How To Get ESPN Without Cable

ESPN is the largest sports streaming service in the United States. It’s been around since 1979, making it just over 40 years old. For the longest time, ESPN was only offered as a costly add-on to cable and satellite television networks. Today, however, fewer and fewer people have a TV subscription and rely solely on streaming platforms to consume media.

If you’re looking to catch up on the latest sports news, watch NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, or any of your other favorite professional and collegiate sports, then this post is for you! Below, we’ll show you how to get ESPN without cable, so that you can watch it anywhere you want (even when you’re on-the-go). We’ll also show you how to watch ESPN outside of the United States by using a high-speed VPN like the ones we’ve reviewed.

Do I Need A Cable Plan To Watch ESPN?

Traditionally, you had to have a cable television plan or a satellite television plan to watch ESPN. As we mentioned, though, fewer people are signing up for cable or satellite television. Instead, today’s generation of sports fans prefers to watch games and sports news on their phones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs.

To keep up with the increasing demand of sports fans for cableless television, ESPN created ESPN+ – its digital streaming platform.

Here, you can watch live sports as they’re being streamed, view replays of previous matches, and watch all of your favorite sports newscasters talk about the latest news and player updates.

How To Get ESPN Without Cable

There are several different ways of getting ESPN without a cable subscription. The easiest way is just to subscribe to ESPN+ on your smartphone or other devices. You can also sign up for ESPN+ as part of a bundle or add ESPN+ on to an existing streaming subscription.

All three of these methods will provide you with the same level of access and allow you to watch all of the titles on ESPN+. However, depending on your budget or existing streaming services, one method may work better than another.

Here’s a breakdown of the three best methods to get ESPN without cable, so you can decide what’s best for you.

Method 1: Subscribe To ESPN+ On Your Device

If you’re on a tight budget or you don’t care about other streaming platforms, then your best bet may just be to sign up for ESPN+ by itself. The service only costs around $7/month for a basic subscription, and you’ll be able to view all titles on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. You can also cast ESPN+ to your TV screen from your phone, tablet, or computer.

Method 2: Get The ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ Bundle

If you have a bigger family (or you just want to have access to more entertainment), then it may be worth signing up for the ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ bundle package. This is a great deal and gives you access to all three streaming platforms for just $13.99/month!

Paying for all three streaming services separately would cost more than $20 per month. So if you think you’ll use all three services, then this is a great way to save some cash and get ESPN without a cable subscription.

Method 3: Subscribe To A Streaming Service That Offers ESPN+ As An Add-On

The third and final method is typically the best option if you already have an existing streaming service that offers ESPN+ as an add-on. The following streaming services currently offer ESPN+ as an add-on:

YouTube TV
Hulu
Fubo TV
Direct TV Stream
Sling
Vidgo

So, let’s just say that you have a Hulu account that you pay $7 to $10/month for. From those platforms, you can add an ESPN+ subscription to your account for an additional $7/month.

Why do this instead of paying for a separate ESPN+ membership?

Well, the cost is pretty much the same. However, by adding ESPN+ to an existing streaming service, you’ll be able to see all of your titles in the same app instead of having to juggle between two different platforms.

How To Watch ESPN+ Outside Of The US

Recently, we’ve received a lot of questions from viewers looking for how to watch ESPN outside of the United States. Since ESPN is a US-based company, all of the games and ESPN titles on the ESPN+ platform are geo-restricted to viewers living in the United States.

This means that if you live in Canada, Mexico, or any other country, you’ll be met with an error message if you try to log in and watch ESPN+ outside of the country (even if you have a paid subscription).

However, there is a way to get around the geo-restriction by using a VPN to make it look as if you’re logging into the platform from the United States. Here’s how to watch ESPN outside of the United States.

Download A Good VPN Service With US Servers: First, you’ll need to download a reputable VPN service like IPVanish or NordVPN. When you’re connected to a VPN server, your internet traffic will be re-routed through an external server located in a country of your choice (providing the VPN service you’ve chosen has servers in that country).
Sign Up For A VPN Service Plan: Once you decide on a VPN service and download the app on your computer or mobile device, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription plan. Most VPN services are relatively affordable and readily available around the world (except for countries like China, Syria, and Iran, where VPNs are restricted).
Open Your Browser In Incognito Mode: Before connecting to your US-based VPN server, you’ll want to open your browser in incognito mode. When you’re in this mode, your browser won’t share any cookies or cache data with the ESPN+ streaming site. These can sometimes be used to bypass your VPN and can sometimes show the streaming site your real location.
Connect To A VPN Server Located In The United States: Now, open your VPN service and connect to a server located in the United States. This will effectively mask your IP address and make it look like you’re visiting the app from a device located in the US.
Sign Up For ESPN+ Or A Streaming Service That Offers ESPN+: Now, sign up for ESPN+ and verify your account.
Stream ESPN+: As long as you remain connected to your US VPN server, you’ll be able to stream ESPN+ as much as you want!

In Conclusion

We hope this guide has been helpful! If you’re looking to watch ESPN without cable, then your only option is to sign up for ESPN+, either by itself, as part of a bundle, or by adding it onto an existing streaming service.

Once you’re all set up, though, you should be able to watch any and all games streamed by ESPN. You’ll also be able to watch replays, news, and ESPN originals!