By Jim Kimble / Updated April 7, 2022
There are a few ways to watch Boston Red Sox games live without a cable TV or satellite package. Most games are on NESN.
Nationally televised games during the regular season in 2022 are on FOX, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network. A few post-season games air on ABC.
Table of Contents
- New, free ways to watch Red Sox games
- Live Streaming Boston Red Sox Games
- Where can I watch NESN?
- Stream Boston Red Sox Games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
- Are Boston Red Sox Games on YouTube TV?
- Are Red Sox games on NBC Sports Boston?
- Are the Boston Red Sox on ESPN+ in 2022?
- How to Watch Red Sox games free with a TV antenna
- What Network is the Red Sox game on tonight?
New, free ways to watch Red Sox games
Apple TV+ will stream two live baseball games on Friday nights during the 2022 MLB season. The Friday night doubleheaders on Apple will be free. (Details are below.)
NBC’s Peacock will begin streaming games on May 8 in a new Sunday morning time slot.
Keep in mind that streaming MLB games isn’t your only option.
Cord-cutters can watch some national broadcast games for free using a TV antenna.
I started streaming MLB games in 2016 back when PlayStation Vue began carrying NESN in its channel lineup.
This guide aims to give you a comprehensive look at how to watch Red Sox games without cable TV for the 2022 season.
Live Streaming Boston Red Sox Games
The Boston Red Sox broadcast most of their games on NESN. The regional sports channel has exclusive rights to in-market Boston Red Sox games.
NESN and NESN National are only carried by two streaming services, fuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM.
Where can I watch NESN?
NESN is available to pay-TV subscribers in the New England market.
The New England market includes 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 Boston Red Sox Games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
Watching live Red Sox games without cable TV is pretty simple. You just need a few things to start streaming Red Sox games on your TV.
- A streaming service that carries NESN and the channels that carry national broadcast Red Sox games
- An Internet connection
- A Smart TV or streaming device such as a Roku connected to your TV
You can watch live TV channels through the app of streaming services such as fuboTV or DIRECTV STREAM. Live TV streaming services have apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast with Google TV.
These apps are also available on Smart TVs, iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones. You can watch live TV on a PC through a web browser.
fuboTV
fuboTV carries 120+ channels including NESN and NESN Plus. The service also carries channels for nationally televised games ABC, FOX, ESPN and FS1.
MLB Network is available on fuboTV as part of the “Extra” channel bundle.
TBS is currently not available on fuboTV. Subscribers get 250 hours of Cloud DVR for recording live TV. 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 costs $69.99 per month. fuboTV adds an $8.99 regional sports fee for New England residents to pay for regional sports networks.
There is a free 7-day trial that you can sign up for without any obligations.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM has every channel needed to watch Boston Red Sox games in 2022.
A subscription costs $89.99 per month for 90+ channels. NESN, NESN National, ESPN, MLB Network, FS1, and local channels such as ABC and FOX are included in the Choice lineup.
Subscribers can get three months of HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and EPIX for free before the monthly rates kick in. You can watch live TV on up to 20 screens at once.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial without any obligations. Every plan includes unlimited Cloud DVR and a robust library of on-demand movies and shows.
There are no contracts. There are no additional regional sports fees.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.
You can look over the different channel lineups before making any decisions.
Are Boston Red Sox Games 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.
YouTube TV does have channels for nationally televised games. Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM and Sling TV carries channels for nationally televised Red Sox games as well.
Streaming Red Sox on ESPN and cable channels
If you’re trying to narrow your focus to a specific cable TV network, no worries. You can read my guides on how to watch ABC, FOX, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network without cable.
Can I use MLB.tv for Red Sox games?
The MLB also has MLB.tv which live streams all out-of-market games for every team.
Boston Red Sox games are blacked out for fans living in the team’s home broadcast region. The service allows subscribers who live in an out-of-market area to watch Red Sox games.
A subscription to MLB.tv costs $24.99 per month.
Amazon Prime members can get a free 7-day trial of MLB.tv through Amazon Channels. The regular rate kicks in once the trial ends.
Red Sox games on Apple TV+ and Peacock
Apple TV+ is delivering a weekly Friday night doubleheader during the 2022 MLB season.
The first leg of doubleheader MLB games will be free to anyone with internet access, according to Apple. The company released its schedule of games that begin on April 8.
Apple TV+ works on most major streaming devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast with Google TV. Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic and Hisense are also supported.
Peacock begins streaming Sunday morning MLB games on May 8.
Games will be available on the Premium plan. Peacock Premium costs $4.99 per month. There is a free 7-day trial for Peacock Premium.
MLB on Peacock Schedule
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|
| May 8 | 11:30 a.m. ET | Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox |
| May 15 | 11:30 a.m. ET | San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves |
| May 22 | 11:30 a.m. ET | St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates |
| May 29 | 11:30 a.m. ET | San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds |
| June 5 | 11:30 a.m. ET | Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees |
| June 12 | 11:30 a.m. ET | Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Guardians |
| June 19 | Noon ET | Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals |
| June 26 | Noon ET | New York Mets at Miami Marlins |
| July 3 | Noon ET | Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers |
| July 10 | Noon ET | Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles |
| July 17 | Noon ET | Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays |
| July 24 | Noon ET | Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia Phillies |
| July 31 | Noon ET | Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays |
| August 7 | Noon ET | Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians |
| August 14 | Noon ET | San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals |
| August 21 | Noon ET | Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians |
| August 28 | Noon ET | Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins |
| September 4 | Noon ET | Toronto Blue Jays at Pittsburgh Pirates |
Peacock works on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku.
The service also has apps for a wide variety of Android TV-enabled Smart TVs, including Sony. Smart TVs by LG, Samsung, Vizio and Hisense are supported as well. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial.
Are Red Sox games on NBC Sports Boston?
No. Boston Red Sox games are not broadcast on NBC Sports Boston. Only NESN carries local in-market games. All other games are national broadcast games.
Are the Boston Red Sox on ESPN+ in 2022?
Yes. ESPN+ is once again streaming one MLB game per day that is part of the national broadcast schedule. Out-of-market games are still governed by local blackout restrictions. But you already knew that.
Each MLB team will be on ESPN+ at least 10 times by the end of the season. Replays are made available after a live game streams on ESPN+.
A subscription to ESPN+ costs $6.99 per month, and you can check the upcoming lineup of MLB games.
How to Watch Red Sox games free with a TV antenna
A TV antenna is the best way to watch Washington Nationals games that are carried on ABC and FOX for free.
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. FOX broadcasts games throughout the regular season. ABC becomes a key channel for post-season games.
If you are new to TV antennas, here is a list of resources that I have written to get you started.
- How to Choose the Best TV Antenna and OTA DVR
- How to Connect Multiple TVs to One Antenna
- Review: The Best Indoor TV Antennas
- Review: The Best Outdoor TV Antennas
What Network is the Red Sox game on tonight?
Boston Red Sox games are typically on NESN. The schedule below breaks down what channel or streaming service has national broadcast games for the 2022 MLB season.
| DAY | RED SOX MLB NATIONAL BROADCAST |
|---|---|
| Sunday morning | Peacock |
| Sunday afternoon | TBS |
| Sunday night | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Monday night | ESPN or FS1 |
| Tuesday night | TBS |
| Wednesday Night | ESPN, FS1, MLB Network |
| Thursday Night | ESPN, FOX and MLB Network |
| Friday Night | Apple TV+ |
| Saturday Afternoon | FOX |
| Saturday Night | FOX, FS1 |
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.
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
