Watch Live Sports on Roku For Free (2022)

Even just a few years ago, watching live sports on streaming services was incredibly convoluted, due to the licensing rights and agreements. Traditional cable and satellite services were the go-to options for the vast majority of sports fans, as over-the-top live TV providers didn’t reach their potential before.

Now that subscription-based video-on-demand services have become the most viable option for content consumption, watching live sports online is more straightforward than ever before. Especially in developed countries like the United States, streaming platforms are now providing live and on-demand sports content to their subscribers.

If you happen to have a Roku device, streaming live sports on it is just a matter of a few clicks. You can follow this guide to watch live sports on Roku, as we have listed all the Roku channels offering premium sports content.

How to Watch Live Sports on Roku (Free & Paid)

Watch Live Sports on Roku with TV Everywhere Services

Major television networks now offer TV Everywhere services for those who still pay for a cable or satellite connection and own a streaming device.

TVE apps and channels unify live TV and on-demand content under a single digital platform so that subscribers don’t have to switch to their set-top box to watch regular television channels.

The following TV Everywhere Roku channels let you watch live sports on Roku:

ABC

The popular American television network ABC is mostly known for its long-running shows. However, ABC is owned by the same parent company ESPN, and some of ESPN’s sports programming is simulcasted on the network.

Select broadcasts from NFL, NBA, ESPN College Football, Major League Baseball, MLS Cup, Formula One, and dozens of other leagues are often simulcasted on ABC. On match day, you can log in to the ABC Roku channel with your television provider and watch live sports on your Roku device.

How to Watch ABC on Roku

CBS Sports

The CBS Sports Roku channel provides live sports streams from CBS and CBS Sports Network channels and the CBS All Access streaming service. You can watch NFL, NCAA tournaments, PGA Tour, SEC Football, Major League Rugby, Bellator MMA, and more on CBS.

CBS Sports offers not only pregame and postgame coverage of major sports events but also the network’s flagship studio shows live and on-demand, such as NFL Today, Monday QB, That Other Pregame Show, College Football Today, etc. CBS’s standalone coverage of MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL drafts can also be streamed on the CBS sports Roku channel.

The following sports programming is available only if you log in to the channel with your television provider. Alternatively, you can just sign in with a CBS All Access subscription to watch UEFA Champions and Europa League games, plus the National Women’s Soccer League matches.

Note that the subscription also gives you access to your local CBS station, CBSN, and CBS Sports HQ, a 24/7 live sports news and highlights channel.

NBC Sports

NBC has the rights to broadcast NFL Sunday Night Football, NHL regular-season games, Premier League, PGA Tour, French Open, NASCAR Monster Energy & Xfinity Series races, plus regional NBA and MLB games.

You can watch all of the sports programs on the NBC Sports Roku channel, assuming you have a cable or satellite subscription to go with. If you don’t have a provider, considering paying for NBC Sports Gold passes. It gives you access to additional sports content on the same Roku channel.

FOX Sports

FOX Sports is known for its coverage of NFL Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football games, as well as College Football, MLB, NASCAR, WWE, boxing, bowling, soccer, rugby, and other sports leagues and tournaments.

On the FOX Sports Roku channel, you can stream all of it live and on-demand. Upon signing in with your television provider, you will also be able to watch flagship FS1 studio shows, including First Things First, Skip & Shanon: Undisputed, Speak For Yourself, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Lock It In, etc.

In addition, the FOX Sports Roku channel lets you watch the Big Ten Network channel live.

ESPN

ESPN is undoubtedly the biggest sports television network. In the United States, ESPN has the licenses to air NFL Monday Night Football, NBA, MLB, College Sports, The Masters, UEFA Euro, MLS, Wimbledon, US Open, eSports leagues, and dozens of additional events.

The ESPN Roku channel accepts TV Everywhere login, alongside the ESPN+ subscription (more on that later). You can watch all the ESPN channels included with your television package.

The latest episodes from ESPN’s studio shows, such as SportsCenter, First Take, SportsNation, NBA: The Jump, and PTI, are also available on-demand.

Watch Live Sports on Roku with Sports Streaming Services

If you are a cord-cutter, consider subscribing to a streaming service dedicated to sports content. There are plenty of options available for Roku users, which we have described in detail below.

CBS All Access

CBS All Access is mostly known for its vast library of latest and classic CBS shows, originals, and licensed movies. However, it has recently ventured into sports programming as well.

After Turner Sports backed away from their broadcasting contract, CBS took over the rights early to UEFA Champions League and Europa League. The contract will last through the 2023-24 season, giving you streaming access to all the matches from the following UEFA leagues. You can also watch the National Women’s Soccer League on the service.

CBS All Access monthly plans currently start from $5.99, but it may change in the future. Note that you can use your subscription to activate both the official CBS All Access and CBS Sports Roku channels.

ESPN+

As we suggested earlier, the ESPN Roku channel accepts log-in with an ESPN+ subscription. In case you don’t know, ESPN+ is a Disney-backed sport streaming service, offering out-of-market exclusive sports programs live and on-demand.

ESPN+ covers steaming rights to MLB, NHL, PGA Tour, MLS, U.S. Open Cup, Wimbledon, UEFA Nations League, Bundesliga, Serie A, A-League, Indian Super League, Super Rugby, Canadian Football League, Formula One, College Sports (football and basketball), and dozens of popular sports events.

One of the highlights of the service is its extensive combat sports coverage from Professional Fighters League, Top Rank, and UFC. ESPN+ is the exclusive portal to major UFC PPVs, twenty UFC Fight Nights, and prelims for ten UFC on ESPN Fight Night events since 2019. The contract lasts until 2024.

Apart from access to ESPN’s existing flagship shows, you can also stream exclusive ESPN+ shows and documentaries, such as Detail, ESPN FC, In The Crease, Quest for the Stanley Cup, Year One, MLS Rewind, Always Late with Katie Nolan, NFL Primetime (digital-only version), Peyton’s Places, Miles to Go, Dana White’s Contender, etc. Additionally, you get access to ESPN’s complete ‘30 for 30’ library on-demand.

An ESPN+ subscription will cost you $5.99/month and $49.99/year. However, note that you need to pay for pay-per-view events separately on the service. Often times, ESPN+ is sold as a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu subscription.

DAZN

DAZN is a premium sports streaming service currently available in nine countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Japan. It holds licensing rights to hundreds of sports events.

Since the streaming rights vary by country, we can’t list all the sports events. For extensive details on sports rights, check out this DAZN page on Wikipedia. It has a complete list of sports events that you can or can’t watch in your country.

DAZN has global exclusive streaming rights to GGG, Golden Boy, and Matchroom Sport content. Everything is included with DAZN’s monthly and annual subscription plans. The service excludes the pay-per-view model.

The DAZN plan pricing and availability of particular sports events are subject to your region. Also, note that you can watch live and on-demand sports streams at up to 1080p on the DAZN Roku channel.

FITE

FITE is a combat sports-centric streaming service, offering 1000+ live events every year and over 10,000 hours of on-demand programs. Plenty of popular PPV boxing events have been hosted on FITE over the years, with content providers like Top Rank, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy, Star Boxing, DAZN, Fox, etc.

The service has partnered with hundreds of combat promoters to give you access to premium combat sports events.

Regular and PPV live streams are accompanied by features like live chat, polls, DVR, replays, highlights, etc. You can also watch preliminary rounds, weigh-ins, conferences, of major pay-per-view events. Free programming is also added every week or so.

FITE has several tiers of subscription, with PPVs priced separately. Visit fite.tv for more information.

Peacock

NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service currently has 22 million subscribers. The service is renowned for its freemium model, offering both free and premium movies and shows on-demand. It also provides linear channels.

Previously, NBC Sports Gold carried the streaming rights to non-televised Premier League matches. It has been moved to Peacock now, offering 175 live non-televised games per Premier League season, alongside on-demand replays. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are also announced to be streamed on Peacock.

Peacock isn’t a sports streaming service by no means. However, if you are a Premier League fan, monthly plans starting from only $4.99 is a pretty compelling option.

Watch Sports on Roku with Live TV Services

Another way to enjoy live sports on Roku without a cable or satellite connection is to pay for a subscription-based live TV service. In most cases, the OTT plans are significantly cheaper than traditional television packages, and they offer additional features like cloud DVR and VOD library.

The following table lists live TV services that provide access to popular live sports television channels on Roku:

Top Channels To Watch Live Sports on Roku

Note that the availability of channels is subject to the plan you choose. Some services also offer channels like NBA TV, MLB Network, NFL Channel, NHL Network, Pac-12 Network, ESPN U, ESPNews, Golf Channel, TNT, etc.

Depending on the service and regional availability, you can get them either with the base plan or add-ons. Premium sports networks, such as FOX Soccer Plus, NFL RedZone, Stadium, and FOX College Sports are also available as add-ons on most of the following live TV services.

Additional Channels that Offer Live Sports on Roku

Here are a few additional Roku channels offering live sports:

• BeIN Sports Connect: Provides all live beIN Sports feeds and on-demand content. It accepts TV Everywhere login.
• NBA: It lets you stream 1200+ NBA games live, with condensed replays on-demand. NBA League Pass login is available, though blackouts restrictions are applied.
• NFL: You can sign in with either TVE or NFL Game Pass subscription to watch live and on-demand NFL games.
• NHL: Offers logging with an NHL.TV subscription. It lets you stream out-of-market regular-season NHL games, alongside in-game and postgame highlights on-demand.
• Tennis Channel: TV Everywhere service for the Tennis Channel. You can watch the channel live and access the most recent broadcasts on-demand.
• F1 TV: Provides access to all F1 races live. You can also switch between the live camera feeds, plus watch the full race replays and highlights later whenever you want. An F1 TV subscription is required.
• WWE Network: You get unlimited access to live WWE PPVs, original programs, and documentaries on-demand at no additional cost. All you need is the $9.99 monthly WWE Network subscription.

Watch Sports Stream on Roku For Free

If you are looking for free options, consider checking out The Roku Channel. It has a few linear sports channels, including beIN Sports XTRA, Adventure Sports Network, fubo Sports Network, Stadium, and Outside TV+.

Red Bull TV is also great for watching Red Bull-sponsored snowboarding and surfing events.

Bottomline

In this guide, we have mentioned all the popular channels that let you watch live sports on Roku. Note that most of these services require either a TV provider login or a standalone subscription.