I recently updated the streaming sports page with new products, pricing, and channel availability. There are a lot of updates for 2020, and for the first time in years fewer services than the year prior. The prevailing trend seems to be higher prices, with every single service implementing price hikes.
Sling continues to be a great option, as it is affordable, includes all of the major national sports channels, and the two separate packages can make it even more affordable for fans of particular sports. However, Sling is in a dispute with the NFL and is not currently carrying the NFL Network. Assuming they work this out before the NFL season begins, Sling is my first recommendation for sports fans looking to get rid of cable. I used Sling last NFL and NHL seasons, and the only major complaint I have is that the picture quality is consistently mediocre compared to other streaming services and traditional cable/satellite. Luckily, this can be partially remedied by using your Sling account info to sign into apps from the sports networks (ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, etc), but this does not work for the NFL Network or RedZone, and those channels were the main draw for me to use Sling last year. The other issue with Sling for NFL fans is a lack of CBS. Personally, I do not mind that much as I prefer to watch RedZone most of the time, but this will be a dealbreaker for some.
Fubo continues to get better. They recently added ESPN, and are the best source of 4k sporting events (though I remain unconvinced of the benefits, but that’s a discussion for another time). However, Fubo dropped TNT and TBS, which will be a tough sell for NBA and MLB fans. At the moment, it is the only service that offers NFL Network and RedZone, but I do expect that to change by the fall. YouTube and Hulu continue to be solid options with some nice bonus features, but each are missing some key channels and have seen big price hikes.
I’m also a little disappointed we haven’t seen more innovation from streaming services and media players. I would’ve hoped by now we would see support for live pausing/rewinding, picture-in-picture, greater availability of 4k and HDR, and other new features. But the overall presentation of live sporting events over the internet hasn’t changed much at all since the days of cable. Maybe next year.