Best Sports Packages from Cable and Streaming TV Providers

Today, there are many TV providers and packages out there, but we’ve narrowed down the top five best sports packages for you. You, sports megafan, you.

Of course you’re guaranteed some live sports channels with any TV provider, but our suggestions aren’t just for any sports fans, they’re for the avid sports fans—those who want the major league channels and as many sports channels as possible for a fair price.

We saved you time and energy so you can put it toward the TV when your team is on. So let’s kick off with the details.

fuboTV gives you about 50 sports channels with the Elite package for $85 per month. And if you’re looking for the most sports channels possible, look no further because no other TV provider will give you that many sports channels.

Want to watch football? You got it. Do you like college sports? You can choose between nine channels. Is soccer your favorite sport? fuboTV has got you covered.

If you'd like to save some money, fuboTV's Pro plan at $75/month gives you 35 sports channels in its 120-channel lineup, but you won't have access to NBA TV, MLB Network, or Zona Fútbol.

The massive list of sports channels you’ll get on your TV with Elite are the following:

It's no surprise that fuboTV made our number one spot for the best sports packages because it was also awarded the number one position in our best sports streaming services list.

If you want to add on even more sports channels, get fuboTV’s Sports Plus add-on ($11/month). Yes, you’re going to see some channels you’ll already get with the Elite package, but you’ll get about 10 additional channels to make your grand total of over 60 sports channels.

If that’s not a sports enthusiast’s biggest dream, I don’t know what is. (Well, other than attending a huge game and watching your #1 team win in a close one.)

With fuboTV’s Sports Plus add-on, you can stream the following channels:

fuboTV probably has every national sports channel you’ll ever need. But fuboTV doesn’t have every regional or niche sports channel, if we want to be picky.

Although fuboTV does have the most niche sports channels out of any TV service, we should probably mention you’re not going to find these somewhat popular channels:

If you want to learn more about fuboTV's DVR and the other channels fuboTV offers that the whole family can enjoy, check out our fuboTV review.

View Plans | Read Full fuboTV Review

DISH’s America’s Top 200 has the second-highest number of sports channels you can get, so DISH is going to be the best traditional TV option for you devoted sports fans.

If you'd like all of the sports channels and movie channels, like STARZ Encore Action or FX Movie Channel, then you might consider the America's Top 250 plan for $10 more.

But if you're looking for the best deal for 240 channels—including all of the college sports channels—America's Top 200 will be sufficient.

With America’s Top 200 and 250, you get the following 33 sports channels straight to your TV:

DISH’s Multi-Sport Pack comes with channels for football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and outdoor sports.

DISH also has a Multi-Sport Pack that includes over 20 sports channels. But it’s only worth it if you end up getting a lower-tier package, like America’s Top 120 for $70/month (which, if you get this plan and the sports pack, is also another solid option).

DISH’s Multi-Sports Pack ($13/month) includes these sports channels:

Are you a big fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers or the England cricket team? Do you need to keep track of the horse you put $1,000 on? Then why not add more sports channels?

With DISH, you can add on more specialty channels to catch more events than you would with local channels:

• MLB Extra Innings: Get access to 100 weekly out-of-market regular-season MLB games.
• NBA League Pass: Watch 40 live NBA TV games per week.
• NHL Center Ice: Get access to 40 out-of-market hockey game per week.
• Fox Soccer Plus: Don't miss a soccer or rugby game from UEFA Champions League, Scottish Premier League, and Rugby Union.
• Outdoors Package: Watch hunting and fishing all day long with this package.
• Willow Cricket: Get 24/7 cricket coverage.
• Racetrack Television Network: You'll get 80 live feeds of thoroughbred horse racing with RTN.

DISH has quite a lot of sports channels, and most are popular ones. But compared to fuboTV (the service with the most sports channels in the industry), DISH doesn't have the Golf Channel, Stadium, or TVG.

If you absolutely need to watch the PGA Championship or if you're into playing the horses, fuboTV is your best bet (no pun intended).

If you want to find more information about DISH's fees, bundles, and equipment, check out our DISH Network review.

View Plans | Read Full DISH Network Review

YouTube TV is one of our favorite live TV streaming services, and while it used to fall a little bit behind the back when it comes to sports, YouTube TV recently announced they'll be offering NFL Sunday Ticket starting in 2023. YouTube TV is an excellent option for some, especially for sports fans trying to save money.

You can choose to add NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone to your YouTube TV subscription or even choose NFL services alone without a YouTube TV subscription.

YouTube TV has channels that you won't see in other lineups on our list, depending on where you live. You could get your regional football club channel (i.e., LAFC), MLB Game of the Week, and SportsNet New York.

You could get up to 17 sports channels with YouTube TV, including the following:

For $11 per month, you can get 14 extra sports channels to stream on your smartphone, smart TV, or tablet.

Just like YouTube TV's channel lineup, you'll find channels in YouTube TV's Sports Plus add-on that you won't find with any other TV provider. Literally.

So if you're into sports betting, or you're a pool or poker player, this is your sports pack.

The 14 sports channels you’ll get with YouTube TV’s Sports Plus add-on are the following:

To make YouTube TV even more complete, we'd like to see the NHL Network, an international soccer channel like Zona Fútbol, and the PAC-12 Network.

But honestly, for $73 per month with 20 out of 85 channels being sports channels—yeah, that's a solid deal.

Check out our YouTube TV review to learn more about the unlimited DVR storage space you'll get and the other family-friendly channels YouTube TV offers.

View Plan | Read Full YouTube TV Review

DIRECTV’s CHOICE package gives you over 20 sports channels, which include a good variety of channels for professional sports, college sports, and traditional sports networks, like NFL Network and ESPN.

If you upgrade to the ULTIMATE package for $20 more, you’ll all CHOICE sports channels as well as CBS Sports Network, NHL Network, and FS2. 

And for $50 more, the PREMIER package will give you ESPN College Extra, Next Level Sports, and the Outdoor Channel. But for an extra $45 per month? No, thank you. (Unless you'd like all of the premium channels in your lineup.)

Here are the sports channels you’ll get with DIRECTV:

Since DIRECTV only has 25 sports channels, there are quite a few channels missing from their lineup. Although DIRECTV is perfect for NFL fans, it’s not the best for college football fans.

DIRECTV has Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and the SEC Network, but you won’t have access to Longhorn Network or the PAC-12 Network, for example.

You’ll want to know more about DIRECTV’s second-year price hikes, so make sure you check out our detailed DIRECTV review.

View Plans | Read Full DIRECTV Review

Xfinity TV is our favorite cable TV provider, and it rings even more true when you realize you could get up to 23 sports channels in your Xfinity TV package.

Just like DISH and DIRECTV, you'll have to sign a contract with Xfinity TV. Your monthly price will go from $68 in year one to $88 in year two, but the upside is the contract requires you to stay with Xfinity for only one year. (And $88 is still less expensive than most cable TV providers).

So if you don't like your service after one year, cancel. If you do, $88/month is still a great deal for 185 channels.

The Ultimate TV package have the following 23 sports channels:

So, Xfinity's website makes it confusing as to how many or which channels are in the Sports Entertainment add-on, so we asked a representative.

She said channels can vary by market, but the channels could include the following:

You'll get most of these channels in your lineup already,  but it's worth the $10 for the NFL RedZone Channel. 

This channel shows you all of the best Sunday moments in real time. It will jump to whichever team is inside the 20-yard line with a chance to score.

Xfinity TV, like the other TV providers on our list, has most of the popular sports channels we all love to sit back and watch.

We wouldn’t mind seeing more college sports channels, like Big Ten Network and Longhorn Network. Maybe someday.

If you want to know more about Xfinity’s fees, bundles, and the X1 DVR, take a look at our Xfinity TV review.

View Plans | Read Full Xfinity TV Review

After evaluating all of the packages in the TV world, we found the top five best sports packages you can enjoy with the family or your friends.

• fuboTV: If you want the most sports channels you can possibly get (50 to be exact) and you’re looking for a live TV streaming service, fuboTV’s Elite plan ($84.99/month) is your number one pick.
• DISH: If you want to watch your alma mater on your big screen TV, trade whatever you have for DISH’s America’s Top 200 plan ($94.99/month). DISH will give you (inhales big breath) ACCN, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network.
• YouTube TV: Save money for those 2030 Super Bowl tickets and get up to 20 sports channels with YouTube TV ($72.99/month). You'll still get all of your major sports channels and an unlimited DVR storage space to record all the games. And to sweeten the deal, YouTube TV will be offering NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone this fall.
• DIRECTV: DIRECTV is a great choice for more casual sports fans (we're sad to see NFL Sunday Ticket go). With DIRECTV's ULTIMATE plan ($109.99/month), you'll get 19 sports channels, including NFL Network, MLB Network, and NHL Network. 
• Xfinity TV: As the best cable option, you can get up to 23 sports channels with Xfinity TV. We recommend the Ultimate TV package if you want to get as many sports channels as Xfinity offers.

Now that you know which service you want, throw on your jersey, grab a bowl of popcorn and soda, and sit in the comfort of your living room while watching your favorite team dominate in front of your eyes (in some cases, that last part could be wishful thinking).