I consider ESPNU an essential channel for following college sports. Having direct access to this channel alongside other ESPN networks gives me comprehensive coverage of collegiate athletics. The ability to stream it without traditional cable or satellite service has made staying connected to college sports even more convenient.
In a hurry? These services will give you ESPNU and plenty of other coverage of college sports:
- 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 50% 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
Although most highly anticipated college sports events are shown on ESPN, ESPN2, and over-the-air networks, plenty of top contests will be broadcast by ESPNU as well, including games played by Power Five football teams.
With that said, you are most likely here because you want to know if you can watch ESPNU without a cable or satellite subscription. The good news is that you can. In fact, most cable-replacement streaming services offer ESPNU, and many of them do so through their base packages.
How to Watch ESPNU Without Cable
What likely interests you about ESPNU is its extensive coverage of college sports. It was in fact created with that in mind; that is why it has a “U” in its name, for “university.”
However, ESPNU also broadcasts several non-college sports events, particularly during the summer months. Examples include International Champions Cup matches, the UEFA Nations League, Pan American Games coverage, and NBA G League games.
ESPNU is a pay channel, meaning that it isn’t broadcast over the air. You must get it from a third-party — cable, satellite, or more commonly these days, streaming.
Streaming Services With ESPNU
The following information will help you determine which live TV streaming service to subscribe to in order to start watching ESPNU and several other channels, sports-related and otherwise.
FuboTV
FuboTV offers ESPNU, but you need to combine its 110+ channel Pro package ($79.99/month) with an add-on.
The lowest-priced one that offers ESPNU is Fubo Extra ($7.99/mo), which results in a total monthly payment of $77.98 for 150+ channels. Or you could get its Sports Lite add-on ($9.99/mo) or the Sports Plus + NFL RedZone add-on ($10.99/mo).
But there’s a lot to consider with these add-ons.
For example, Fubo Extra includes the Pac-12 Network, but Sports Lite does not. Meanwhile, Sports Plus is the only add-on to provide access to all of the Pac-12 Network regional affiliates: Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Bay Area, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Mountain, Pac-12 Oregon, and Pac-12 Washington.
There are also plenty of non-sports channels, like Discovery, AMC, and USA. Get the full story in our thorough FuboTV review.
Sling TV
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Those looking to watch ESPNU through a Sling TV subscription will need to opt for both its Orange plan ($40.00/month) and combine that with its Sports Extra add-on ($11/mo). This gives you a total of 45+ channels.
Already included with Sling Orange, without any add-ons, are ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT, the latter two channels of utmost importance to those wanting to enjoy March Madness games.
Meanwhile, the Sports Extra add-on provides several other channels in addition to ESPNU that focus on college sports: ACC Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network. General sports fans will also appreciate Sports Extra’s beIN Sports, MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network.
See our Sling TV review for more details.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) offers four plans: Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate, and Premier. Although you can get ESPN, ESPN2, and Fox Sports 1 (FS1) through its Entertainment plan, you do not get ESPNU with that.
You will need to subscribe to at least its Choice plan ($114.99/month) for ESPNU access. In doing so, you will also receive the ACC Network, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network as well as its great selection of regional sports networks (RSNs).
If you want to make the $10 jump up to its Ultimate plan ($129.99/month), you will also get college sports and general sports events that are shown on CBS Sports Network and FS2.
All these plans typically provide introductory offers for free premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime.
Our DIRECTV STREAM review provides more information.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV offers ESPNU with its base package for $82.99/month. It also provides ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, and ESPN College Extra in addition to the ESPN NCAA channels ACC Network and SEC Network. Additionally, it includes FS1, FS2, CBS Sports Network, and Big Ten Network. And it provides ESPN+. And Disney+.
You also get Hulu’s industry-leading on-demand library, as well as a bunch of other non-sports, live TV channels (such as TBS, Bravo, and Discovery). You can stream on up to 2 devices at once and record unlimited(9 months storage) on the included cloud DVR.
Learn more in our Hulu + Live TV review.
Other Ways to Get ESPNU
Options to get ESPNU other than those listed above are limited. You can stream its programming through the ESPN app (which used to be called WatchESPN but is just ESPN now), but you need to subscribe to a service that offers ESPNU in order to access those streams.
Note that ESPN+ ($10.99/month) does not offer any ESPNU programming. However, it does provide subscribers with a tremendous amount of college sports programming of its own. This is a particularly useful resource if you are looking for coverage of mid-majors although it does offer more prestigious events, such as live games played by Power Five football teams.
Another option is YouTube TV ($82.99/month), which offers the ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network, CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. You can also get Stadium College Sports with its Sports Plus add-on ($10.99/mo).
Streaming Devices for ESPNU
Regardless of what streaming devices and smart TVs you may own, you should have little trouble watching ESPNU.
TVs and TV Devices
All the streaming services support recent model Samsung smart TVs. Hulu, FuboTV, and Sling TV also support Vizio and LG smart TVs. And all the services but DIRECTV STREAM support Android TV-based devices.
All of the services support these devices:
- Amazon Fire TV: Plugs into the TV’s HDMI jack and runs apps.
- Apple TV: The same as the Fire TV but from Apple.
- Roku: Early innovator of devices that run apps.
Mobile Streaming Devices
All the services support these smartphones and tablets:
- Android Phones: Recent model Android-powered devices.
- iOS devices: iPhones, iPads, and even some iPods.
Any device with a web browser can display ESPNU. You can potentially connect such devices directly to your TV as well.
Chromecast allows you to stream from your mobile device (and Chrome web browsers) to your TV. This is an increasingly popular way to watch.
Gaming Consules and VR
Gaming consoles are a popular way to live stream. FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV all support the Xbox One. Hulu also supports the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. And Sling TV supports the Oculus.
Wrapping Up
Fortunately, ESPNU, a must-have for college sports fans, is one of the easier channels to get through streaming services. It may not be quite as easy to access as ESPN and ESPN2 are, but it is not far off. In fact, it is even in some streaming services’ base plans.
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to stream ESPNU?
The cheapest way to access ESPNU is by subscribing to Sling TV’s Orange plan ($40.00/month) and getting its Sports Extra add-on ($11/mo). Although some other streaming services offer ESPNU through their base plans, the pricing on those base plans is more than the combined $46 cost to get ESPNU through Sling TV.
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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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