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 your only two cable-free choices are between fuboTV and AT&T TV.
Both streaming services carry NESN and NESNPlus in their channel lineups. But pricing and the fine print are different.
So if you’ve already cut the cord, but still want to watch Red Sox or Boston Bruins games, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each service.
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.
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 AT&T TV work have apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast with Google TV, iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones.
fuboTV: Live stream NESN without cable
fuboTV carries 120+ 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 250 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 that has select live sports and on-demand shows in 4K.
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 $64.99 per month. fuboTV says there is an additional $5 sports fee for New England residents to pay for regional sports networks. So your actual total is $69.99 per month. There is a free 7-day trial that you can sign up for without any obligations.
AT&T TV: Watch Red Sox games without cable
AT&T TV has NESN and NESN Plus in its Choice channel bundle.
The Choice plan, which carries 90+ channels, is $84.99 per month. Subscribers get a free year of HBO Max (usually $14.99 per month), and a free year of NBA League Pass Premium (usually $250).
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.
AT&T TV works with Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iPhones, web browsers, tablets and Samsung Smart TVs.
AT&T TV still has one advantage over paying for DIRECTV, DISH or Spectrum. It now offers a no contract option. You can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want.
If you do sign up, you should know that you have to choose the “no contract” option during the account setup process. It’s not automatic.
If you opt for a two year contract, then the price drops to $69.99 per month for the Choice plan.
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, a NESN spokesperson said that it’s unlikely to happen.
Does NESN have a streaming app?
NESN has an app called NESNGo that’s available on Roku, mobile devices and tablets. The NESN app does not offer a standalone subscription, and you can’t watch Red Sox games for free.
You can activate the NESNGo app and NESNGo.com using a cable TV account. A subscription to AT&T TV or fuboTV will also activate the NESNGo 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 two ways to get comprehensive Red Sox coverage without a cable subscription.
fuboTV is the cheaper of the two services at $69.99 per month. That price includes the $5 per month sports fee. Subscribers get 120+ channels, including NESN, NESN Plus, ESPN and local NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS stations.
fuboTV has a free 7-day trial, and 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 AT&T TV might be a better fit. AT&T TV has 90+ channels, including ESPN and local stations, but you’re also getting a year of HBO Max and NBA League Pass included. You have the choice of signing up for a no contract option, or get a discount of $69.99 per month by opting for a two year contract.
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?
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/
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.
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.