For Yankees fans like me who want to catch every game of the MLB season, YES Network is essential viewing. Through YES, I can also follow the Brooklyn Nets’ remaining regular season games and most of the New York Liberty action as well. Here’s how I watch all the action.
Fubo
Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 150+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
DIRECTV STREAM
The king of RSNs, this is the streaming service for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans with its Choice Plan. New customers get a 5-day free trial with 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
Are you a fan of the MLB’s New York Yankees, NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, or WNBA’s New York Liberty and located in the greater New York City metropolitan area or anywhere in New York State? If so and you want to watch as many of your team’s games as possible, getting YES Network is a must.
Now, if you would like to say goodbye to your cable or satellite contract while enjoying YES Network programming, you have two options: Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM, the only streaming services that offer this channel.
Fubo Is the Cheapest Way to Stream YES Network
Fubo is a sports-first streaming service. It provides a broad selection of 150+ channels with a special emphasis on sports. And that includes the three big RSNs in the New York area: MSG Network, SportsNet New York, and, of course, YES Network.
You get all this for just $94.98/month. You also get CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. And you get the multi-channel sports networks TUDN and beIN Sports.
All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage. And you can stream on up to 10 devices at once at home — or two when you are away. You also upgrade for more channels and watch many sporting events in 4K. Get more details in our Fubo review.
How to Stream YES Network Live Using DIRECTV STREAM: Watch Your Favorite Teams
If you would like to get online-only access to the YES Network, DIRECTV STREAM is a great option. It is a live TV streaming service that provides all the channels you associate with cable.
Note that its Entertainment plan ($86.99/month) does not offer any RSNs. You should select, at a minimum, its Choice Package ($114.99/month).
With Choice, you will also get sports programming from the Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and Fox Sports 1 (FS1). Those who bump up to its Ultimate plan ($129.99/month) will also get CBS Sports Network and FS2.
You will also receive other RSNs. Which ones will depend on where you are located. For example, subscribers in New York City will also get the MSG Network and SportsNet New York.
Those in Buffalo, NY, can watch those same channels and AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and Bally Sports Great Lakes. Subscribers in Hartford, CT, will get the MSG Network, SportsNet New York, NESN, and NBC Sports Boston in addition to the YES Network.
Additionally, DIRECTV STREAM provides a large on-demand library and an unlimited DVR (stored for up to 9 months). And it allows you to stream on unlimited devices at home and 3 away. For more information, see our detailed DIRECTV STREAM review.
Explore Alternatives to YES Network and DIRECTV STREAM for Sports Fans
If you are situated in its broadcast area and want to access the YES Network while avoiding cable, you do not have any alternatives to subscribing to either Fubo or DIRECTV STREAM.
Apart from these, you can still catch around 20 Yankees games a season through PIX11, which you can access through an antenna or an Amazon Prime subscription. (PIX11 is also included with Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM.) Plus, that team is shown on Fox (also accessible with an antenna) at least a few times a season. All Yankees World Series games will be broadcast on Fox as well.
Additionally, the Nets are sometimes shown on ABC on a national basis and the Liberty may have games on ABC or CBS.
Now, if you would like to garner cordless access to these teams’ nationally broadcast games through a different streaming service, consider Hulu + Live TV ($82.99/month) or Sling TV ($45.99/month).
Meanwhile, those who are situated outside of their favorite team’s blackout areas can watch out-of-market YES Network broadcasts through a subscription to:
- MLB.TV ($24.99)
- NBA League Pass ($14.99/mo)
- WNBA League Pass ($24.99/yr)
- ESPN+ ($10.99/month).
The latter provides access to out-of-market NHL games and a significant number of other sporting events.
Devices and TVs for Streaming YES Network: A Viewer’s Guide
There is no need for you and your friends to huddle around a computer monitor with Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM. You can watch YES Network on most devices in use.
All the popular “stick” devices are fully supported: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. And if you want, you can watch on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. You can also cast to your TV using these devices as well as Chrome web browsers via Chromecast. Recent model Samsung and Android TV-compatible smart TVs are also supported directly.
You can also use these services with account with TV Everywhere apps. Fubo also allows you to watch on LG and VIZIO smart TVs and Xbox gaming systems.
Understanding YES Network: The Ultimate Sports Broadcasting Channel
The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network is a regional sports network (RSN), meaning that its broadcasts are only offered to viewers in its broadcast area or to those who watch its out-of-market broadcasts through a subscription to a service such as MLB.TV ($24.99/mo).
Discover Where YES Network Is Available and How to Access It
YES Network’s broadcast area stretches across all of New York State and Connecticut and into portions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Areas of New Jersey that are not included are communities near Philadelphia and cities otherwise in the southern part of the state, such as Atlantic City.
Northeast Pennsylvania communities Scranton and Honesdale are included, but Allentown and Bethlehem are not.
YES Network Sports Coverage: Teams and Events You Can Watch
The primary focuses of YES Network are the New York Yankees (MLB) and Brooklyn Nets (NBA). But it also broadcasts many matches played by the WNBA’s New York Liberty — roughly half the games during the 2023 season (the 2024 TV schedule hasn’t been released yet).
The Yankees and Nets were initially brought on board when YES Network was launched in 2002. The New York Liberty became part of the network in 2019.
Around 10-15% of the team’s games will instead be shown on PIX11, an affiliate of The CW. But it is provided to most Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM subscribers in the area.
YES Network airs most Spring Training games of the Yankees.
With that said, all locally produced Nets broadcasts will be available for viewing through a fubo or DIRECTV STREAM subscription. The same is mostly true for New York Liberty games, the exceptions being contests that are instead only streamed on the YES app and then broadcast on that channel on a tape-delay basis.
Much of the YES Network’s non-game programming revolves around those aforementioned teams. Yankees-related examples of these types of programs include History of the Yankees, Yankees Magazine, Homegrown: The Path to Pinstripes, and The Michael Kay Show. Programming unrelated to its teams involves sports as varied as golf and boxing.
Teams and Sports Events Not Covered by YES Network: What You Need to Know
YES Network isn’t the only important RSN in the New York area. Major League Baseball fans will also want access to SportsNet New York. And National Basketball Association and (especially) National Hockey League fans will want MSG Network.
The New York Mets (MLB) are shown on SportsNet New York. The New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers (NHL), New York Islanders (NHL), and New Jersey Devils (NHL) are all broadcast on the MSG Network.
The New York Jets (NFL) and New York Giants (NFL) are not shown on any RSNs as all of their games are either broadcast nationally on a variety of networks or shown on CBS or Fox on a regional basis.
We can show you quickly and easily when the Giants or the Jets are playing next, and great info on how to watch.
Other sporting events are shown although not necessarily live. They show occasional Manchester United (Premier League) soccer matches, for example.
The Yankees have 7 development teams: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Somerset Patriots, Hudson Valley Renegades, Tampa Tarpons, FCL Yankees, FCL Yankees West, and DSL Yankees East. YES will occasionally air their games.
YES used to feature the Staten Island Yankees before the Class A Short Season was eliminated. In its place, the recently formed Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), even though they are not affiliated with the Yankees.
In addition, note that local NCAA Division I sports programs are rarely shown on the YES Network. Although that channel does show college sporting events, those generally involve teams from other areas.
YES2: The Companion Channel for Extended YES Network Coverage
If the Brooklyn Nets play at the same time as a New York Yankees game, the Nets game will be shown on YES2, a channel that is only used for those game broadcasts. These conflicts are most apt to occur in April.
Meet the YES Network Commentators: Voices Behind the Games
Most New York Yankees broadcasts include play-by-play commentary from Michael Kay with Ryan Ruocco filling in on occasion. Meanwhile, David Cone and Paul O’Neill split the analyst position. In the studio and on the field are Bob Lorenz, Jack Curry, John Flaherty, Todd Frazier, Joe Girardi, Meredith Marakovits, Jeff Nelson, Nancy Newman, Justin Shackil, and Chris Shearn.
Brooklyn Nets telecasts feature Ian Eagle doing play-by-play with Noah Eagle, Vince Carter, Sarah Kustok, and Richard Jefferson serving as analysts. In the studio and on the court are Bob Lorenz, Frank Isola, Nancy Newman, Chris Shearn, Meghan Triplett, and Julianne Viani-Braen.
Must-Watch YES Network Shows for Sports Enthusiasts
Many RSNs don’t offer much besides the league games and pre- and post-game shows. YES Network is a big exception to this. They offer a number of original shows including:
- Brooklyn Nets Magazine: Stories and discussion about the NBA team.
- CenterStage With Michael Kay: Onstage talk show featuring sports celebrities like former Mets and Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltrán.
- Forbes SportsMoney: Show about the financial side of sports.
- Homegrown: The Path to Pinstripes: Stories from the Yankees’ minor league teams.
- The Michael Kay Show: TV feed of the radio call-in show by the Yankees’ play-by-play announcer.
- Nets Homegrown: Bridge to Brooklyn: Stories from the Nets’ NBA G-League.
- Yankeeography: Biographies of Yankee greats from the past.
- Yankees Batting Practice Today: Gameday coverage of batting practice along with analysis.
- Yankees Classics: Rebroadcasts of old games. (Maybe listed as MLB Baseball Classics.)
- Yankees Hot Stove: News and discussion during the off-season.
- Yankees Magazine: Stories and discussions about the MLB team.
They also feature one-off documentaries about subjects of interest to New York sports fans and purchased shows like Swing Clinic.
Wrapping Up
If you are a devoted fan and don’t want to miss any of the action at Yankee Stadium and Barclays Center, you need to secure access to the YES Network.
Our top choice for streaming YES Network is Fubo.
FAQs
Can I subscribe to YES Network directly?
Starting in 2024, YES Network offers a direct-to-consumer streaming service. It is expensive: $24.99/mo or $239.99/yr. But it does offer discounts. Note. however, that you will likely still want other live TV channels so this may not be a great deal even for strict Yankees and Nets fans.
Does YES Network broadcast New York City FC matches?
YES Network used to broadcast NYCFC matches. But as of 2023, all MLS teams including NYC FC are distributed through MLS Season Pass. It is like other “league pass” subscriptions except that there are no blackouts. So you can watch every teams’ matches no matter where you are.
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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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