How to Stream NESN and NESNPlus for Red Sox games
Living without cable got a lot easier when there were a couple options for streaming live Red Sox games on NESN.
PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV used to be my go-to streaming services for watching in-market Red Sox games on the cheap. Those days are over.
Now you have three cable-free choices for watching live Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games.
fuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM carry NESN and NESNPlus in their channel lineups. And NESN 360 offers a standalone option for watching live games. But pricing and the fine print are different for each streaming service.
So if you’ve already cut the cord, but still want to watch Boston Red Sox or Boston Bruins games, you need to weigh the pros and cons before making any decisions.
NESN is available to subscribers in the New England market, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and most of Connecticut. The only exception is Fairfield County, Connecticut, which is considered part of the New York City market.
Table of Contents
- How to Stream NESN and NESNPlus for Red Sox games
- Stream Red Sox, Boston Bruins games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
- NESN 360
- Why can’t I stream NESN on YouTube TV?
- Does NESN have a streaming app?
- Can I live stream NESN on Hulu + Live TV?
- What’s the best way to watch NESN without cable?
Stream Red Sox, Boston Bruins games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
Watching live Red Sox games on NESN without cable is pretty simple. You just need a few things to start streaming Red Sox or Bruins games on your TV.
Once you pick a live TV streaming service, you just need an Internet connection and a streaming device connected to your TV.
fuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM have apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast with Google TV, iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones. NESN 360 is supported on Roku, Apple TV, iOS and Android smartphones.
fuboTV: Live stream NESN without cable
fuboTV carries about 152 channels including NESN, NESN Plus, ESPN and local channels.
If you’re a New Englander in Massachusetts (like me), you can expect to see WBZ (CBS), FOX 25, My 38, NECN, NBC Boston, NBC Sports Boston and NBCSN in your channel lineup. NBC Sports Boston has a number of Boston Celtics games throughout the season.
Subscribers get 1000 hours of Cloud DVR for recordings. And you can use fubo’s “lookback” feature to watch sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours.
fuboTV is the only live TV streaming service live Red Sox games in 4K along with other select live sporting events.
fuboTV works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast with Google TV, Apple TV, Samsung and Hisense Smart TVs, and XBox One.
You can look over the channel lineup before deciding whether to try it out.
The entry-level fubo bundle is called the fubo family package and costs $74.99 per month. fuboTV says there is an additional regional sports fee ($13.99 per month) for New England residents to pay for regional sports networks. So your actual total is $88.98 per month. Subscriptions run month to month without any obligations.
DIRECTV STREAM: Watch Red Sox games without cable
DIRECTV STREAM has NESN and NESN Plus in its Choice channel bundle.
The Choice plan, which carries more than 105 channels, is $99.99 per month. There are no additional sports fees.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial. Subscribers can get HBO Max, Showtime, EPIX and Cinemax free for three months. The regular price for those premium channels kicks in after that unless you cancel.
The Choice bundle has a wide variety of sports channels including ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, regional NBC Sports and SEC Network.
All of your local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Telemundo and Univision channels are included. And you get top cable TV channels such as ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network, TNT, History, CNN and A&E.
And you don’t need to pay for a cable box.
You can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want.
DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and smartphones and tablets. Subscriptions run month to month and so you can cancel whenever you want.
You can look over the different channel lineups before deciding whether to sign up.
NESN 360
NESN 360 is a standalone streaming service that launched on June 1. Subscribers pay $29.99 per month, or $329.99 annually. NESN 360 live streams Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games in HD resolution.
A number of other New England teams are on NESN 360, including the Worcester Red Sox, Hockey East, ACC, and Connecticut Sun. Aside from providing a live NESN stream, NESN 360 has full episodes of originals, and new exclusive shows.
The service currently works on Roku, Apple TV, iOS and Android. NESN 360 supports streaming in 4K HDR video quality on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV devices and Google TV 4K devices.
You can read about my experience trying out NESN 360 for more details.
Why can’t I stream NESN on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV dropped NESN from its channel lineup on Oct. 31, 2020. The decision was due to a disagreement about the cost of carrying the channel.
While Red Sox fans around New England have been hoping that the two companies could come to an agreement before Opening Day on April 1, 2021, a NESN spokesperson said that it’s unlikely to happen.
Does NESN have a streaming app?
The NESN app is available on Roku and now supports subscribers to NESN 360 or cable subscribers.
You can activate NESN.com using a cable TV account or a NESN 360 subscription. A subscription to DIRECTV STREAM or fuboTV will also activate the NESN app and NESN 360 app.
Can I live stream NESN on Hulu + Live TV?
No. Right now, there are no plans to add NESN to Hulu + Live TV.
But streaming services regularly stay in contact with networks about possible deals. Since NESN was once on PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV, there is clearly a desire by the network to be in the streaming TV space.
What’s the best way to watch NESN without cable?
For New England sports fans, there are a few ways to get comprehensive Boston Red Sox coverage without a cable subscription.
NESN 360 costs $29.99 per month, and works on Roku, PCs, iOS and Apple TV. NESN 360 does not have a free trial, but you can currently get your first month for $1 when you sign up.
fuboTV costs $88.98 per month. That price includes the $8.99 per month sports fee. Subscribers get 122+ channels, including NESN, NESN Plus, ESPN and local NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS stations.
fuboTV works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast and Apple TV. FuboTV has mobile apps and you can watch live TV on a PC as well.
If you’re already paying for HBO Max, then DIRECTV STREAM might be a better fit. It has over 105 channels, including ESPN, NESN, NESN Plus and local stations. You can sign up for a free 5-day trial to see if it’s going to be a good fit for your Boston-sports-watching needs.
For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.
* This article was originally published Dec. 14, 2017, and has been updated to reflect new prices and channel lineups.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
That’s not true, NESN is still available on YouTubeTV.
Not anymore… I signed up for YouTube TV on Oct 30 and they dropped it on Oct 31… My timing is perfect.
We’ve enjoyed YouTube TV for local channels and NESN and really like the ability to record multiple shows at once, while saving money. Unfortunately, this contract dump has led us back to Cable. We tried Fubo and AT+T but couldn’t stand the remote! We’re in a pickle! Are there any other options? I’m hating Spectrum so much that we’re thinking of dumping our baseball addiction in exchange for the great service, remote and ability to record many shows at once. We’re thinking of watching day old games…what are our options if we’re ok with next day viewing, do you know?
Just cut cable knowing this would be a pinch point in my plan. I won’t use the rest of FUBO or ATT’s lineup, so shelling out $70 a month just for Red Sox is out of the question.
Best I can do is watch Sox games 90 min after they end. I’m OK with that about 80% of the time. With the MLB.TV subscription you can see out of town Sox games, just not the blacked out ones from Fenway.
Same with NHL Randy! I got NHL network one year and found out I’d only get 3 games!
There is an option if you’re a little tech savvy but is a pain in the butt. You can get a VPN service, they aren’t expensive and basically it hides your IP so you can set it to say you’re in California and boom you’re all set!
I just added MLB to my Sling Blue plan and I was able to get into the middle of the first Red Sox-Toronto game in Toronto, but not last night’s or the rest of them. Explanation?
I totally agree with you. I am from Connecticut and retired to West Virginia, about an hour from Baltimore and Washington D.C. Supposedly, those are the only two teams blacked out in our area, so I didn’t care. I cancelled Directv because it was going up to over $184 a month and binding me into another two-year contract. No thank you. I have tried everything get NESN and it’s fruitless. FuboTv advertises that they offer NESN. NO, they don’t! Only in certain areas! My zip code it’s not! Even MLB, I thought I could get those games. Nope. I’m done with NESN. They severed ties with YouTube tv and now they are available only on cable and Fubo(or so they say which isn’t true in every area and I just called them to tell them that.) I’m done with NESN. Very sad because I have been a Red Sox fan since my mom started taking my sister and I to Fenway back in the early 60’s.
NESN sucks. Youtube tv sucks. There, I feel better.
YouTube TV went from $40/Month to $49.99 and no longer offers NESN and 6 other channels
How is this a better deal then with Cable? You people never include the cost of Internet. Its cheaper for me to get a package deal of internet/cable which includes local stations.
Try this, chief.
https://cordcuttingreport.com/compare-internet-service-providers/
The big reason is being sucked into a two-year contract. with streaming there is so much more flexibility.
I have had YouTubeTV for 8 months now, and still no sign of NESN. I had PS Vue a year before that, and could only view NESN through their app and not on Vue (via Roku or AndroidTV). So, I thought it may be the same way with YouTubeTV – so I re-downloaded the app on my phone and logged in as a YTTV subscriber (it was one of the handful of options available, as was Vue) – but when I chose a show to watch, it told me I was not authorized to view it. What gives? (I am in Atlanta)
Hey Kit, You need to be in New England in order to get NESN in your channel lineup with one exception. If you get PlayStation Vue with the Sports Pack bundle (as outlined above), then you will get NESN National, which carries Red Sox games. Remember, NESN is like any other regional sports channel — 99 percent of the time, you need to live in the coverage area for that network. Hope that helps.
Yup and they also have blackouts otherwise you could just get the NHL network package. Would make life easier on everyone. I bought it one year after I asked specifically then found out I’d only get to see 3 games the WHOLE season. And with NESN you can be 5 hours away and still in the blackout area. Pathetic. So you’d have to be outside new England unless you run NHL network through a computer or phone with a VPN that hides your IP address/location. That DOES work but technically not legal. I might do that because fubo tv SUCKS so bad and sorry, but I’m not paying $70 or more a month just to watch bruins games, and have to pay for YouTube too because fubo is such garbage it’s useless. The other option I’ve resorted to is a friend willing to share their cable info to login with Roku, but even that is difficult now. Xfinity won’t let you watch some sports if it’s not your home wifi. They’re catching on lol… I could watch bruins games for a while that way but not patriots games even though patriots were on basic cable. Lol! Makes NO sense!!! It all has to do with contracts and money, so at that rate mite as well call cable company to come rub their nipples and show up whenever they feel to rip me off.
I feel like I do this every September… Why was I expecting anything different this year.
I live in North Carolina how can I get nesn on live streaming
youtube TV is the cheapest way I can tell. I won’t pay that much just to get NESN though. Email NESN and tell them you are willing to pay directly, the more people tell them this the more they will consider unbundling.
Hey Glenn, Check out PlayStation Vue with the Sports Pack channel bundle as detailed above. That should get you NESN National and the ability to watch games.
If you signed up to YouTube TV or fuboTV outside of New England, you would not get NESN as part of your channel package.
And here we go…..YouTube Tv just added a few crappy channels and went up ten dollars………
Trying to view nesn through sling chrome cast but no luck please help I live in title town and need it thank s
Sling doesn’t have it. YoutubeTV does.
I feel like I’m being screwed again by streaming services that offer NESN. Fifty bucks a month to watch the red sox. All I want from a streaming service is NESN and ID and that’s fifty bucks still a rip off just like cable
How does Fubo TV work with Fire Stick? Does it?
fuboTV works well with the Fire Stick and all Fire TV devices. Just make sure you have a solid WiFi connection in your home if you don’t use an Ethernet cord to connect your device.
Have YouTube tv with Roku and still Nesn channel will not show Red Sox games.What is up with that??
Es YouTube TV work on Apple mobile devices?
How are any of these services at $40+ a month better than cable? All I want is NESN, not yet another bundle of crap channels. There is nothing in this article that is about cord cutting. You guys are going to the dark side.
The average cable bill is around $100 – $150 per month, and has added fees and guaranteed price increases once the promo rate is over. With a live streaming service priced at about $40, you’re saving some real money.
Nobody is offering NESN as a standalone channel. If there was such a thing, you’d read about it here.
I simply did this, Someone you know will always have cable and Nesn. If you cut the cord like I did. See if they can assign you a logon to their subscription. Down load the Nesn Go app to your mobile device. From there you can video cast it right to your TV. I personally use TV/Video cast app on my Amazon Fire Box. Your Nesn Streaming problems are over.
I live in the Providence/New Bedford area and YouTube TV definitely has NESN Plus for me. Maybe some areas only get NESN and not NESN Plus? Not really sure.
YouTube TV was working to stream Red Sox in Boston and Portland (ME), then it stopped working last week in both locations and we have black outs. Is this happening to anyone else? Would it work with a different subscription service?
Years ago I had Dish Network I am a Red Sox fan living in upstate NY I used a friends address in Mass as the dish location and my my address as the billing location as was suggested to me by the local company installing my equipment, The only channels I didn’t have were local ABC CBS and NBC my antenna covered that
No NESN is available for YoutubeTV in New Hampshire. Not sure why that is the case but it’s super lame.
Not sure where you are in NH, but you should double check your zip code in your settings. Sometimes that can carve out a channel that you should have. If no luck with YTTV, then try PS Vue or fuboTV. They have most of New England covered for NESN.
Any plans for adding Nesn to Direct now?
Haven’t heard any. I’ll be interested to see if NESN strikes any more deals in the months ahead. I’ll update this post if I hear something.
I bet it’s not available in Fairfield County CT.
I know that PS Vue had good coverage of NESN in CT when I was using it. But honestly, the best way to find out it by going to each site for Vue, fuboTV and YouTube TV. These sites either let you punch in your zip code or use your IP address to show you what a channel lineup looks like in your area.
44 a month, gee, this is supposed to be better than cable?
This is what I’m saying. I cut the cord to get away from oversized packages of channels I don’t want. I want two channels right now, NESN and NBCSN. $40/mo is insanity. Guess I’ll miss the non-NBC playoff games this year.
I tried youtube tv to watch NESN for some bruins games and I didn’t like the quality. I couldn’t see the puck on the ice at all. Ill try the other free trials too
When does HULU ?TV plan to add NESN Red Sox games?
I haven’t heard anything about that, but I’m not exactly plugged in with the Hulu folks. If I hear something, I’ll update.