You can watch NESN without cable on three streaming services.
DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo (formerly fuboTV), and NESN 360 all have the live NESN channel without the need of a cable or satellite subscription.
There are seven plans that carry NESN within those live TV streaming services. You can also watch NESN online on a P.C., Mac computer, iPhone or tablet when you get a subscription.
You can jump down to the summary of how to watch NESN without cable, check out Frequently Asked Questions below, or read through all your options.
DIRECTV STREAM, and Fubo are the two live streaming services that have NESN and offer a free trial. NESN360, the standalone streaming service, remains the cheapest option at $29.99 per month.
All three of these choices allow cord-cutters a way to watch Boston Red Sox or Boston Bruins games live. I currently subscribe to fubo, but my “best” choice might not be the best one for you.
I have been streaming NESN since it was available on PlayStation Vue, then later on YouTube TV. So, I have some things to say about your options.
Keep in mind that NESN lives up to its full name, New England Sports Network, when it comes to availability. Just like other regional sports networks, it’s only available to in-market fans.
That means NESN is only available to fans in the New England market, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and most of Connecticut. The exception is Fairfield County, CT, which is considered part of the New York City market.
How to Watch NESN
All you need to start streaming NESN live is a Smart TV or streaming device.
A Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast with Google TV or Apple TV will do the job. Smart TVs by Samsung, Sony Bravia, Vizio and LG support most live TV services. Game consoles including XBox and PlayStation support watching Bruins and Red Sox games on live TV as well.
If you are a sports fan or cord-cutter in search of your ideal streaming service that has NESN, chances are you want other sports channels too.
ESPN, TNT, ACC Network (ACCN), Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network and ESPN Deportes cover MLB, NHL and other professional and college sports.
You can get many of these networks without having to pay for an sports add-on package.
Local channels will matter, too. You will need local broadcast networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX to watch NCAA football, or college basketball.
Just remember to cancel any free trial you sign up for before the trial ends if you decide that the streaming service isn’t for you. Once you pick a live TV streaming service, you just need an Internet connection and a streaming device connected to your TV.
You can also use your iPhone, or iPad (with current iOS) and Android smartphones to watch NESN.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) streams NESN and NESNPlus in three of its channel packages
The Choice plan has more than 105 channels for $99.99 per month. Choice subscribers get a wide selection of 40 regional sports channels, including NESN, and NBC Sports Boston.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial on every plan without any obligations. DIRECTV STREAM is offering $10 off the first three months of service on any plan. There are no hidden fees or contracts. So you can pay month to month and cancel whenever you want.
The Ultimate package has more than 140 channels, including locals, and sports channels such as NHL Network. The Ultimate package is $109.99 per month.
The Premier Package has over 150 channels, including premium channels such as Max, Cinemax and Showtime. A subscription is $154.99 per month.
All of these channel lineups are virtually identical to DIRECTV satellite service, but with a slight price difference.
Subscribers can get three months of Max, Showtime, Cinemax and MGM+ for free before the monthly rates kick in.
All subscribers get unlimited hours of Cloud DVR storage and 40,000 on-demand movies and shows. You can watch live TV on unlimited screens within your home.
DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and smartphones and tablets. You can use apps on supported Smart TVs running on Google TV and Android TV. 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 NESN and NESN+ on all three plans, Pro, Elite and Premium.
The Pro channel package costs $74.99 per month and has 172 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.
fuboTV is the only live TV streaming service that carries select Boston Bruins games in 4K along with other select live sporting events.
ESPN, ESPN2, Food network, Fox News, HGTV, Big Ten Network, Disney Junior, and Comedy Central are part of the Pro bundle. You should know that since you are getting two regional sports networks, you are charged a regional sports fee of $13.99 per month.
The Elite plan is $84.99 per month, and has 65 more sports, news and entertainment channels. The Premier plan has 231 channels, including Showtime, for $94.99 per month
Fubo has a variety of add-on packages, depending on your preference for more sports or entertainment networks.
The fubo Extra bundle adds 59 more channels for $7.99 per month. It includes NBA TV, INSP, Tennis Channel, MTV Live, MTV Classic, FXM, Pac-12 Network, and ESPNews.
The Sports Plus bundle adds 32 more channels and costs $10.99 per month. It includes NFL RedZone, all four Stadium networks, Sports Illustrated TV, Golf TV English, Golf TV Spanish, PAC 12 Arizona, PAC 12 Bay Area, PAC 12 Los Angeles, PAC 12 Mountain, PAC 12 Oregon, PAC 12 Washington, FOX College Sports Atlantic, FOX College Sports Pacific, FNTSY, Fight Network and TyC Sports.
All subscribers get 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR storage. You can watch live TV on 10 screens at once. If you miss a game, you can use fubo’s “look back” feature to watch sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours
fubo has a library of on-demand content, including movies and TV shows. Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Smart TVs all carry the fubo app.
Fubo has mobile apps for iPhone and Android so you can watch NESN live on your smartphone. Subscribers can watch live TV through their web browser.
You can get a free 7-day trial and try out watching NESN without a cable subscription.
NESN 360
NESN 360 is a standalone streaming service that lets you watch live Red Sox and Bruins games without cable or satellite service.
Subscribers pay $29.99 per month, or $329.99 annually.
The service launched on June 1, 2022, and I signed up for it right away to test it out. You can read about my experience testing out NESN 360 if you are thinking about signing up.
NESN 360 has more than Red Sox and Bruins games. 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 highlights, game recaps, 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, Roku, Amazon Fire TV devices and Google TV 4K devices.
How to Watch NESN Without Cable FAQs
These are questions that Red Sox and Boston Bruins fans ask when searching for ways to stream NESN.
Does YouTube TV have NESN?
No. 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.
Is NESN included with Hulu?
No, NESN is not included with Hulu Live TV. Hulu Live TV does not currently offer NESN in its channel lineup.
Does Sling TV have NESN?
No. Sling TV does not include NESN. In fact, Sling TV no longer carries any regional sports networks.
Can I get NESN on Amazon Prime?
No. NESN is not on Amazon Prime. NESN is only available only through a cable TV, satellite service or a live TV streaming service. DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo include NESN in their channel lineups.
Can I watch NESN without a TV provider?
Yes, you can watch NESN without a traditional cable TV provider. NESN offers a few streaming options for cord-cutters, including DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, and NESN360.
What streaming service has NESN and ESPN?
If you’re looking for a streaming service that offers both NESN and ESPN, DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo are the two options you can consider. They provide access to a variety of sports channels, including NESN and ESPN.
You can stream entertainment, news and local broadcast channels as well.
Do you have to pay for NESN on Roku?
Yes, you will need to subscribe to a streaming service that carries NESN, such as DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo or NESN 360, in order to watch NESN on your Roku device. These services typically require a subscription fee.
Can you watch NESN without a cable subscription?
Yes, you can watch NESN without a traditional cable subscription. By subscribing to DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, or NESN 360, you can access NESN and enjoy your favorite sports content without the need for cable TV.
Can you stream NESN directly?
Yes, NESN offers a streaming option called NESN 360, which allows you to stream NESN content directly to your device. A subscription is $29.99 per month. In-market subscribers can access NESN’s programming and live games without a cable TV subscription.
Which streaming services carry NESN?
The three main streaming services that carry NESN are DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, and NESN 360. These services provide access to NESN’s sports content for cord-cutters.
Can you just pay for NESN?
Yes. You can pay $29.99 per month for NESN 360, a standalone streaming option that lets you watch live Red Sox and Boston Bruins games.
Can I stream NESN on my smart TV?
Yes, you can stream NESN on your smart TV by using a compatible streaming device or by accessing NESN through a streaming service’s app. Most modern smart TVs support popular streaming services, making it easy to watch NESN on your television.
How to Stream NESN in 2023
For New England sports fans, there are a number of ways to get comprehensive Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins coverage without a cable subscription.
NESN 360 is the cheapest option at $29.99 per month. The NESN360 app works on Roku, PCs, iOS and Apple TV. NESN 360 does not have a free trial, but you can subscribe month to month when you sign up.
DIRECTV STREAM has more than 105 channels in the Choice plan, including ESPN, NESN, NESN+ 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. There are no added fees, and you can get $10 off for the first three months of service.
Fubo costs $74.99 per month for the Pro plan. You get more than 170 channels, including ESPN, NESN, NBC Sports Boston and local NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS stations. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial. There is a regional sports fee.
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.
How?
The big reason is being sucked into a two-year contract. with streaming there is so much more flexibility.
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.
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.
Try this, chief.
https://cordcuttingreport.com/compare-internet-service-providers/
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………
Sling doesn’t have it. YoutubeTV does.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.