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What is ESPN?
ESPN is considered one of the best channels and websites present in the market right now that will give you detailed information regarding any sports or sporting events happening right now.
While many people love to follow ESPN and have also subscribed to its streaming service, ESPN Plus, there are still some flaws in ESPN for which many people might look for an alternative.
So, here are three reasons why you should consider switching from ESPN.
Reason to look for sites like ESPN
Reason 1 – No rights to FIFA Streaming
As well all know, FIFA 2022 is right around the corner now, and many football fans all across the globe are widely anticipating its return and watching it live.
But, those who weren’t able to get the tickets would like to watch the matches from the comfort of their homes. That’s not the case here, or at least with ESPN.
That is because ESPN was outbid by Fox Sports for streaming rights of FIFA 2018 and FIFA 2022!
Reason 2 – Not a great application as well
ESPN also has an application that lets its viewers know about the details of the ongoing matches and some sports highlights as well, but lately, the app has been reporting many issues.
Issues regarding app connectivity, constantly breaking down, and a lot more. These types of issues aren’t expected from any application nowadays, and especially not from cable connections like ESPN, which are a premium service and are considered the gold standard in everything sports and more.
Reason 3 – Not many varied options for sports
Over the years, ESPN has been criticised for focussing majorly on specific sporting events and sports programmes such as Men’s college Basketball games, Football, or even the sportsperson LeBron James.
They lack the showcasing or broadcasting of other sporting events such as MLB or NHL and are found to be constricted to specific gaming events that would attract some viewers while neglecting other viewers.
They are also criticised on other subject issues such as carriage fees and other matters as well!
Best ESPN Alternatives
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a sports networking company just like ESPN, where you get access to the majority of different sports available and played across the States and some international ones as well.
They also have a website where they update everything about any live sporting event happening and also publish some High-Quality live streams to some of the sporting events as well.
If you are a Hulu subscriber, chances are you can watch their services from there also.
What we liked about CBS Sports
CBS Sports, as mentioned above, has a great service lineup when it comes to sporting events and sports.
It has the rights to many different sporting events such as MLB, NBA, some college basketball and football games, along with Hockey as well. That’s a good lineup of shows around.
CBS Sports also is available on many different services, so even if you are a cable cutter, you would still be able to access it and watch the games on it.
What we didn’t like about CBS Sports
On CBS’s website, you get access to the majority of the games and sporting events, but you won’t be able to see the main matches and big sporting events such on it.
This can be a bummer for some people as that could be a big reason why many people are signing up for the service and would like to watch that for free on the internet from their laptops or mobile devices.
Also read: The best football streaming sites
Why did we choose CBS Sports as a sports platform like ESPN ?
CBS Sports is a sports networking channel that you can use if you are interested in the sports that it has to offer. It has reported not many issues in terms of its apps and its cable tv network.
This is a good thing because that is something that ESPN has been getting reported almost on a regular basis now. It also provides a pleasant experience, which is why CBS Sports is a good alternative to ESPN.
Review and rating of CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a networking agency that is owned by Paramount. It has some added benefits because of these affiliations and has good sports coverage as far as it is concerned.
Users have reported a fairly good experience when they are using or accessing CBS sports, and it does offer a good amount of content for free as well.
Because of these reasons, I would be rating CBS Sports 3/5 stars.
FOX Sports
Fox Sports is another great cable tv connection if you are looking for an alternative to ESPN. It actually comes in at the second spot to ESPN l, but its services are great.
When you purchase the services for your cable tv, you are automatically eligible for Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Soccer Plus, and Fox Deporters.
All these channels and services include a whole lot of sports and sporting journalism in them, so you are good to go.
What we liked about FOX Sports
Fox Sports, like mentioned above, gives you a lot of sports content when you choose Fox Sports as part of your cable tv connection.
It also showcases a lot of different sporting events such as NASCAR, NCAA basketball and football, MLB, WWE, MLS, NFL, and of course, FIFA!
Those are all major sporting events that you have access to when you switch over from ESPN to Fox Sports.
What we didn’t like about FOX Sports
Fox Sports has some hidden flaws here and there, but they are mostly nitpicky at this point compared to what all services that it has to offer.
When you access the Fox Sports website on your smartphone, the website will take a lot of time to load and sometimes freeze in between as well.
Now, as I said, it is not a major flaw on Fox Sports’s side; they should certainly fix it so that people who are on the move can still get their services if they don’t want to use their app, for that matter.
Why did we choose FOX Sports as an ESPN alternative?
I have listed the reasons above as to why you should consider Fox Sports as an alternative to ESPN. It is generally considered the next best thing to ESPN.
Plus, it has lot less complaints filed against ESPN in terms of user problems, and it also showcases more than one big sporting event and doesn’t favour one type of event like ESPN.
Also, if you are a big football fan and you can’t wait to watch FIFA, then there is no other place to watch FIFA than Fox Sports!
Review and rating of FOX Sports
Fox Sports offers you with a whole lot of events and coverages of those events when compared to ESPN. It is a great service altogether.
Although, I have read many reports saying that Fox used to cancel out many of their tv shows just so they could put in more timings for Fox Sports as it attracted more viewers.
But those were old days; these days, Fox Sports is run by a company that knows what its viewers want, and for that reason, I would be rating Fox Sports 4/5 stars!
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is a sports cable network channel from the people at NBC. Same people who run Peacock TV, which is part of the reason why they were going to launch Peacock TV with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
NBC Sports is also a paid subscription channel that you would have to ask your cable provider to install in your package. You also get a number of different sporting events when you are on NBC Sports.
Let’s discuss the things that I liked about NBC Sports and some of the things I disliked about it.
Also read: The best MMA streaming sites
What we liked about NBC Sports
NBC Sports offers you a wide variety of different sporting events on its channels; here, you will have access to sporting events, such as NHL, NASCAR, NFL’s Sunday night football, and some more events as well.
Another great thing about NBC Sports is the fact apart from showcasing major events that happen, NBC also shows you some regional and national sporting events that are happening.
This helps in making NBC Sports a great standout among the rest of the competitions out in the cable network market.
What we didn’t like about NBC Sports
NBC Sports also has an app to itself, just like all the major sports cable tv networks. But unlike most major sports cable tv network apps, NBC Sports faces a lot of issues while streaming matches.
Many viewers have reported a number of bugs in the app that makes the app freeze in between the stream, and to refresh the stream, you have to close the app and restart all over again.
This has agitated a lot of people, and all for the reasons as well!
Why did we choose NBC Sports as an ESPN substitute?
NBC Sports has lots to offer when compared to ESPN. They try to stream and give coverage to most of the major league events that happen across the States.
Along with this, they also give coverage to some regional and national level sporting events as well, which is always a great thing as more and more people get exposed to newer talents because of good coverage.
NBC Sports also posts game highlights of both new and old games timely so that you can watch them if you missed out on the live match!
Review and rating of NBC Sports
NBC Sports is a good channel to check out the sports of your liking; they have a dedicated service available that tries to make the most out of the content they have to stream, making it one of the better ESPN alternatives.
They just need to fix up on the issues they are having on their app, and after that, they will be one of the best channels to stream live sports. But for now, I would be rating NBC Sports 3/5 stars.
TheScore
theScore, as you might have guessed from the title of the website, is a website that provides you with all the necessary details and information you would be wanting to know about the matches happening live.
It is an ultimate mobile experience where all the latest information is in the palm of your hands, and you have access to all the news related to many different sporting events that happen across the States.
Also read: Top 10 best free baseball streaming sites
What we liked about theScore
theScore keeps a tab on almost all the sporting events that are happening live and also the ones that have happened. For the ones that have happened, it gives you match highlights for the ones that are done.
theScore has a wide variety of sports news and information available on its platform. You have league platforms like NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, EPL Soccer, NCAA Football, and many more as well.
What we didn’t like about theScore
Obviously, the major downside of theScore is the fact that you won’t be able to see any live sports on its website or its app. That is one of the key things why people do signup for ESPN because they can watch live sports.
And even though it does provide its viewers and audience with highlights, obviously, not everyone would like to watch their phone’s screen and check out the score rather than watching the actual game.
Why did we choose theScore as an ESPN alternative?
So, why did I choose theScore as an alternative to ESPN when it doesn’t even stream any live games on its website? Well, because not everyone wants to watch all the live matches that are happening.
People have moved on, so many people nowadays prefer to have their sports be just scorecards so that they can just be up-to-date with everything that is going on, and that reflects in the number of people who visit theScore.
In the first quarter, theScore had over 97.1 Million visitors on its website! That’s how many people would rather watch a live sport.
Review and rating of theScore
theScore is a website that is not for people who want to watch live sports. In fact, it is a website for those who don’t want to watch live sports and just know the live score and watch highlights of the match.
If you are someone who can relate to this problem, then I think you should definitely check out theScore and see for yourself if they offer what you like or not.
For now, I would be rating theScore 3/5 stars.
Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports is another website that allows its viewers and users to get updated on the world of sports and what is happening. They also provide you with fantasy games in between the live games to make things even more interesting.
But the great thing that I found out about Yahoo Sports is the fact that you can live stream NFL matches on its website, and what’s more, you can actually invite up to three people and co-watch with them!
Also Read: Top 9 best free tennis streaming sites
What we liked about Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports could have been a website just like theScore where you will be updated by the scores and watch some highlights of the games, but they went to an extent to deliver live streaming of NFL games.
On Yahoo Sports, you will be able to watch live primetime and local NFL games from your inbox. And what’s great about this is the fact that you would also co-watch it with three friends of yours.
That is a great feature which I personally like a lot!
What we didn’t like about Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports does a lot of things right, but as I have mentioned multiple times, not everything can be perfect, and neither is Yahoo Sports as well.
Yahoo Sports does have Fantasy Games on its website, but they are quite a few, and you won’t be fully able to utilise them and make the most out of them.
And even though they are able to stream live NFL games, there are no other major events that Yahoo Sports has to offer to its viewers; the rest you can only see either their highlights or their scorecard.
Why did we choose Yahoo Sports as an ESPN alternative?
So, why did we choose Yahoo Sports as one of the ESPN alternatives? Well, because if you are an NFL fan and you would like to watch it across with a number of friends live, then Yahoo Sports seems like a good website.
It also provides you with a number of other information, such as Scorecards, players’ information, game stats, and more on its website, and a lot of people trust the website for it!
Review and rating of Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports has lots to offer even without the live streaming of the NFL games. You certainly have a lot of information when you are visiting the website, and it just grows more when you are able to live stream the games.
I would have rated it as much as I rate theScore because they both serve the same purpose, but since Yahoo Sports goes on the extra mile and also provides you with live streaming of NHL, I would be rating it 3.5/5 stars.
Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is also a website that allows you to get the information that you might need if you are a fan of any sports, for that matter. It will help you in briefing you on what’s happening in the world of sports right now.
Bleacher Report also has one of the best websites where everything is laid out perfectly well, and everything looks pretty modern as well.
It also features a handful of features that make it a great ESPN alternative, let’s discuss them now.
Also read: The best NBA streaming sites.
What we liked about Bleacher Report
As mentioned above, Bleacher Report does have a nice website that allows its viewers to be welcomed into the world of sports journalism and sports news.
It has news for all sorts of sports like Football, Basketball, NHL, NBA, MMA, WWE, and many more as well. It will also provide you with highlights of the matches once they are done telecasting them.
And it also showcases some of the previous matches as well, even dating back a couple of years ago as well.
What we didn’t like about Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is not one of the top websites that tells you the information related to sports and sporting events. It also doesn’t stream any live games as well as Yahoo Sports, does.
This can be a bummer for many people as they might not get the services that they can expect from such sites as Bleacher Report.
Bleacher Report’s app also has reported many bugs that automatically stop the app in the middle, and you have to restart it all over again.
Why did we choose Bleacher Report as an ESPN alternative?
ESPN just doesn’t provide you with only live telecasts of sports; it also provides you with a number of articles, statistics, news information, and more. That is where you can use Bleacher Report as an alternative.
It will deliver you with all the latest news related to many different sports and sporting events, and many people would appreciate it for what it provides.
Because, as I have shown, many people aren’t looking to watch live sports but just want to know what is happening in the world of sports. And that’s where Bleacher Report comes in.
Review and rating of Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is a known website when it comes to sports news and articles; it is just the top-most website like other sites. It still delivers in the content that it has to offer.
It has access to many different sporting events, and it would also tell you about some rumours that might or might not be true; you be the judge in that matter.
But for what it’s worth, it is still a pretty useful website, and I would be rating Bleacher Report 3/5 stars.
Sony Sports Network
Sony Sports Network is a fairly big and popular sports broadcasting company that streams and shows various different types of sports that are played around the world.
Sony has various different channels on which it streams these live sports, and it is also one of the biggest sports broadcasting in Pan-Asia and many other countries.
There is much more to discuss about Sony Sports Network, so let’s get into it, without wasting any more time.
What we liked about Sony Sports Network
The great thing about this sports broadcasting company is that you are able to get almost all the type of sports that you are looking for.
They have 5 different channels available, and all the channels have rights to stream different types of sports.
As mentioned above, Sony Sports Network is also available in many other countries, so many people are able to reap its benefits.
What we didn’t like about Sony Sports Network
Sony Sports Network is mostly a sports broadcasting company. However, they don’t have news outlets or pages where users can read something about the ongoing sporting events that are happening.
This is something that ESPN has, and they cover everything there is to cover in the world of sports, and that is something that Sony Sports Network doesn’t touch.
Why did we choose Sony Sports Network as an ESPN alternative?
As I mentioned above, Sony Sports Network is sports broadcasting company that is available in a lot of pan-Asian countries, and a lot of people are able to use it to watch their favourite sporting events.
Sony’s channels are also much more cheaper compared to ESPN’s rates, and that is also quite useful.
Review and rating of Sony Sports Network
Sony Sports Network covers a lot of different types of sports and has been in countries like India for a very long time. A lot of people have grown up watching their favourite sporting events live on Sony’s channels, and that is not stopping anytime soon.
I will rate Sony Sports Network 3.5/5 stars.
Our recommendations on the best ESPN alternatives?
Look, at the end of the day, ESPN is one of the best channels and websites that will offer you with almost everything that is sports. It is very difficult to find an alternative to ESPN because they are just so damn good.
They have been in the sporting business for quite some time now, and they have built themselves as one of the best there is, and that is true as well. They have dominated the sports market for a long time now.
And even though it does have some good alternatives like you saw above, it actually boils down to you about which channel or website suits you the best.
Are you the type of person who likes to watch live sports as they are happening? Then I would suggest you to give Fox Sports a try.
But if you are someone who is interested in knowing the news about sports and some other information regarding sports, then I would suggest you to give Yahoo Sports a try.
Also Read: Top best paid and free F1 streaming sites with reviews
Why did we choose Fox Sports and Yahoo Sports as the best ESPN alternatives?
Fox Sports is generally considered the next best thing after ESPN, and it seems like even they are tired of that title, and they are trying their best efforts to become the number one in all things sports.
And that shows as well; they have a great service that a lot of people are liking, and their overall problems aren’t as many as ESPN is having these days.
They also have the rights for the telecast of FIFA 2022, and I have a feeling that they will bag the rights for FIFA 2024 and more as well so that they can attract more viewers.
Their other services, such as their app and website, also face a few issues, except for loading time on smartphone browsers.
Yahoo Sports, on the other hand, fills in the space where ESPN tells you about the latest happenings in the world of sports. They have some of the best content available in terms of sports journalism and more.
And, of course, the added advantage of being able to watch live NFL matches on its websites along with three members as well is such a great extra gift provided by them with their collaboration with Verizon.
They could have kept it simple and just shared the highlights of the match, but they went on the extra mile to deliver you even more features that would make your experience better on their site.
Yahoo Sports and Fox sports are paid streaming services. If you are looking to stream sports for free we have written about the best free sport streaming sites in detail.
These are my thoughts as to what I feel are great alternatives to ESPN. What about you? Which alternative would you use? Do let us know in the comments down below!
