How to Watch Boston Red Sox Without Cable

MLB Opening Day 2023 is just days away on March 30, and all 30 teams are playing! The Red Sox will be playing the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park at 2:10 pm — watch it on Northeast Sports Network (NESN) on FuboTV (if you live in the Northeast) or MLB.TV (if you don’t).

Red Sox fans both locally and across the US can watch most if not all games. And they can do this without a long-term cable contract.

In a hurry? When it comes to MLB, streaming is a bit complicated. We’ll explain it all below. But if you are a fan who lives in or around Massachusetts, these are great options:

The Boston Red Sox have long been one of Major League Baseball’s premier franchises, and its rivalry with the New York Yankees is amongst the sport’s most intense. The pride of New England has also won a lot of hardware over the past several years, claiming World Series titles in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018.

Would you like to watch the Boston Red Sox play? Fortunately, they are regularly featured on national television. Their local broadcasts are carried by NESN, which is available through DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) and FuboTV ($74.99/mo) to local fans. For those outside the area, an MLB.TV subscription ($24.99/mo) does the same.

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About the Red Sox

The Red Sox had supposedly suffered from the Curse of the Bambino for much of its history. Babe Ruth had helped Boston to World Series titles in 1915, 1916, and 1918, the club’s third, fourth, and fifth.

But he was then traded to the Yankees, where he experienced mass success. Meanwhile, the Red Sox would not win another World Series title until 86 years had passed since the last one in 1918.

Between 1918 and 2004, the team played in the World Series four times, in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986. All of them resulted in seven-game series defeats.

However, the club has been one of the major’s best since finally securing that elusive championship in 2004. It now has nine World Series titles with almost half of them since 2004. However, the Red Sox did experience a temporary dip in form after 2018, going 84-78 in 2019 and 24-36 in 2020, missing the playoffs both times.

But the team improved in 2021, going 92-70 and claiming a wild card berth before embarking on an impressive postseason run. Boston dispatched the Yankees in the wild card game and took care of the AL East Division champion Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1, in the Division Series. They fell just short of the American League pennant when the Houston Astros defeated them, 4-2, in the AL Championship Series.

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Red Sox TV Channels

You can expect to see the Boston Red Sox feature regularly on national and regional broadcasts. These include Saturday games on Fox, Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, and other televised games on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and TBS. Also, appearances on NBC, ABC, and MLB Network are possible. In addition, keep in mind that Peacock Premium and Apple TV+ now have the exclusive rights to show some MLB games.

As for local broadcasts, those are shown on NESN, which stands for New England Sports Network. This regional sports network (RSN) carries the NHL’s Boston Bruins as well. If both teams are playing at the same time, which is most likely to occur in April, one of the contests will be moved to NESN+.

NESN is available throughout New England with the exception of Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut.

Watching the Red Sox

Are you looking to watch the Boston Red Sox play without a cable or satellite subscription? You have some options.

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Antenna

Simply procuring an antenna will grant you access to numerous Red Sox games. Most notably, going this route will ensure that you can watch all World Series games that the team may play.

Plus, other playoff games and regular-season contests that Boston plays may be shown on Fox, NBC, and ABC.

Streaming

If you are searching for a way to stream NESN and other channels showing Red Sox games, consider these options.

Live TV Streaming Services

Only two services offer NESN but they couldn’t be better:

• FuboTV: Also provides access to NESN and NBC Sports Boston to subscribers located within its broadcast area while local ABC, NBC, and Fox affiliates are available as well. As for national outlets showing Red Sox games, ESPN and FS1 are included, but TBS is not, which will limit you in terms of playoff games. Meanwhile, if you want the MLB Network, need Fubo Extra ($7.99/mo) or Sports Plus with NFL RedZone ($10.99/mo). All plans come with at least 1000 hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices. (FuboTV review)
• DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV): Offers access to NESN in its Choice plan ($99.99/mo) to subscribers who are located in that channel’s broadcast area. It also offers a selection of other regional sports networks to most. For example, those in Boston get NBC Sports Boston as well. Meanwhile, you will receive local Fox, ABC, and NBC affiliates as well as access to national networks such as TBS, FS1, ESPN, and MLB Network. All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage (online sign up required) and streaming on unlimited devices at once. (DIRECTV STREAM review)

Other streaming services that do not carry NESN but that offer other networks that sporadically show Boston Red Sox contests that you may want to consider include Hulu + Live TV ($69.99/mo), Vidgo ($69.99/mo), Sling TV ($40.00/mo), and YouTube TV ($64.99/mo).

Specialty Streaming Services

Although these are usually thought of as on-demand streaming services, they provide lots of live sports:

• Apple TV+: Has become an exclusive home of some MLB games. It streams two contests every Friday, and those may include Red Sox games from time to time. It costs $4.99/mo.
• Peacock Premium: Also started exclusively streaming some baseball games in 2022. These contests, which may include Red Sox games, are on Sundays. Interestingly, some will have first-pitch times that are in the morning. Costs $4.99/mo. (Peacock review)
• ESPN+: Will probably carry Red Sox games throughout the 2022 campaign. However, most or all of those may only be available to those not in the team’s local market, so this is more of an out-of-market option to consider. The base plan is $9.99/mo but the Hulu Bundle is a better deal and includes Disney+. (ESPN+ review)

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MLB.TV

If you are outside of the Boston Red Sox’ blackout region, which includes nearly all of New England, you can watch NESN broadcasts of most of the team’s games with an MLB.TV subscription ($24.99/mo) or $119.99/yr for a single team subscription.

However, do take note of national and local blackouts. For example, Sunday Night Baseball games on ESPN cannot be watched through MLB.TV if you are, for example, in Michigan. You cannot use MLB.TV to watch Red Sox-Tigers games.

Devices for Live Streaming Boston Red Sox Games

DIRECTV STREAM, FuboTV, and MLB.TV all support the most popular devices:

DIRECTV STREAM allows you to use its own device, which you can purchase from the company. FuboTV and MLB.TV also support Android TV and other smart TVs as well as the Xbox gaming system.

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Wrapping Up

The Boston Red Sox may be watched through a number of means. The best options available to cord-cutters who are located in New England with are DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) and FuboTV ($74.99/mo). They both offer NESN.

If you are elsewhere, consider subscribing to MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) for access to most NESN game broadcasts.

Also keep in mind that sporadic regular-season and all postseason Red Sox games will be shown elsewhere. A list of these other possibilities includes Fox, ESPN, FS1, TBS, NBC, ABC, Apple TV+, and Peacock Premium.

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FAQs

Where is the Red Sox game playing on TV tonight?

In most cases, assuming that the postseason has not started, you should head to NESN to watch tonight’s Boston Red Sox game. If it is not there, try Apple TV+ if it is Friday, Fox if it is Saturday, and ESPN and Peacock Premium if it is Sunday. Other possibilities include ABC, NBC, FS1, and TBS. Meanwhile, if it is a postseason game, it will be on Fox, FS1, TBS, ESPN, or MLB Network.

Which radio station broadcasts Red Sox games?

The Boston Red Sox Radio Network is extensive, spreading across New England as well as into New York (Albany and St Johnsville). So you may actually get multiple radio stations broadcasting the game. Those in Boston should tune into WEEI, which may be found at 93.7 FM. Another option for those in New England as well as elsewhere is listening to those broadcasts online through MLB Radio ($2.99/mo).

Can I watch the Red Sox on TV for free?

If you have an antenna, you can watch some Boston Red Sox games for free. The team plays on Fox a few times a season, and any Red Sox World Series games are broadcast by Fox while regular-season games may be shown on ABC or NBC. Meanwhile, out-of-market fans should keep in mind that they may be able to stream Boston games for free courtesy of the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day.

Is it possible to watch Red Sox games on my smartphone?

Yes, you absolutely can watch Red Sox games on your smartphone. One option for most in New England is through the NESN app. Out-of-market fans with an active MLB.TV subscription can view most of those same broadcasts courtesy of the MLB app. Another example is that ESPN-broadcast Red Sox games can be viewed on your smartphone after logging into the ESPN app.

What is the Boston Red Sox 2023 Schedule?

Here are all the Boston Red Sox games for the 2023 regular season with dates and times (EDT). Except where indicated, the games should air on NESN and MLB.TV.

How can I watch teams besides Boston?

We have guides for all the teams:

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Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at Psychotronic Review — and many other places.

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