The cheapest way to watch NHL Network without cable is Sling TV. Although streaming has made it easier to sign up to a live TV plan in general, some channels still remain hard to get hold of, or may even require a separate subscription. With the new season now underway, here’s a closer look at the options for watching NHL games.
By far, live sports is one of the most popular reasons to consider signing up to a live TV service in the age of streaming. While there are subscription services, like Peacock and Paramount Plus, that provide access to some live sports at a much cheaper monthly price, the majority of live games still do require access to a live TV subscription.
When it comes to streaming NHL Network, options are more limited than with some other channels. For example, neither YouTube TV nor Hulu Live TV currently offer access to NHL Network as part of their base plans, or as add-ons that can be purchased in addition to a base package. This currently means sports homes will need to make a choice between DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Sling TV, and Vidgo.
Cheapest way to watch NHL Network
Right now, the cheapest way to watch NHL Network is through Sling TV. This live TV streaming service offers two main plans to choose from, Sling Orange and Sling Blue, but neither of them include NHL Network in the base channel lineup. Instead, subscribers will need to add the Sports Extra add-on to one of the base plans to get access to the channel.
Sports Extra is only one of many add-ons that Sling TV offers. Unlike the others, however, this add-on is entirely focused on sports and unlocks access to a minimum of 10 additional channels, including NHL Network. Sports Extra currently costs $11 per month and that’s on top of the $40 per month for Sling Orange or Sling Blue. As a result, the cheapest way to currently watch NHL Network is $51 per month through Sling TV.
$40-55/mo
- 30+ channels
- 1-3 streams
- 50-Hour DVR
Deal: First month only $20.
For reference, the exact channel lineup that a subscriber gets access to with the add-on depends on whether they are signed up to Sling Orange or Sling Blue. Below are the channels you get when adding Sports Extra to either Sling TV base plan.
| Sports Extra | Orange | Blue |
|---|---|---|
| ACC Network | ✔ | |
| ACC Network Extra | ✔ | |
| beIN SPORTS | ✔ | ✔ |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ | |
| ESPNEWS | ✔ | |
| ESPNU | ✔ | |
| FOX Sports 2 | ✔ | |
| Golf Channel | ✔ | |
| MLB Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| MLB Network Strikezone | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBA TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL RedZone | ✔ | |
| NHL Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pac-12 | ✔ | ✔ |
| SEC Network | ✔ | |
| SEC Network+ | ✔ | |
| Tennis Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| The Longhorn Network | ✔ |
Other ways to watch NHL Network
If not interested in a Sling TV subscription then the next cheapest option for watching NHL Network is Vidgo. This is a newer live TV streaming service compared to others, but can be a good solution for sports fans. Vidgo offers two main plans to choose from and NHL Network is included with both. This makes the $59.95 per month Plus plan the cheapest way to watch NHL Network through Vidgo.
$80/mo
- 100+ channels
- 3 streams
- Limited DVR
Alternatively, there’s fuboTV. Similar to Sling TV, fuboTV also offers more than one plan, but the most expensive Ultimate plan is the only one that includes NHL Network at no additional cost. fuboTV’s Ultimate plan is currently priced at $99.99 per month. Technically, fuboTV offers NHL Network as part of its Sports Plus add-on which is included in the Ultimate plan free of charge. Considering this is an add-on, consumers could add the $10.99 per month Sports Plus add-on to the cheapest $69.99 per month Pro plan and only pay $80.98 for a fuboTV live plan with NHL Network included.
$80-100/mo
- 195-270 channels
- 10 streams
- Unlimited DVR
Otherwise, the only other option is DirecTV Stream, and plans are not cheap. In total DirecTV Stream offers four different live TV packages for consumers to choose from. However, NHL Network is only included in the two most expensive plans. Due to this, consumers looking for access to NHL Network would need to either sign up for the $104.99 per month Ultimate plan or the $149.99 per month Premier plan.
$80-165/mo
- 90-185 channels
- Unlimited streams
- Unlimited DVR
Deal: Get DirecTV Stream for as low as $49.99/month for 3 months.
Although it was previously possible to sign up to NHL TV to watch out-of-market games in the United States, that’s no longer an option. Instead, all out-of-market games are now provided as part of an ESPN Plus subscription in the US, so this may be an option for some homes. ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 when signing up for an annual plan.
Watch NHL Network summary
At $51 per month, Sling TV is the cheapest way to watch NHL Network. As Sling TV doesn’t include NHL Network in its channel lineup, the Sports Extra add-on will need to be added to one of the two base plans when signing up. The Sports Extra add-on costs $11 per month while both Sling Orange and Sling Blue cost $40 per month each, resulting in a total of $51 per month.
Vidgo is the next cheapest with its Plus plan unlocking access to NHL Network for $59.95 per month. Otherwise, consumers will need to pay a minimum of $80.98 through fuboTV for the Pro plan bundled with Sports Plus, or $104.99 per month for DirecTV Stream’s Ultimate plan, to get access to NHL Network.
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