How to Watch Live Sports on Roku for Free + Free Channel Suggestions

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An easy-to-follow guide for watching live sports for free on Roku

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: August 1, 2023

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Getting Free Live Sports

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Free Sports Channels

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FAQ

Did you "cut the cord" to stop spending money on cable and are wondering how to watch free live sports events on Roku? Fortunately, there are plenty of free options for sports across many channels on Roku. Keep in mind that free usually indicates that the service is ad-supported, so instead of paying a subscription fee, you'll watch commercials. This wikiHow article guides you through finding and watching live sports on your Roku for free.

Things You Should Know

Browse the Channel Store for channels that offer free sports.
You can tune into the Roku Channel or Red Bull TV for some free sports, but more popular games will cost a fee.
ESPN isn't free on the Roku, although it's a popular sports steamer. You'll have to pay more for ESPN+ if you want access to their NFL, MBA, or other sports coverage.

Section 1 of 3:

Getting Free Live Sports

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Turn on your Roku and TV. You should be greeted by the Roku home screen. If not, press the HOME button on your remote to get there.
- Use this method to browse the Channel Store for free sports channels.
You should see an option to look through Streaming Channels in a menu on the left side of your screen.

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Click Channel Store. It'll be an option once you navigate to "Streaming Channels."^{[1]
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- If you know the channel's name that you want to add to your Roku, select "Search" to be able to search for the channel instead of browsing for it.
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Browse the "Sports" category. You'll find a list of channels that offer free sports along with other channels that require subscriptions. You'll be able to see this difference when you click a channel.
- Once you find a channel that you like, click Add Channel and the app will be added to the bottom of your current app list. You can move it to the top or a different area of the apps list by selecting it, pressing * on your remote, then selecting Move channel.
Select your app or channel from the list and it'll open so you can watch free sports whenever you want!

Section 2 of 3:

Free Sports Channels

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With this channel, you can watch several sports channels, like Stadium, fubo Sports Network, beIN Sports extra, Outside TV+, and Adventure Sports Network.^{[2]
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This channel offers global sports including surfing, snowboarding, and the Red Bull Air Race, as well as live music festivals and live events featuring major athletes!
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FOX Sports. Although this channel also provides subscription-only content, there are some sports that you can watch for free. This channel gives you access to FOX Sports, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, FOX College, and FOX Soccer Plus.
- You can watch NBA, MLB, NH, bowling, Olympics, and college football for free as long as you have a Roku account!

Section 3 of 3:

FAQ

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No. ESPN, while costing nothing to download, requires you to pay a subscription fee to use it.
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How much does ESPN cost? By paying through the Roku Channel store, you can estimate spending at least $5 per month for a subscription.
- Considering that ESPN covers a very wide variety of sporting events, this cost may be worth it if you're an avid sports watcher.
Not all of them. ESPN (the basic tier) does not live stream NFL or NBA games, so if that's what you're looking for, don't spend your money on this subscription! Instead, FOX, ESPN+, or other sports streamers may have access to that content (like YouTube TV, which you can cast on your Roku).
You can pay more for access to ESPN+, which includes additional games like cricket, rugby, formula 1, and X-Games.
Hands-down, YouTube TV is pretty popular since it has such a wide variety of games that you can tune into. The service isn't free, however, so you'll be paying for the convenience of tuning into any sports event that you like.