How to Watch Chicago Blackhawks

By Jim Kimble / Published October 2, 2023

NHL fans can watch Chicago Blackhawks games without a cable TV or satellite subscription.

Hulu Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and DIRECTV STREAM all carry NBC Sports Chicago. These four live TV live TV streaming services have other key hockey channels, including ESPN, TNT, and local broadcast channels such as ABC.

You can watch a majority of in-market and out-of-market games live on ESPN+, which costs $10.99 per month.

You can jump down to the summary of how to watch Chicago Blackhawks without cable, check out the 2023-24 schedule or read through all your options.

• ESPN+
• Hulu Live TV
• fubo
• DIRECTV STREAM
• YouTube TV

Throughout the decades, the Blackhawks have amassed an impressive collection of titles, including six Stanley Cup championships, with their most recent triumph in 2015. 

The majority of Blackhawks games this season will air locally on NBC Sports Chicago. The Blackhawks have 13 games that will be national broadcasts, including five games on ESPN, and five more on TNT. Three games are exclusive to ESPN+. 

ESPN+ now has the streaming rights to out-of-market games. So Chicago Blackhawks fans living outside of the local market can watch games for $10.99 per month.

Regional sports networks have been undergoing major changes through either consolidations, shuddering completely or undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. Regional NBC Sports networks are currently on solid footing. 

It’s worth noting that Sling TV dropped NBC Sports Chicago in April 2021. You can still watch NHL games on Sling TV through ESPN, ABC (in 8 markets), and NHL Network through the Sports Extra add-on. Sling costs $40 per month when you sign up for either the Orange or Blue plan.

How to Watch Chicago Blackhawks Without Cable

TV	In-Market	Out-of-Market
NBC Sports Chicago	YES	NO
NBC Sports Chicago+	YES	NO
ABC	YES	YES
ESPN	YES	YES
NHL Network	YES	YES
ESPN+	NO	YES

All you need to start watching the Chicago Blackhawks without cable is a Smart TV or streaming device. 

Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick and Apple TV all support major streaming services. Smart TVs by Samsung, Sony Bravia, Vizio and LG support most live TV streaming services as well. Game consoles including XBox and PlayStation support watching live TV.

If you are a sports fan or cord-cutter in search of your ideal streaming service that has Blackhawks home games, chances are you want other sports channels too.

NFL Network, FS1, ESPN2, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, NBA TV, and Golf Channel cover some of the most popular live sports programming on cable. Thanks to a wave of cord-cutting, you don’t need cable for these networks anymore.

You can get local broadcast networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX as well.

Some of these services have a free trial that lasts a week without any obligation. Just remember to cancel before the trial ends if you decide that the streaming service isn’t for you.

You just need to look over the channel lineups for each streaming service, and pick the one that best fits your needs. If you don’t like a service, no worries. Unlike cable TV or satellite services, there are no contracts. You can just cancel online whenever you want,

ESPN+

ESPN+ is the cheapest option for watching Chicago Blackhawks games without cable.

A subscription is $10.99 per month. 

Keep in mind, these NHL games are out-of-market, not ones that are carried on ESPN’s flagship channel that you watch with a cable or satellite TV subscription. 

That said, there are a number of NHL games on ESPN+ that are simulcasts from ESPN. 

Throughout the 2023-24 season, NHL Power Play on ESPN+ offers access to over 1,050 out-of-market games. Replays of every NHL regular season and playoff game on ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT are also available on NHL Power Play on ESPN+.

ESPN+ live streams NHL games, out-of-market Major League Baseball games, UFC fights, tennis and top rank boxing. There are hundreds of college basketball and football games aired throughout the year.

ESPN+ has a number of original programs and is now the home for the 30 for 30 library.

You just need a streaming device connected to your TV that has the ESPN app. Log in to your ESPN+ account within the ESPN app and you’re ready to go.

ESPN+ works on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, PS4, Samsung Smart TVs, and Chromecast.

If you’re not watching on a TV, you can use an iPhone (with current iOS), Android smartphone, and web browsers too.

Once you sign up for an ESPN+ subscription, you can activate your account on the ESPN app. Unlike cable or satellite subscriptions, there are no contracts, and you can easily cancel online if the service isn’t for you.

Hulu Live TV

Hulu Live TV has over 75 live TV channels, including ESPN, CBS Sports Network and SEC Network.

FS1, FS2, MLB Network, and NHL Network are among some of the other sports 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. Hulu carries local ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC across the U.S.

A subscription costs $76.99 per month, and includes ad-supported subscriptions to Disney+ and ESPN+. With a Hulu Live TV subscription, you can activate the ESPN app and unlock all live sports on ESPN Plus.

So you’re getting more than just live TV channels to watch.

Hulu 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.

fubo

Fubo (formerly fuboTV) has all the channels you will need to watch the Chicago Blackhawks all season long.

fubo offers three plans with NBC Sports Chicago, fubo Pro, Elite and Premium. 

The Pro channel package has 170 channels, including news, entertainment and local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations. 

Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV, Pac-12 Networks and local CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX stations are part of the Pro bundle.

There are entertainment channels like A&E, Bravo, FX, two Hallmark channels and National Geographic. The Weather Channel and FOX News are among 152 channels in its lineup.

A subscription costs $74.99 per month. There’s a free trial for new customers. 

There is 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and you don’t even need to rely on that to record games. fubo has “lookback”, an on-demand feature for sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours.

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

Subscribers can watch live TV on three screens at once.

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.

You can look over fubo’s channels to see what locals and regional sports networks are available in your area.

If you own a 4K TV, then take note: fubo is the only streaming service that live streams select sporting events in 4K HDR.

fubo has its own app for live streaming on Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire Sticks, Apple TV and Android TV devices like NVIDIA Shield TV. You can also live stream NBC Sports Chicago on your iPhone and Android smartphone using the fubo mobile app.

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) has NBC Sports Chicago in the three of its plans. 

ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1 are included in the channel lineup.  

The Choice package has a wide selection of 40 regional sports channels, including Bally Sports networks, and NBC Sports. 

Choice subscribers get more than 105 channels for $99.99 per month. You can get $10 off for the first three months of service. DIRECTV STREAM has a 5-day free trial.

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.

Subscribers to Entertainment, Choice or Ultimate 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.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV has 128 channels for $64.99 per month, and you’ll be able to watch NHL games live.

Subscribers get local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations. The channel lineup includes ESPN, Oxygen Network, USA Network, Comedy Central, TNT, TBS and Telemundo. 

You can watch live TV or on-demand content on up to three screens at once. 

Customers get unlimited Cloud DVR and an on-demand library of ABC shows.

There are YouTube TV apps for Roku, Apple TV and a mobile app for Chromecast. You can stream on up to two devices at once.

You can try out YouTube TV with a free 7-day trial.

2023 Chicago Blackhawks Schedule

• Tue. Oct. 10 7:00 PM at Pittsburgh Penguins (TV: ESPN)
• Wed. Oct. 11 6:30 PM at Boston Bruins (TV: TNT)
• Sat. Oct. 14 6:00 PM at Montreal Canadiens (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Mon. Oct. 16 6:00 PM at Toronto Maple Leafs (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Oct. 19 9:30 PM at Colorado Avalanche (TV: ESPN)
• Sat. Oct. 21 7:00 PM vs. Vegas Golden Knights (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Oct. 24 7:30 PM vs. Boston Bruins (TV: ESPN)
• Fri. Oct. 27 5:00 PM at Vegas Golden Knights (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Mon. Oct. 30 9:00 PM at Arizona Coyotes (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Sat. Nov. 4 7:00 PM vs. Florida Panthers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Nov. 5 6:00 PM vs. New Jersey Devils (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Nov. 9 6:00 PM at Tampa Bay Lightning (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Nov. 12 12:00 PM at Florida Panthers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Nov. 16 7:30 PM vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (TV: ESPN+/Hulu)
• Sat. Nov. 18 1:00 PM at Nashville Predators (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Nov. 19 6:00 PM vs. Buffalo Sabres (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Wed. Nov. 22 6:00 PM at Columbus Blue Jackets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Nov. 24 1:00 PM vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Nov. 26 1:00 PM vs. St. Louis Blues (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Nov. 28 7:30 PM vs. Seattle Kraken (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Thu. Nov. 30 6:00 PM at Detroit Red Wings (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Dec. 2 2:00 PM at Winnipeg Jets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Dec. 3 1:00 PM at Minnesota Wild (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Dec. 5 7:30 PM vs. Nashville Predators (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Dec. 7 7:30 PM vs. Anaheim Ducks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Dec. 9 7:00 PM vs. St. Louis Blues (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Dec. 10 6:00 PM vs. Washington Capitals (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Dec. 12 9:00 PM at Edmonton Oilers (TV: ESPN)
• Thu. Dec. 14 9:00 PM at Seattle Kraken (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Sun. Dec. 17 2:00 PM vs. Vancouver Canucks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Dec. 19 7:30 PM vs. Colorado Avalanche (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Dec. 22 7:30 PM vs. Montreal Canadiens (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Dec. 23 7:00 PM at St. Louis Blues (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Wed. Dec. 27 8:00 PM vs. Winnipeg Jets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Dec. 29 7:00 PM at Dallas Stars (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Dec. 31 7:00 PM at Dallas Stars (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Jan. 2 7:00 PM at Nashville Predators (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Thu. Jan. 4 6:00 PM at New York Rangers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Jan. 5 6:00 PM at New Jersey Devils (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Jan. 7 2:00 PM vs. Calgary Flames (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Jan. 9 7:30 PM vs. Edmonton Oilers (TV: ESPN+/Hulu)
• Thu. Jan. 11 7:00 PM at Winnipeg Jets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Jan. 13 7:00 PM vs. Dallas Stars (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Jan. 16 7:30 PM vs. San Jose Sharks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Wed. Jan. 17 6:30 PM at Buffalo Sabres (TV: TNT)
• Fri. Jan. 19 7:30 PM vs. New York Islanders (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Mon. Jan. 22 9:00 PM at Vancouver Canucks (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Wed. Jan. 24 9:00 PM at Seattle Kraken (TV: TNT)
• Thu. Jan. 25 8:00 PM at Edmonton Oilers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Jan. 27 9:00 PM at Calgary Flames (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Wed. Feb. 7 8:30 PM vs. Minnesota Wild (TV: TNT)
• Fri. Feb. 9 7:30 PM vs. New York Rangers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Feb. 13 7:30 PM vs. Vancouver Canucks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Feb. 15 7:30 PM vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Feb. 17 2:00 PM vs. Ottawa Senators (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Mon. Feb. 19 6:00 PM at Carolina Hurricanes (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Wed. Feb. 21 6:30 PM vs. Philadelphia Flyers (TV: TNT)
• Fri. Feb. 23 7:30 PM vs. Winnipeg Jets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Feb. 25 5:00 PM vs. Detroit Red Wings (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Feb. 29 8:00 PM vs. Colorado Avalanche (TV: ESPN)
• Sat. Mar. 2 7:00 PM vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Mon. Mar. 4 8:00 PM at Colorado Avalanche (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Mar. 5 8:00 PM at Arizona Coyotes (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Mar. 9 6:00 PM at Washington Capitals (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Sun. Mar. 10 5:00 PM vs. Arizona Coyotes (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Mar. 12 7:30 PM vs. Anaheim Ducks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Mar. 15 7:30 PM vs. Los Angeles Kings (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Mar. 17 5:00 PM vs. San Jose Sharks (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Mar. 19 9:00 PM at Los Angeles Kings (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Mar. 21 9:00 PM at Anaheim Ducks (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Sat. Mar. 23 9:30 PM at San Jose Sharks (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Tue. Mar. 26 7:30 PM vs. Calgary Flames (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Thu. Mar. 28 6:00 PM at Ottawa Senators (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Mar. 30 6:00 PM at Philadelphia Flyers (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Apr. 2 6:30 PM at New York Islanders (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sat. Apr. 6 3:30 PM vs. Dallas Stars (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Sun. Apr. 7 2:30 PM vs. Minnesota Wild (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Wed. Apr. 10 7:00 PM at St. Louis Blues (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Fri. Apr. 12 7:30 PM vs. Nashville Predators (TV: NBCSCH+, ESPN+)
• Sun. Apr. 14 5:00 PM vs. Carolina Hurricanes (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)
• Tue. Apr. 16 8:30 PM at Vegas Golden Knights (TV: ESPN+/Hulu)
• Thu. Apr. 18 9:30 PM at Los Angeles Kings (TV: NBCSCH, ESPN+)

Where to Watch Chicago Blackhawks games

Hulu Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and DIRECTV STREAM all carry NBC Sports Chicago, which airs in-market games. These four streaming services also stream TNT, ESPN and ABC.

Out of those four services, Fubo, DIRECTV STREAM and YouTube TV offer a free trial.

ESPN+ has out-of-market games for $10.99 per month. You can sign up for ESPN+ and start streaming live through the ESPN app.

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.