So you’re looking for a way to watch the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network without cable? Previously, accessing MSG Network would be a problem for cord-cutters. None of the streaming services offered it. But there are now a couple of easy ways to watch MSG without cable TV.
Follow along and we’ll provide all the details you need.
In a hurry? If you just want to start streaming MSG and don’t care about the details, these two services will let you watch MSG without cable:
- Fubo: Get over 150 channels including a great selection of RSNs starting at $85.98/mo. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Sets you up with every regional channel in your area and 100+ others for $99.99/mo. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
MSG Network is short for Madison Square Gardens Network. It features sports that are featured at Madison Square Gardens and in the surrounding areas. These include the New York Knicks along with three NHL teams. In total, two of the teams are owned by MSG Entertainment (Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp).
The full name is MSG Networks Inc (MSGN). There are a lot of moving parts to the enterprise including the channels, some of the teams, and the arena itself. If you are a Knicks fan, or a fan of hockey in New York generally, you really need to get access to MSG Network.
MSG Network Channels
The network has two primary channels: MSG Network and MSG SportsNet (formerly MSG+). They also have two spill-over channels, MSG2 and MSG Sportsnet 2, for those times when more than two games are happening simultaneously or there is other content to broadcast. They also feature MSG Western New York.
In the past, you needed cable to get MSG, but it is now available to stream. You just need an internet connection, a supported TV or device, the right location, and the right live TV streaming service. Read on to find out which!
Streaming Services with MSG Network
Let’s take a closer look at the streaming services with the MSG network. Bear in mind, even if you do subscribe to these streaming services, MSG will only be available if you’re in its supported broadcast region that includes parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Fubo
| RSNs | MSG, MSG Sportsnet, SportsNet NY |
| Total Channels | 100+ |
| Cloud DVR | 1000 hours |
| Simultaneous Screens | 10 (home) and 2 (away) |
| Free Trial | ✅ |
| Fubo Price | $88.98/mo |
You can watch the MSG Network with Fubo’s (formerly FuboTV) online streaming service. The program is available with Fubo’s Pro plan, which costs (including RSN fee) $88.98/mo. Fubo has both the MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, so you can watch almost all of the tri-state area sports teams. You also get SportsNet NY, which is the RSN for the New York Mets.
Fubo is well known for its live sports channel lineup. It offers over 100 live TV channels in its base plan. Of these, over 35 are sports channels including all the big ones: CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, 9 beIN Sports, 4 Big Ten Network, 12 TUDN, NFL Network, Golf Channel, and more!
If this isn’t enough, Fubo offers a great selection of sports and non-sports add-ons and a large library of on-demand content.
If this has you interested, check out our thorough discussions of Fubo:
DIRECTV STREAM
| RSNs | MSG, MSG Sportsnet, SportsNet NY, YES Network |
| Total Channels | 90+ |
| Cloud DVR | Unlimited (online sign-up) |
| Simultaneous Screens | Unlimited (home) and 3 (away) |
| Free Trial | ✅ |
| DIRECTV STREAM Price | $74.99/mo |
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) offers MSG with its Choice plan and above. It costs $74.99/mo and comes with 100+ live TV channels. Although it is more expensive than Fubo, it also provides you with access to the YES Network and its coverage of the New York Yankees (MLB) and Brooklyn Nets (NBA).
The general sports coverage from DirecTV is also not as good as Fubo, but it covers the bases: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FS1, NBA TV, and more. Like Fubo, it also provides a full slate of local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. But it includes some that Fubo does not like TNT, TBS, and A&E.
Learn more about DIRECTV STREAM:
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
MSG+
On June 28th, 2023, MSG Network released MSG+ — it’s new streaming service. This replaced MSG GO, which was its TV Everywhere-based streaming platform.
MSG+ is a direct-to-consumer service that provides all the live MSG channels and related materials, which allow sports fans in the greater New York area to watch the local teams not covered by SportsNet New York and YES Network. But it is expensive: $29.99/mo or $309.99/yr ($25.83/mo). But this is probably a good deal for serious fans of any of its teams.
One great thing that MSG+ is offering is single-game PPV. You can watch any game for $9.99.
MSG+ works on a limited number of devices: Android and iOS mobile devices, Airplay, Chromecast, and web browsers. The company has promised support for “ranging from mobile and tablet to connected TVs and other large screen applications.” So we suspect this list should be expanded in the future.
Other than the PPV service, we think you are better off with over-the-top (OTT) services like Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM.
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TV and Mobile Devices for MSG Network
Most of the popular smart TVs and streaming devices are compatible with the services that have the MSG Network channel. If you can access the MSG Network from one of these streaming services, you can use most devices to watch it.
DirecTV supports the following:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android mobile devices
- Apple TV
- Chromecasts
- iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
- Roku
- Samsung smart TVs
- Web Browsers
- DirecTV device.
Fubo works with all of those devices except for the DirecTV device. It also works with:
- Android TV
- Hisense smart TVs
- LG smart TVs
- Xbox One.
What Is MSG Network
The Madison Square Garden Network, usually referred to as simply MSG Network or even MSG, is a regional sports network (RSN). It provides coverage of local professional and amateur sports for the local (greater New York area) audience.
Where Is MSG Network Available
Although MSG Network is based in New York City, it provides service to a large area including parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. In order to get MSG, you must live inside this coverage area. So people in, say, Florida cannot get MSG even it is available from their provider.
You can check to make sure by using your zip code, but this is roughly the coverage:
- New York: Entire state
- Connecticut: Western half of the state including Hartford
- Pennsylvania: Only the very northeastern tip of the state
- New Jersey: Nothern part of the state including Newark but not even as south as Princeton.
MSG Network Content
MSG Network offers a total of 4 channels, which air both professional and amateur sports.
Pro Sports
MSG is unusual in that it doesn’t cover baseball at all. But it makes up for that by covering a wide range of teams in other sports:
- New York Knicks (NBA)
- New Jersey Devils (NHL)
- New York Islanders (NHL)
- New York Rangers (NHL)
- Buffalo Sabres (NHL).
MSG provides pregame and postgame shows — most notably for Knicks and Rangers games.
Note that playoff games are not broadcast on MSG. These are reserved for national channels.
They also feature the New York Riptide professional box lacrosse team. And they feature content about (but no games of) the New York Giants.
Are you the kind of fan who just wants to know when and where to watch, and you’ll be there? Then our guide to when the Giants are playing next is just what you need.
Into the Jets too? We got you covered.
They used to feature games of the NBA G Westchester Knicks and WNBA New York Liberty but they don’t generally do so anymore.
They also show a collection of archived events including tennis and NASCAR.
Amateur Sports
Additionally, MSG Network broadcast a lot of NCAA events. In particular, it airs ACC, America East, MAA, and Northeast conference games. It also features football and basketball games from Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC.
They also feature occasional high school sports and analysis.
Note that MSG doesn’t broadcast nationally televised games. So if a game is on NBC or ESPN, you will need to watch it there. But Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM both offer all the national sports channels.
MSG Network Shows
The primary focus of MSG Network is broadcasting live sporting events. But they also broadcast TV shows like Connections, Unfiltered Knicks, and Weidman’s World.
- The Betting Exchange: A daily look at sports from a betting perspective.
- Connections: Talk show featuring former pros.
- The Bettor Half Hour: More betting analysis with Alex Monaco.
- The MSG 150: Sports news and analysis during the NBA season. Featuring Bill Pidto.
- MSG PM: News and analysis with Monica McNutt and Kazeem Famuyide.
There is original programming like Unfiltered Knicks and Unfiltered Rangers.
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MSG Network Commentators
MSG Network’s New York Knicks telecasts are accompanied by the voices of Mike Breen (play-by-play), who also commentates on nationally televised games on ABC and ESPN, Knicks legend Walt Frazier (analyst), and Rebecca Haarlow (team reporter).
New Jersey Devils games are described by Bill Spaulding (play-by-play) and Ken Daneyko (analyst). Spaulding took over for Steve Cangialosi (who left for the MLS) in 2022. Daneyko, who won three Stanley Cups in his 20 seasons with the Devils, has been a part of these broadcasts since 2014-15.
Meanwhile, Brendan Burke describes the action at New York Islanders games as play-by-play announcer while Butch Goring, who won four Stanley Cups with the team, contributes to the broadcasts as analyst.
Dan Dunleavy has been the play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Sabres since 2021-22. Rob Ray provides color analyst.
Sam Rosen is the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers. Joe Micheletti is the long-time analyst.
Michelle Gingras receives airtime as sideline reporter.
Wrapping It Up
Finding a way to stream MSG Network is challenging because even if you find a streaming service that offers the channel, you might not be in a supported region. If you can’t get MSG Network, here is information for watching your favorite teams without cable:
Fubo is our top choice for MSG streaming. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
FAQs
Can I watch MSG on Fubo if I’m traveling?
You can watch MSG on Fubo if you’re traveling outside the MSG coverage area. But you need to log in from your original home address at least once in 30 days. Fubo will set your location to the zip code you entered on your billing address.
Why is MSG not in my Fubo channel list?
MSG Network is included with all Fubo English-language plans but only if you live in the MSG coverage area. If you don’t see it in your channel list, it probably means that your location doesn’t qualify you to get MSG. If you think this is incorrect, double-check your billing address and contact Fubo customer support.
How can I watch MSG for free?
You can’t watch MSG for free other than by visiting a friend who has it. MSG Network is a paid service. It doesn’t broadcast over the air; you must get it from a provider. If you find MSG streaming online for free, it is an illegal stream and we highly recommend avoiding it. Read more about streaming scams.
Does YouTube TV offer MSG Network?
Although YouTube TV does offer some RSNs, they are limited. It does, however, offer SportsNet NY if you are a Mets fan. The same goes for Hulu + Live TV: few RSNs but SportsNet NY for subscribers in the greater New York area. Sling TV and Vidgo do not offer any RSNs.
Can you cast MSG+ to a Chromecast?
You can cast the MSG+ app to Chromecast and other streaming devices. The MSG+ app has recently been updated to include these casting features. You can also use AirPlay to watch MSG+ content on an Apple TV. The performance is better than when casting to another device such as Chromecast, Roku, or a FireStick.
What happened to MSG+?
MSG+ used to be the name of the second MSG Network channel. But it was changed on September 26th, 2022 to MSG SportsNet. As of 2023, MSG+ is the name of the MSG Network DTC streaming service. Here is a list of the names the channel has had over the past decades:
- 1976: Cablevision Sports 3
- 1979: SportsChannel New York
- 1998: Fox Sports New York
- 1999: Fox Sports Net New York
- 2004: FSN New York
- 2008: MSG Plus
- 2022: MSG SportsNet.
How can I watch the other Metropolitan division rivals?
For more about the other teams in the Metropolitan Division besides Rangers, Islanders, and Devils, see these articles:
- Carolina Hurricanes — Bally Sports South
- Columbus Blue Jackets — Bally Sports Ohio
- Philadelphia Flyers — NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh Penguins — AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
- Washington Capitals — NBC Sports Washington
How can I watch the Sabres’ divisional rivals?
For more about the other teams in the Atlantic Division, see these articles:
- Boston Bruins — NESN
- Detroit Red Wings — Bally Sports Detroit
- Florida Panthers — Bally Sports Florida
- Montreal Canadiens — NA
- Ottawa Senators — NA
- Tampa Bay Lightning — Bally Sports Sun
- Toronto Maple Leafs — NA
How can I watch the Knicks’ divisional rivals?
For more about the other teams in the Atlantic Division, see these articles:
- Boston Celtics — NBC Sports Boston
- Brooklyn Nets — YES Network
- Philadelphia 76ers — NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Toronto Raptors — NA
Does MSG broadcast Red Bulls games?
MSG used to broadcast Red Bulls games. In 2023, Major League Soccer took greater control of its broadcasting rights. You can now watch all matches through MLS Season Pass. It is available for $14.99/mo or $99.99 for the year and has no blackouts so you can watch whatever games you like.
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