I’ll be streaming the heart-pounding Preakness Stakes live from Pimlico. By accessing the middle jewel of the Triple Crown through streaming, instead of cable, I’m getting flexibility and saving money. I’m ready to saddle up for an exhilarating viewing experience.
In a hurry? Watch the 148th Running of the Preakness Stakes live on NBC or Peacock. The race is scheduled for Saturday, May 17 at . Sign up for any one of these and you’ll be off to the races:
- 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
The Preakness Stakes is run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Pimlico was built in 1870, making it one of the oldest racetracks in the US.
The Preakness was started in 1873 as a feature race for the new track, two years before the Kentucky Derby was first run at Churchill Downs in 1875 and six years after the inception of the Belmont Stakes in New York. It was named for the colt who won the first Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico.
The Preakness is also called the “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans,” Maryland’s state flower. The race is currently 1 3/16 miles or 9.5 furlongs. In the past, it’s been as short as one mile and as long as 1 1/2 miles. It’s open to three-year-old thoroughbreds, both colts and fillies.
Preakness Stakes Channels
Even though the race itself is less than two minutes, live coverage of Preakness 148 starts at and goes until on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Post-time for the actual Preakness Stakes is . Don’t forget and tune in late or you’ll have missed the whole thing — it’s over quick.
Stream the Preakness Stakes Live Without Cable
NBC is owned by NBCUniversal, along with USA, Syfy, Bravo, E!, and CNBC. Often these TV channels are all included in the base plans, but each streaming service is different.
Fubo (previously FuboTV)
Fubo is a sports-first streaming service with 150+ channels for $79.99/month, including NBC, USA, and Fanduel, a channel that features a lot of horse racing. All plans come with 1000 of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 10 screens at home and two away.
Fubo may be sports-first, but offers one of the best prices-per-channel around. It’s a great choice for any cord-cutter who wants a really large selection of channels, especially fans of international sports.
There are no contracts, so you can cancel or change your service whenever you want. Fubo also offers a free trial to new subscribers. You can find more details in our full Fubo review.
Sling TV
Sling TV carries NBC in select markets throughout the US. If you’re in one of them, you’re all set with Sling Blue for $40.00/month. You can take a look at our guide to local channels on Sling TV for a list of media markets where NBC is available.
If you’re not in one of the NBC markets, you could still watch all the Triple Crown races completely free with an HD antenna. Sling TV has a deal where they’ll give you a free antenna, just for signing up and prepaying two months’ service.
They also have deep discounts for other devices optimized for antennas and Sling TV. These devices integrate your OTA networks (NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, etc.) with your pay channels in your Sling TV interface. The top models allow you to DVR programs from the networks.
Sling TV is the only streaming service to have this kind of offer for antennas. You can find more info on Sling’s antenna deals and devices on our guide to local channels on Sling TV.
If you’re interested in the afternoon pre-race coverage on CNBC, you can get it on Sling TV, but you’ll need the Blue News Extra add-on for $6/mo additional.
Check all the details on Sling TV in our full review. Or you can read over our guides for watching the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes with Sling TV.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is the most similar to a traditional cable plan, with four tiers of service starting at $86.99/month. All the networks and CNBC are included in the lowest-priced tier, but FanDuel is on the next-up, the Choice package, for $114.99/month.
The Choice plan is also home to the largest collection of RSNs around, if you follow MLB, NBA, NHL, or MLS.
All DIRECTV STREAM plans include unlimited cloud DVR storage with streaming on unlimited devices at home and away.
More information can be found in our full DIRECTV STREAM review.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu Live is a great combination of Hulu’s own epic on-demand library and a great selection of pay channels. It doesn’t hurt that they throw in ESPN+ and Disney+ included in the price, along with 95+ channels for $82.99/month.
NBC and other local networks and CNBC are in the base plan, but FanDuel is in the Sports Add-on for $9.99/mo.
With Hulu + Live TV, there is always something to watch. Read over our full review for the whole story.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV delivers a similar experience to Hulu Live, but without the Disney+ and ESPN+ treatment. It has roughly the same number of channels, includes NBC and CNBC in its base plan, and relegates FanDuel to an add-on. You can check out our full YouTube TV review for more information.
Stream the Preakness Stakes Live on Peacock
But maybe you’re not in the market for a huge honkin’ cable replacement service (with the accompanying huge honkin’ bill). If you’re not particularly interested in live channels, Peacock can help you avoid missing out on the live sports.
NBCUniversal’s streaming service has all things NBC, plus Universal movies. It also has most of the sports NBC airs, and then some. For instance, it’s also the new exclusive home to most WWE events, the majority of English Premier League soccer matches, and much more. All for $7.99/month, after a 7-day free trial.
If you have a subscription to any service that carries NBC’s live sports (either the channel or Peacock), you can also watch with the NBC Sports App or on nbcsports.com. Note that Peacock is not quite like Paramount+ and CBS — it doesn’t feature a live stream of NBC, just sports and other live events.
More details are in our full Peacock review. (Black Friday details)
2025 Preakness Stakes Contenders
The prestigious Preakness Stakes, boasting a purse of $1.5 million and classified as Grade I, will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the renowned racetrack.
Details about the competing horses will be provided as the event approaches.
Wrapping Up
If all else fails, you can always fall back on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, but all the big streaming players carry NBC. Check out details above and choose a service that’s right for you.
Our top pick for watching the Preakness Stakes live here at HotDog is Fubo. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
FAQ
What happened at the 2024 Preakness Stakes?
In the 149th Preakness Stakes on May 18, 2024, Seize the Grey, a sixth-ranked horse, clinched victory, earning $21.60 for win, $8.40 for place, and $4.40 for show. This win marked Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’s seventh Preakness win. Despite the muddy track and competition from Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan, Seize the Grey triumphed in the $2 million race.
What’s the deal with the weather vane?
When Pimlico Race Course opened in 1870, its Members’ Clubhouse featured a cupola with a weather vane topped by a racehorse and jockey. In 1909, the jockey and horse were painted in the winning Preakness colors. After the original clubhouse burned down in 1966, a replica cupola was constructed for the winners’ circle, and this tradition continues today.
What is Preakness Live?
For decades, Pimlico’s infield on Preakness Day was known for its beer-fueled party atmosphere, leading to large crowds and some notorious antics. After canceling the BYOB policy in 2009, attendance fell from over 100,000 to under 78,000. In 2010, the Maryland Jockey Club introduced Infieldfest with live music and a bottomless beer mug. In 2021, it evolved into Preakness Live, featuring artists like Bruno Mars, SOFI TUKKER, Martin 2 Smoove, and DJ Chantel Jeffries.
Are real black-eyed Susans used?
Real black-eyed Susans don’t bloom until late June or July and have never been available for the May race. Previously, yellow daisies with centers painted black were used, but that hasn’t been the case for at least twenty years. Instead, viking poms, which are members of the chrysanthemum family, are used.
They are all real flowers, hand-sewed onto a backing and kept moistened and refrigerated until the race.
Featured photo: Exterior of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on the day of the 2022 Preakness Stakes / by Maryland GovPics under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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Her expertise stems from being an early adopter of various entertainment technologies, from mail-order Netflix to modern streaming platforms. Alanna's in-depth knowledge of Sling TV's modular service and her ability to cover diverse streaming content make her a key expert in navigating the complex landscape of modern streaming options, especially in sports and entertainment.
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