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Do you love sports? The trials and tribulations of a sports fan don’t end with just your favorite team not making it to the finals or losing to their all-time rival, they also extend to the absolute pain you feel when you cannot live stream your favorite event.
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Did I mention the fact that we also face the ever-growing struggle of our favorite sports not being broadcasted on the streaming services and channels available to us in our geographical location?
If you can relate, we have some good news for you.
There is one underrated streaming service that can help you catch all your favorite sporting events all in one place.
We’re talking about ESPN and ESPN+. These streaming platforms can help you watch exciting programs including exclusive UFC events (UFC events, in general, are hard to find on streaming services due to the sport’s gory nature), hundreds of MLB and NHL games, and college sports (yes, college football too).
This is God sent in an age where cable TV has been completely phased out, and where ESPN and ESPN+ allow you to watch all of your favorite sports on one platform nonstop with no pesky ads. Additionally, it also has a library of sports that you would be hard-pressed to find on any other platform.
Although an amazing source to keep up with sports, it is only available in the US. To stream ESPN+ Canada or anywhere outside of the USA, you will need a VPN that offers US servers. ExpressVPN is a great option to get started.
ESPN versus ESPN+
ESPN and ESPN+ essentially function the same way with only a relatively significant difference, ESPN+ offers you the unmatched power to watch live broadcasts.
ESPN is a television channel that offers you the unique opportunity to watch shows and matches after they have been broadcasted, as well as offers all of ESPN’s amazing commentary shows with their professional commentators and sports analysts.
Both platforms have the same massive library that has the most major sports you can think of under the sun.
ESPN broadcasts MLB, NBA, and NHL games, including the popular NFL Monday Night Football, alongside NCAA college basketball and football.
Furthermore, it displays most-watched shows like ‘SportsCenter’ and ‘Pardon The Interruption’, which are currently not available on ESPN+. The best way to access ESPN is to subscribe to a cable service that streams it.
On the other hand, programs on ESPN+ include hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC matches, top-rank boxing, and PFL fights and events, and top domestic and international soccer (including out-of-market Major League Soccer).
Its NHL coverage is definitely unrivaled. Moreover, an ESPN Plus subscription will automatically remove the paywall on the ESPN website, which will give users access to all the available online articles and reporting. However, it does not display live NFL or NBA games despite its impressive vast original programming library.
ESPN does not simply show you what ESPN + shows you, which is why both platforms are independent of each other and why ESPN+ has its own library consisting of games, replays of original content, and more.
ESPN + updates you on what is coming next regarding the games and events, which ensures and enables you to not miss any kind of streaming.
Both ESPN and ESPN Plus content is readily available on the ESPN app, which is available on various streaming platforms, iOS, Android, and the ESPN website. Also you need a VPN to stream ESPN+ in GEO-Restricted regions.
How is the app like to use?
The ESPN app displays content for both the ESPN channel and for ESPN plus. Once you subscribe to both, you will need to sign in twice, as you will first sign in to your ESPN cable and then to the ESPN Plus account.
ESPN Plus will allow you to customize a list of your favorite teams which would enable the app to display scores, games, updates, and programming on the homepage. The app worked very similarly when I plugged into Roku (click to see our article on the Roku device here), Google TV, Apple TV, and iOS.
The app displays all the major leagues, which jumps to the current live games, replays, and shows like LaLiga Live. Content is also accessible sport by sport – if you click soccer, you can access all of the content related to soccer on ESPN and ESPN+ in one place. There is also a tab for Films Spotlight, which displays the 30 for 30 movies, exclusive to ESPN plus subscribers.
Conclusion
I really wish the app had a watch list, or a continue watching section, which would make its usability similar to platform giants like Netflix.
However, the experience of watching live sports was so pleasant, with the option of picking the home or away streaming feed. Current scores can also be hidden from you, if that is an option you prefer, to avoid any spoilers.
My favorite way to use the app is using iOS as it does the best job in my opinion of mixing news, articles, streaming, and videos in one space.
For all fans interested, you can get an ESPN+ subscription for $6.99 per month or enjoy 15% off with an ESPN+ Annual Plan at $69.99 per year. I would suggest that you purchase the bundle, which has ESPN+ with Disney+ and Hulu for $13.99 per month. It also allows you to cancel anytime you like.