Stadium College Sports: Do College Sports Fans Need This Online TV Channel?

I’m often asked about Stadium College Sports channels and want to clear up any confusion. The name is indeed confusing since it’s similar to Stadium, the general sports network. Let me explain what you need to know.

In a hurry? The truth is, you probably don’t want Stadium College Sports. If you do, you can get it directly with YouTube TV. But Stadium College Sports has no original programming. Most of what it airs can be found elsewhere for free. These services might appeal to you, however:

• DIRECTV STREAM: A great source for Bally Sports, which provides much of the Stadium College Sports content. New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.
• Sling TV: For only $40.00/month, Sling TV is great for sports and gives you access to several sports channels. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

Stadium College Sports is actually three sports-focused channels: Stadium College Sports Atlantic, Stadium College Sports Central, and Stadium College Sports Pacific. Although its programming used to be much more extensive than it is today, including showing numerous sports events played by Power Five schools, it does still provide a number of live college sports games.

However, those who decide to get it without cable or satellite only have one option: YouTube TV. To secure streaming access to the three Stadium College Sports channels, you need to purchase the base plan for $82.99/month and its Sports Plus add-on for an additional $10.99/mo.

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Do You Need Stadium College Sports?

Generally, you do not need Stadium College Sports. The college sports programming that it offers is essentially a skeleton of what it used to be. It appears that the majority of live sports events that it does show can be watched for free through the digital-only Mountain West Network and WCC Network.

For example, a list of Stadium College Sports-broadcast men’s basketball games in December 2021 included Fresno State at San Francisco (Dec 8), New Mexico State at Loyola Marymount (Dec 11), UTEP at New Mexico (Dec 12), and UC Santa Barbara at Pacific (Dec 14), all games hosted by Mountain West and WCC schools and streamed on those digital-only networks.

However, Stadium College Sports also borrows from Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs). That tends to simply result in a significant number of Oklahoma Sooners sports events being shown on its three channels. Still, that is a notable plus for Stadium College Sports. For example, the UTA-Oklahoma men’s game on Dec 19 was broadcast live on both Bally Sports Oklahoma and Stadium College Sports.

Stadium College Sports Is Not Stadium

Stadium College Sports and Stadium are different entities although they are owned by the same company, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Stadium tends to have a more impressive selection of live events. For example, in the first few weeks of the 2021 college football season, the following games were on Stadium: Eastern Washington at UNLV (Sep 2), Lafayette at Air Force (Sep 4), New Mexico State at New Mexico (Sep 11), and Idaho State at Nevada (Sep 11). However, those games were also freely streamed on the Mountain West Network.

If you want to get access to Stadium, you can do so through YouTube TV’s Sports Plus add-on, the same one that will get you Stadium College Sports, or by getting Sling TV ($40.00/month) or FuboTV ($79.99/month). Note that only FuboTV offers the four subchannels (but they aren’t used much).

What Is the Difference Between Atlantic, Central, and Pacific?

In the past, when Stadium College Sports had much more substantial offerings, the events that were shown were distributed to its three channels in a geographically logical sense:

• Eastern US: Stadium College Sports Atlantic
• Central US: Stadium College Sports Central
• Western US: Stadium College Sports Pacific.

For example, a Pac-12 game would generally air on its Pacific channel and not its Atlantic one.

However, times have changed, and this is no longer the case. Just like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments have used geographic names for its regions that had little bearing on which teams played in them, it is now the same for the Stadium College Sports channels.

History of Stadium College Sports

Stadium College Sports was launched in 2001, then being called Fox Sports Digital Networks. Its initial focus was providing access to out-of-market sports events, usually college sports games, that were shown on regional sports networks. That focus soon narrowed more specifically to college sports and, to a lesser degree, high school sports. This resulted in a new moniker of Fox College Sports being adopted in 2004.

In 2021, the channels took on their Stadium College Sports names. This occurred three months after Fox Sports regional sports networks across the country were renamed as Bally Sports ones (eg, Fox Sports Detroit became Bally Sports Detroit). This move was the result of Sinclair Broadcast Group having recently purchased them.

With Sinclair owning Stadium College Sports, Stadium, and the Bally Sports regional sports networks, programming from the latter two groups of channels is often shown on Stadium College Sports as well.

Stream Stadium College Sports

If you are looking to stream the three Stadium College Sports channels, there is only one route that you can take.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV offers the Stadium College Sports channels but only to those who purchase both its base plan ($82.99/month) and its Sports Plus add-on ($10.99/mo) for a total of $75.98/mo.

College sports fans should also note that YouTube TV offers plenty of college sports programming on its other channels. Included in its base plan are the ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. The Sports Plus add-on will also garner you access to Stadium.

Alternatives to Stadium College Sports

Although YouTube TV is the only way to get the Stadium College Sports channels as such, there are many other ways to get the content — some even free.

The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I National Lacrosse Tournaments are going on through May 29 — watch with Sling TV for less.

Mountain West Network and WCC Network

The most obvious alternatives to the Stadium College Sports channels are the Mountain West Network and WCC Network.

These are not channels in the conventional sense as they are digital-only entities. But they offer a tremendous selection of sports events hosted by schools in those conferences, including many games simulcast on Stadium College Sports.

Stadium

Stadium broadcasts a selection of college sports events but has much more varied sports programming than Stadium College Sports. You can get it with any of these streaming services:

• FuboTV: Although it costs $77.98/mo (Pro plus Fubo Extra), you get over 110 channels including the main league channels NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial. You’ll find all the details in our FuboTV review.
• Sling TV: Get 40+ channels with Sling Blue (including NBC, Fox, FS1, and NFL Network) or 30+ channels with Sling Orange (including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3). Both plans are $40.00/month each or $55.00/month for the pair. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV. See our Sling TV review for more information.

Bally Sports

The Bally Sports regional sports networks provide a notable selection of college sports programming. One significant example is Bally Sports Oklahoma, which broadcasts a tremendous variety of Oklahoma Sooners sports events, including several OU men’s basketball games.

There’s only one way to get Bally Sports: DIRECTV STREAM. It is the RSN king. For more information, see our DIRECTV STREAM review.

ESPN+

Depending on which college is your favorite, ESPN+ ($10.99/month) may be a perfect option for you. Notably, if you are a fan of a Big 12 team that is not Oklahoma or Texas, you will enjoy a significant number of your school’s teams’ games through that subscription. You’ll find more information in our ESPN+ review.

Paramount+

Paramount+ ($4.99/mo) provides access to some college sports events, most notably CBS-broadcast NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games and other college sports contests that are also being broadcast on that network television outlet. See our Paramount+ review for more.

Streaming Devices to Watch Stadium College Sports

YouTube TV allows you to stream on most devices and TVs on the market:

The alternative streaming services offer similar support.

Summing Up

You will probably not have a need for Stadium College Sports as you can generally watch its live sports events elsewhere for free. There are good reasons to sign up with YouTube TV for $75.98/mo, but Stadium College Sports is not one of them.

The one exception is if you are a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners as OU games are regularly shown on Stadium College Sports. However, if you are a fan, you will likely want to instead focus your efforts on securing access to Bally Sports Oklahoma. DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice plan ($114.99/month) is your lone streaming option for it.

FAQs

Is Stadium College Sports the same as Stadium?

It is easy to get Stadium College Sports and Stadium confused and think that they are the same entity, but they are not. The main difference is that Stadium tends to show more prestigious sports events, such as football games hosted by Mountain West Conference schools. However, like with many Stadium College Sports live broadcasts, those contests are usually freely available elsewhere as well.

What is the cheapest way to get Stadium College Sports?

The cheapest way to get Stadium College Sports is through YouTube TV, getting its base plan ($82.99/month) and its Sports Plus add-on ($10.99/mo) for a total of $75.98/mo. With that said, you could instead watch its Mountain West and West Coast Conference matchups for free by instead navigating to the Mountain West Network or WCC Network. However, its other game broadcasts, most notably Oklahoma games, are more affordably available elsewhere.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

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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