU subscription to Hulu + live TV? If you get hulu+ live TV it includes ESPN Unlimited when you login to the ESPN app with your hulu info. Also if its a non-espn aired CBS, local channel, ect. you would still get it.
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