I rely on ESPNews (sometimes mistakenly written as “ESPN News,” despite being pronounced that way) to stay up-to-date on the latest sports news. While the channel has evolved from its original format, it still offers plenty of live sports coverage. Best of all, I can watch it without a cable subscription.
In a hurry? ESPNews is offered by almost all live TV streaming services. These are our top picks:
- Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save $25 on Sling TV now.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
A part of the ESPN family of networks since 1996, ESPNews has been the place for sports fans to get the latest updates on important sports stories ever since. Although its role has changed greatly throughout the past decade, it is still an important asset that ESPN uses to deliver quality sports coverage.
Let’s take a closer look at this channel’s history, what it is typically used for today, and how you can watch ESPNews without the need for a cable subscription.
About ESPNews
In 1979, ESPN was launched as a regional sports network in Connecticut. However, during the 1980s, the network quickly expanded and became a national broadcast outlet that featured a variety of amateur and professional sporting events.
ABC took control of the parent company, ESPN Inc, in 1984. This made it part of The Walt Disney Company when ABC was acquired in 1995.
The network is widely credited for elevating the Big East conference to national powerhouse status, and it is also credited for turning the NFL Draft into the spectacle that it is today.
ESPNews Early Years
In 1996, ESPNews was made available to the viewing public as a premium cable channel. As of February 2022, this channel is still typically included as an add-on to base cable channels. Depending on the streaming platform that you use, it may also only be available as an add-on or as part of a more expensive base package.
For the first decade of its existence, ESPNews served as the CNN of professional sports. It was dedicated to providing in-depth coverage of breaking news stories as well as other content from a journalistic perspective. If a major story broke after SportsCenter aired in the morning, coverage of that story would typically be simulcast on both ESPNews and ESPN.
Recent ESPNews History
However, as the cable sports landscape shifted, ESPNews began to offer much of the same content that could be seen on ESPN or ESPN2. In recent years, morning television and ESPN radio shows have been simulcast or replayed on the channel in an effort to showcase them to a larger audience. Although the channel still provides coverage of breaking news stories, it tends to play a secondary role to coverage provided independently by ESPN and ESPN2.
In addition to airing replays of morning shows, ESPNews serves as a relief valve when programming conflicts arise. For instance, if a game goes long on ESPN or ESPN2, especially major playoffs, this channel may broadcast whatever was supposed to be shown on that other channel.
Recent ESPNews Content
In recent years, ESPNews has served as a hub for college football fans. The network will offer live reporting of important games that are going on around the country each Saturday during the football season.
It also features a lot of boxing and mixed martial arts coverage from the UFC. Other sports include auto racing and soccer. World of X Games is also featured on ESPNews.
Most times ESPN is the the broadcaster for a major event, ESPNews will feature some of the content. For example, since ESPN is home of the major tennis tournament the US Open, ESPNews will also feature matches.
ESPNews is also a good place to go for less-popular sports: axe throwing, chase tag, climbing, cornhole, karate, little league baseball and softball (Sling Guide), polo, skateboarding, spikeball, teqball, and weightlifting. There is even coverage of cheer leading and dog shows.
Note that blackout restrictions can apply to ESPNews but this is extremely rare due to the sports and leagues it covers.
Shows on ESPNews
There are also studio shows featuring insight from analysts, game highlights, and other content. But pretty much none of it is exclusive to ESPNews:
- Around the Horn: Roundtable discussion of sports topics hosted by Tony Reali.
- College Football Live: Wendi Nix hosts news and commentary about college football.
- Daily Wager: Daily sports betting show.
- E:60: ESPN’s award-winning sports magazine show.
- First Take: Stephen A Smith and Molly Qerim host this afternoon sports talk show.
- Get Up: Mike Greenberg discusses sports in this morning show.
- Jalen & Jacoby: Talk show about sports and pop culture with Jalen Rose and David Jacoby.
- Keyshawn, JWill and Max: Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams, and Zubin Mehenti present the sports news for the day.
- Max on Boxing: Max Kellerman discusses boxing and other combat sports.
- NBA Today: NBA-related sports talk hosted by Malika Andrews.
- Pardon the Interruption: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discuss and debate the day’s sports news.
- SportsCenter: ESPN’s flagship daily news program.
- This Just In: Max Kellerman discusses under-reported sports stories.
Historic games and documentaries are also broadcast on a regular basis on ESPNews. For example, you may be able to watch replays of shows such as 30 for 30. This show takes a deep look at famous athletes, famous plays, or other important stories that may not have gotten the attention that they deserve from other sources.
Streaming ESPNews
Philo is the only major live TV streaming service that does not offer ESPNews. All of the following services have non-sports premiums like HBO Max and Showtime available as add-ons so there’s something for everyone.
Fubo TV
The base FuboTV Pro plan is a 130+ channel package for $79.99/month. This includes over 35 sports channels like ESPN and ESPN2 but not ESPNews. To get ESPNews, you need to upgrade. The cheapest way to do this is with the Fubo Extra add-on for an extra $7.99/mo, which comes with 46 additional channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
All plans include channel lineups with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports in addition to all your local channels.
All FuboTV plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and simultaneous streaming on up to 10 devices. (FuboTV review)
DIRECTV STREAM
ESPNews is available through the DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) Choice package, which starts at $108.99/month. This package includes roughly 100 channels including the best selection of regional sports networks (RSNs) in the industry. These are the channels you need to watch your local MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS teams. New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.
If you purchase online, all plans include unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on unlimited devices in your home. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
Sling TV
The Sling Orange package is $40.00/month and comes with ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. The Sling Orange Sports Extra package is $11 per month and comes with many ESPN networks: ESPNews, ESPNU, ACC Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network. It also includes MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL Network. Save $25 on your first month of Sling TV.
You can also get Fox and NBC channels if you upgrade to the Orange & Blue plan. This raises the price to $55.00/month and the Sports Extra add-on is $15. But this does give you an impressive selection of 70 channels for $70/mo.
This package restricts you to streaming on one device but you do get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. (Sling TV review)
Hulu + Live TV
We think Hulu + Live TV is the best general streaming deal around. For $76.99/month, you’ll get access to both 85+ channels that allow you to stream ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network, and SEC Network. It also includes an outstanding library of on-demand content, Disney+, and ESPN+.
Get Hulu + Live TV for $59.99 Monthly
The plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 months of storage) and streaming on up to two devices at once. (Hulu + Live TV review)
YouTube TV
Along with ESPNews, YouTube TV offers ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU as part of its $72.99/month base package. In all, you get 100+ live TV channels, unlimited DVR storage, and streaming on up to three devices.
Devices to Live Stream ESPNews
All of the services above support these streaming devices:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android mobile
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS (iPhone,iPad)
- Roku
- Web browsers.
They all the services support Android TV devices (except DIRECTV STREAM) and Samsung smart TVs. They also all support LG and VIZIO smart TVs and Xbox One systems (except DIRECTV STREAM). Only Hulu and YouTube TV support recent PlayStation models.
See our streaming service reviews for complete lists.
Wrapping Up
Although ESPNews isn’t just a news outlet anymore, it does have a mix of quality live content as well as historic games and documentaries available on-demand. It is available on most major live TV streaming platforms, but we recommend Hulu + Live TV.
FAQs
Can I watch ESPNews for free?
In general, there is no legal way to watch ESPNews for free. You can do so temporarily with a free trial from FuboTV or DIRECTV STREAM. Otherwise, you are out of luck. You will occasionally come upon illegal free streams but these open you up to viruses, spam, and even legal action.
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My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.
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