The Cord Cutting Report

How to watch The Masters 2023 like a cord-cutting pro

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The Masters Tournament returns this week to Augusta National Golf Club, and you can watch every moment without a cable TV subscription. 

Round 1 and 2 airs on ESPN with a Spanish-language simulcast on ESPN Deportes. Round 3 and 4 airs on CBS and streams live on Paramount+.

You can also watch Featured Hole and Featured Groups coverage through ESPN+. 

This is the 87th Masters that runs from April 6 to 9. Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods is expected to return to play at Augusta again.

He will join the top three ranked players in the world: Scottie Scheffler (No. 1), Rory McIlroy (No. 2), and John Rahm (No. 3).

Scheffler won last year’s Masters. If you’re a cord-cutter on a budget, you have plenty of affordable options to watch the Masters live without cable TV or satellite. 

Best way to watch the Masters in 2023

In a post-cable TV world, finding out where and how to watch the Masters can get a little confusing. There are streaming services that offer live cable TV networks. Prices often vary and change. Some TV services offer free trials, some don’t. 

Here’s your primer on the Masters so you can quickly start watching with a streaming or over-the-air option that fits your budget. 

To watch all four days of the Masters, you will want full coverage from ESPN and CBS. 

There are four live TV streaming services that carry both channels. But the best deal for golf fans may be with Hulu Live TV because of its price and access to ESPN+. 

Hulu with Live TV has all of the ESPN networks, Golf Channel and local broadcast channels such as NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. 

A subscription costs $69.99 per month, but includes access to ESPN+ through the ESPN app. ESPN+ isn’t essential, but gives you additional live Masters coverage, including:

  • Live play of Featured Groups and Featured Holes including 4, 5, 6, Amen Corner, 15 and 16 during live play from April 6 to April 9.
  • Two-hour practice round programs on April 5 with analysis, highlights, player press conferences, and players on the course in their practice rounds. Michael Eves anchors the programs, joined by ESPN golf analysts and reporters.

A subscription to ESPN+ alone costs $9.99 per month. There is no free trial for Hulu Live TV or ESPN+. 

Another budget option could be with Sling TV. The Sling Orange plan costs $40 per month. But subscribers can get their first month for half off. Sling TV does not carry CBS anywhere in the U.S.

But you could sign up for a free trial of Paramount Plus Premium plan to get a local CBS station. You could also take the old school cord-cutter route of using a TV antenna to get CBS as an over-the-air broadcast channel. 

Here are some of your other options to stream the Masters, which include free trials that last up to a week. 

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) has CBS and ESPN for comprehensive Masters coverage. 

The Entertainment plan has more than 75 live TV channels, and unlimited Cloud DVR storage for $74.99 per month. You can watch on unlimited screens within your home.

You can sign up for a 5-day free trial without any obligations. 

Subscribers can get three months of HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and MGM+ (formerly EPIX) for free before the monthly rates kick in.

A&E, ESPN2 and USA Network are included in the channel lineup. You get 20 hours of Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand movies and shows. You can watch live TV on up to 20 screens at once.  

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.

fubo 

fubo (formerly fuboTV) carries local channels such as CBS, ESPN networks and a number of regional sports networks around the U.S. 

The Pro channel package has 152 channels, including local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in most areas of the U.S. Food network, HGTV, Big Ten Network and Comedy Central are part of the starter bundle.

You can sign up for a 7-day free trial without any obligation.

Subscribers get 1000 hours of Cloud DVR storage. If you miss a game, you can use fuboTV’s “look back” feature to watch sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours.

A subscription costs $74.99 per month. fuboTV has a library of on-demand movies, and TV shows. fubo adds a regional sports fee. It costs $10.99 per month for one regional network. It’s $13.99 per month if you have two RSNs in your area. 

Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Smart TVs all carry the fuboTV app.  

Fubo has mobile apps for iPhone and Android so you can watch ESPN live on your smartphone. Subscribers can also watch live TV through their web browser.

You can look over the channel lineup for your area.

Hulu Live TV 

Hulu Live TV has more than 75 live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, Golf Channel and local broadcast channels.

You can watch live TV on up to two screens at once.

Hulu with Live TV comes with unlimited Cloud DVR storage, so you can record sports, news, movies or whatever else you want. 

A subscription costs $69.99 per month, and now includes Disney+ and ESPN+. With a Hulu Live TV subscription, you can watch all live sports that stream on ESPN Plus.

The Masters 2023
ESPN+ is included with a subscription to Hulu with Live TV. (photo credit: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

You just need to download and sign in to the ESPN app with your Hulu Live account. You can likewise start watching movies and TV shows offered on the Disney+ app. 

Hulu’s channel lineup also has local NBC, ABC and FOX stations across the U.S. Hulu no longer offers a free trial for live TV, but you can look over the channel lineup before deciding whether to sign up.

Sling TV

Sling TV is the cheapest option to watch ESPN live. The Sling Orange plan includes 32 channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and entertainment networks like A&E and History.

A subscription costs $40 per month. Subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. Sling Blue subscribers get NFL Network, FOX Sports 1, and FOX Sports 2. To maximize sports channels, you can combine the Orange and Blue packages for $55 per month.

Sling TV works on just about any streaming device: Roku, Firestick, Apple TV and even an Xbox. It is also supported by Samsung Smart TVs and Smart TVs operating on Android TV or Google TV. Sling TV also supports mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Sling TV also has the cheapest sports add-on channel package at $11 per month. That adds networks such as NBA TV, SEC Network and MLB Network.

There are no hidden fees or contracts if you decide to keep the service. When you sign up for Sling TV, you pay only $20 for the first month.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV has 128 channels, including ESPN, and local channels for $72.99 per month. 

The YouTube TV base plan also carries other key sports channels for fans such as TNT, TBS, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNews, FS1, FS2, NFL Network, and MLB Network. 

You’ll also be able to watch Nat Geo Wild, BBC America, Golf Channel and FXM. Unlimited Cloud DVR is included with a subscription. And you can create up to 6 profiles for a household per account.

The nice thing about YouTube TV is that you can watch ESPN online at home, or on your smartphone when you’re not at home.

The service works with Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, NVIDIA Shield TV, Apple TV and Chromecast. Try out YouTube TV free for a week.

Paramount+

If you sign up for the Paramount+ Premium plan, then you can stream local CBS coverage of the Masters. 

The Paramount Plus Premium plan costs $9.99 per month after a 7-day free trial. Subscribers get access to all live sports and a live local CBS station. 

Live sports under the Premium plan includes coverage of the PGA Tour, and the PGA Championship along with the Masters. Just remember that CBS will only have the Masters on Saturday and Sunday.

Paramount Plus streams more than 1,000 live sporting events per year, including UEFA Champions League matches. You can stream local CBS channels with a Paramount Plus subscription through Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.

How to Watch the Masters Tournament for free on a TV antenna

A TV antenna is the best way to watch The Masters for free when it airs on CBS.

If you have a TV antenna handy, but haven’t used it in a while, plug it into your television’s coax port and scan for channels. Generally speaking, an indoor TV antenna should work well if you are within 30 miles of a local broadcast tower. 

Broadcast towers that are 35 to 50 miles away require an outdoor TV antenna. Beyond that? You better rely on streaming platforms that have live TV coverage instead of a TV antenna. 

If you are new to TV antennas, here is a list of resources that I have written to get you started.

How to Watch the Masters Tournament 2023 FAQs

These are questions golf fans have about how and where to watch the Masters in 2023 without a pay tv provider. 

Where can I watch the Masters Tournament 2023?

You can watch the Masters Tournament in 2023 on DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. The four-day tournament airs on ESPN, and later on CBS. 

Here is a breakdown of live TV streaming services, and their channel coverage. 

STREAMING SERVICEESPNCBSPRICE
DIRECTV STREAMYesYes$74.99
fuboYesYes$74.99
Hulu Live TVYesYes$69.99
Sling TVYesNo$40
YouTube TVYesYes$72.99

How to Watch the Masters for free

You can leverage free trials offered by DIRECTV STREAM, fubo and YouTube TV to watch every stroke in the Masters in 2023.

Just be aware that you will be billed if you don’t cancel before the free trial ends. All three streaming services carry ESPN and CBS, which air the Masters this year.

Will the Masters be on Amazon Prime?

No. The Masters air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and CBS. Amazon Prime members can subscribe to Paramount+ to watch Round 3 and Round 4 of The Masters. ESPN+ has additional coverage through Featured Holes and Featured Groups.

The Masters Tournament Schedule

Here is a schedule of live coverage that will air on ESPN, CBS, ESPN+ and Paramount Plus between Wednesday, April 5 and Sunday, April 9. All times listed below are Eastern Time zone.

Wednesday, April 5


Masters on the Range: 9-11 a.m. ET on Masters.com/Masters App
“Wednesday at the Masters” 10 a.m. to noon on ESPN+
“SportsCenter at the Masters”, noon to 3 p.m. on ESPN
Par 3 Contest on ESPN+, Masters.com and the Masters App: Noon-5 p.m. ET
Par 3 Contest on ESPN: 3-5 p.m. ET

First Round

Featured Groups on ESPN+ for Thursday, April 6


10:18 a.m. – Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele
10:42 a.m. – Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young
1:36 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Sam Bennett
2:00 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau

Thursday, April 6

“Welcome to the Masters” on ESPN: 1-3 p.m. ET
Round 1 airs on ESPN & ESPN Deportes 3-7:30 p.m. ET

Second Round

Friday, April 7

  • Masters on the Range: 8:30-10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+, Masters.com/Masters App
  • Featured Groups and Featured Groups: 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
  • Amen Corner Live: 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET on ESPN+
  • 4th, 5th and 6th hole Live: 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Masters Live
  • 15th and 16th holes live: 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ & Paramount+

“Welcome to the Masters” on ESPN: 1-3 p.m. ET
Round 2 airs on ESPN & ESPN Deportes: 3-7:30 p.m. ET

Third Round

Saturday, April 8

  • Masters on the Range: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET on Masters.com/Masters App
  • Featured Groups and Featured Groups: 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET
  • Amen Corner Live: 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
  • Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Live: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
  • Nos. 15 and 16 Live: 12:30-6:30 p.m. ET
  • Every Shot, Every Hole from First Drive to Last Putt on Masters.com/Masters App

Round 3 airs on CBS & Paramount Plus: 3-7 p.m. ET
ESPN Deportes: 5-7 p.m. ET

Final Round

Sunday, April 9

  • Masters on the Range: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET on Masters.com/Masters App
  • Featured Groups and Featured Groups: 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET
  • Amen Corner Live: 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
  • Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Live: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
  • Nos. 15 and 16 Live: 12:30-6:30 p.m. ET
  • Every Shot, Every Hole from First Drive to Last Putt on Masters.com/Masters App
  • Green Jacket Ceremony: 7-7:15 p.m. ET

Final round airs on CBS & Paramount Plus: 2-7 p.m. ET
ESPN Deportes: 5-7 p.m. ET

*Schedule credit: Masters.com how-to-watch guide

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