Sports thrills don’t need to come with big bills!
Love live sport but hate sky-high prices? You’re not alone — and luckily, there are plenty of ways to catch the action without draining your wallet.
From free streams to savvy subscriptions, here’s how to stay in the game for less with your options of watching live sport in the UK without breaking the bank.
Streaming services
In the modern day, streaming is taking over from standard terrestrial TV and providing options for watching content on demand and now live.
Major services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have begun purchasing the broadcasting rights to certain events in recent years.
The benefits to streaming services is that you’re able to watch content on the go, even when watching live sports.
Most streaming platforms have an online web player that you can use as well as an app that is downloadable on multiple platforms, allowing you to stay tuned in no matter where you are. The services listed below all have apps that can be found on some, if not all of these platforms:
- Mobile
- Tablet
- Laptop/computer
- Smart TV & TV sticks (e.g. Fire TV Stick)
- Consoles (Xbox and PlayStation)
NOW
Offering Sky’s services through their streaming platforms, NOW provides a platform for you to enjoy all that Sky Sports has to offer.
Through a Sports Membership, NOW offers access to all Sky Sports channels, which has exclusive sports and leagues such as ATP and WTA Tour tennis, PGA Tour golf, English domestic and international cricket, rugby Super League, and lot’s more – not to mention more Premier League football than anyone else.
NOW can be watched via their app, which is available on all platforms listed above. Their subscription comes with two choices; Day Membership, giving you access to the channels for 24 hours; and the Month Membership, a 31-day rolling subscription with no contract meaning you can cancel and restart whenever you’d like.
Discovery+
Discovery+ is the streaming service for TNT Sports, the sports channels for BT/EE TV. Thanks to the joint venture between BT and Warner Bros. Discovery, EE TV (BT’s TV provider) provides an even wider range of sport to enjoy.
On TNT Sports, you can find top sports and leagues such as Premier League football, all games in the UEFA European football competitions (Champions League etc.), Premiership rugby, NBA basketball, MLB baseball, UFC and more.
Discovery+ is the streaming service for TNT Sports, providing a platform to watch content on the go and on various devices.
You gain access to Discovery+ when purchasing any BT package, but if you’re looking for TNT Sports, you need a Discovery+ Premium plan, which is available with select BT packages that contain TNT Sports.
Netflix
Netflix has been one of, if not the leading streaming service for some time now, but over the past 12 months they have started venturing into the live sport sphere.
Their first major move came last year when they acquired the rights to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson. While the stream wasn’t perfect, it was a solid first effort and a test of sort to see how they’d cope.
Since then, they hosted a number of NFL Christmas Day games, and have now gained the rights to the WWE, which includes Monday Night Raw, Tuesday Night NXT and Friday Night Smackdown plus all Premium Live Events.
Sports on Netflix is available on all subscription plans, although those with plans that don’t include ads will have a slightly different broadcast experience than that of those who had a with-ads plan.
Amazon Prime Video
Prime Video has been building its portfolio of live sport over the years. Up until the recent season just gone, they had been broadcasting a number of Premier League games during the busy December period.
While they have lost the rights now, there’s still other football to watch on Prime, such as Nations League (except England and Scotland games) and some combat sports.
You can also find select tennis tournaments, but one of the offerings which makes Prime a great option is their range of documentaries featuring top athletes and teams.
To access these, you’ll need an Amazon Prime membership, which includes Prime Video at no extra cost. New users can start with a 30-day free trial, making it a great short-term option for key fixtures.
You can stream Prime Video on smart TVs, mobile devices, games consoles, or through streaming sticks like Fire TV or Chromecast — all you need is the app and a stable internet connection.
Premier Sports
Premier Sports may fly under the radar, but it holds exclusive UK rights to La Liga football, NHL ice hockey, and top-tier rugby like the URC and Top 14. It also covers domestic European football cups, EPCR rugby tournaments, NASCAR, and more.
You can stream Premier Sports directly via their app on devices like Apple TV, Fire TV, and Sky Glass. This standalone option suits those who want flexibility without a traditional TV package.
For live TV access, you can subscribe through Sky, Virgin Media, BT, or even Amazon Prime Video as an add-on, where you can gain access to their TV channels – all of which also include access to the streaming platform.
DAZN
DAZN has long been the home to some of the top combat sports in the game, mainly boxing on all levels but also showcases the growing PFL MMA promotion.
As well as combat sports, DAZN have begun picking up other sports for subscribers to enjoy. Most notably, it has non-exclusive rights to WRC rally, with their dedicated 24-hour Rally TV channel hosting all the action from the championship.
You can also find LIV Golf, the PIF-owned golf league that has many top stars such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau competing.
But its biggest recent acquisition comes from the world of football, where DAZN purchased the exclusive rights to the newly revamped FIFA Club World Cup, which will host its first edition of the new format this summer.
DAZN is only available through streaming, so no live TV channels can be found.
Free methods (legal options)
Not all sporting events are hidden by paywalls thankfully. Some of the more major events are kept to free channels and services, allowing more people to tune in.
Main TV channels such as BBC and ITV ensure that some of the biggest events in the UK are kept on their free-to-air channels as well as on their own streaming platforms.
Though of course, free doesn’t always mean entirely free these days. To watch live Freeview TV and access their associated streaming platforms for live streaming content, you must pay the TV licence, else you face a fine.
BBC
As the oldest public broadcaster in the UK, the BBC holds a lot of prestige in the live TV sphere. In the past they have hosted some of the biggest live events in British TV history, including the legendary 1985 Live Aid, the Apollo 13 Splashdown, and the greatest moment in English sports, the 1966 World Cup Final.
Speaking of sport, the BBC holds some good ground for certain events but have also lost a lot over the years. In the past, they were a primary broadcaster for many of the UK’s leading sports and leagues, but now they mainly reserve their sports programming for major events, particularly British ones.
The BBC still holds the rights to the World Cup, the UEFA European Championships and the FA Cup (all shared with ITV and TNT Sports for FA Cup) and to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games (shared with TNT Sports). They also still maintain a hold of Wimbledon and the World Snooker Championships plus shared coverage of the rugby Six Nations with ITV.
ITV
Similar to BBC, ITV has for a long time shown some major events on their free-to-air channels, including major sporting moments such as the Euro 2020 final and also the 1966 World Cup final along with the BBC.
As mentioned, they share the rights to the World Cup, Euros and Six Nations and have recently added the Carabao Cup to their roster. They’re also the home of British horse racing and have held the rights to the rugby World Cup since 1991.
Channel 4
Keeping with the Freeview channels, Channel 4 has a number of exclusive sports part of their coverage, including the Paralympic Summer Games, Paralympic Winter Games and Women’s FA Cup.
They are also the terrestrial home of Formula 1, providing highlights of every race and live coverage of the British Grand Prix.
But most importantly, and not just for viewers but seemingly for them, Channel 4 is the only place where you can watch the furriest show on TV, Crufts!
YouTube
YouTube isn’t a traditional sports broadcaster, but it’s a goldmine for live streams, highlights, and free sporting content. Many official league and team channels upload extended highlights, full replays, and behind-the-scenes footage daily.
You’ll find live coverage of select events like boxing (via DAZN or promotional partners), Red Bull extreme sports, esports tournaments, and grassroots football. Some channels even stream full matches from lower leagues or international competitions.
YouTube is free to access on virtually any device — just search for the sport, league, or team you’re interested in. Subscribing to official channels ensures you never miss new uploads or live events.
Red Bull TV
Maybe a slightly odd one but along the same lines as YouTube, Red Bull TV is a free-to-watch platform that showcases many different sports, often more niche ones that you may not tune into otherwise.
As a brand committed to high-stakes and high-performance, Red Bull TV offers non-stop entertainment from its channel.
Leagues and championships such as Drift Masters, WSL surfing, the Premier Padel Tour and more can be found on the platform, but so can the events and series that makes Red Bull’s thrill-seeking sports so entertaining, such as the Cliff Diving World Series, Hardline (downhill mountain biking), and of course the Red Bull Soapbox Races.
Red Bull TV is entirely free to view and is available via its app, which can be found on a plethora of platforms, including the ones listed in the previous section (top of Streaming Services) as well as other fittingly niche ones like the Apple Vision Pro.
Shared subscriptions & bundles
So that’s a (not so brief) overview of some of the major broadcasters and services where you can watch live sport, but now let’s take a look at some of your options for how to save on some of the paid-for subscriptions.
Package deals
We’ll start by looking at package deals as all the major providers offer these so you can save on their services.
There are many Sky packages to choose from that include Sky Sports; whether it be just Sky TV with sports included or if you’re looking for broadband including, Sky will have a suitable pre-built package for your needs.
Importantly, with any Sky TV package you’ll also receive a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription for free, with the option to upgrade your subscription for extra should you choose to do so.
The same goes for BT, who has several options for Sports + Broadband deals, one of which giving you access to TNT and Sky Sports.
Virgin Media also has packages that offer access to NOW Sports, automating your subscription so that it is part of your Virgin contract.
Multi-user accounts
The good thing about streaming is that you simply need to log in to the services app to be able to access the content, which means it’s easier than ever to share accounts with others.
Sure, services like Netflix have cracked down on such a practice, stopping people from account sharing. But sports services like Sky Sports and DAZN are unlikely to ever copy that, so you can save yourself a bundle of money by finding someone who already has an account that you’d like and getting in on it.
For students or younger people, maybe your parents have Sky or TNT Sports on their TV package. You could ask for the account details and watch to your heart’s content on your chosen service’s app.
Tips to help avoid paying too much
It’s highly unlikely that the standard sports enjoyer would be able to watch the same amount of content they would’ve been able to roughly 25 years ago, what with everything being housed on various different broadcasters and services these days.
Totalling up the subscription costs if you were to sign up to every one of the services listed earlier would end up to a fairly hefty amount each year.
Sky Sports alone will cost you £270 per Premier League season – that’s £27 a month (rolling contract cost) for the 10 months that the season is active. And bear in mind that, while Sky has the majority of Premier League matches, TNT Sports also has a good few, so you’d need to get that too if you wanted to watch every game possible.
You also have to factor in that you’d need to get set up with one of Sky’s TV options (Stream, Glass or Q) and choose a base TV package (Essential TV or Ultimate TV) before you can get Sky Sports, so you need to add those costs in as well.
But don’t let that get you down, you have some options to reduce the costs. Here are some tips to help avoid paying too much:
Rotate subscriptions
The good thing about more sports going onto streaming services is that the subscriptions come with no contract, meaning you aren’t locked in and can cancel/pause and restart whenever you’d like.
This even applies to main broadcasters like Sky, BT and Virgin Media, who as we mentioned earlier offer rolling contracts that come with no commitment, allowing you to add and remove their sports offerings to your existing TV package.
So if you’re only interested in a certain sport, event or league, you can find which service it’s on, sign up and get your subscription, making sure its on a standard monthly payment plan, and when you’re done watching, cancel or pause it so you can come back to it the next time.
Cancel auto-renewal on trials
This is one you should be weary of. Any app or service that offers a trial so you can try out what they’re offering will require you to add in a payment method even when it says it’s free. This is so that once the trial is up, they can start taking your money immediately rather than telling you to go and add in your card details.
You’ll be wise to keep on top of these trials. Set an alarm or a calendar notification for the day before your trial ends, or if you signed up for one specific game/event and the trial lasts longer than it, you could take your card off immediately after so as to avoid possibly forgetting about it then being caught out with a charge for something you won’t use.
Watch extended highlights
Not so much a tip on ways to cut costs but rather skirting costs completely. If money is a major problem for you and you’re unsure you’d be able to financially afford the subscription you’d need to watch what you want to watch, then the smart play would be YouTube.
Save yourself time and money by waiting a couple of hours for the highlights of the event to be up on YouTube or on the services’ app. It’ll be free to do and you’ll be getting the best bits of the event.
If you want more though, most of the time you can also find extended highlights, which will show you every event outside of the standard play in the game/match. And maybe if you’re really lucky, you’ll find the whole game replay still up before it’s taken down for copyright. Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be punished just for watching!
Follow real-time updates on apps or social media
Again, like the above, not a way to watch live but you could keep track of the event via social media or on an app like Sky Sports.
Sports apps that follow live events may have a feature that gives text prompts as to what’s happening. Typically one message every minute or so, enough to keep you updated.
Similarly, you can follow along with others on social media, where you can also interact with those who may actually be watching so you can get a better idea of what’s happening.
