The cheapest way to watch SEC Network without cable is Sling TV but consumers will need to add one of Sling’s add-on channel packs to the base subscription. Still, even with the additional cost of the premium add-on, Sling TV remains the cheapest option for those looking to watch SEC Network over the internet, and without a traditional live TV service.
Adding SEC Network to a live TV package can be a great way for an individual or household to expand the amount of sports-related coverage available. ESPN does offer a SEC Network+ service for those that want the ability to stream even more SEC Network videos over the internet. However, SEC Network+ is more of a complementary service and not one that can outright replace SEC Network.
For those that do want to stream the 24-hour sports network owned by ESPN, a live TV subscription is required. Thankfully, there are now a number of live TV streaming services to choose from. These services do differ in many ways, including the overall channel lineups and features, as well as in recording and simultaneous streams limits. Not to mention, price is another major difference with some of the live TV services cheaper than others.
Cheapest way to stream SEC Network
Sling TV’s Orange plan is the cheapest way to watch SEC Network without cable. While the standard Sling Orange package costs $35 per month, the channel lineup does not include SEC Network. Instead, subscribers will also need to add the $11 per month Sports Extra add-on to their package to gain access to SEC Network. Due to this, the actual price of the Sling Orange plan with SEC Network is $46 per month.
Sling TV actually offers two different base plans, Sling Blue and Sling Orange. What’s more, there is no price difference between the base Blue and Orange plans. However, ESPN is only available through the Sling Orange package. As ESPN owns SEC Network, the Sports Extra add-on only includes SEC Network when added to the Orange plan. Any Sling Blue subscribers adding Sports Extra to their plan will gain access to many of the same sports channels, but not SEC Network.
Besides access to ESPN and SEC Network channels, the Sling Orange plan is a good option for families and sports with the ability to watch more than 30 live TV channels. This is in addition to 50 hours of cloud DVR at no extra cost. Of course, Sling TV does also offer an ‘Orange & Blue’ plan which combines the channel lineups of both for $50 per month. Those signed up to the combined Orange & Blue plan will be able to add SEC Network to their channel lineup through the Sports Extra add-on.
Other ways to watch without cable
If the Sling Orange with Sports Extra at $46 per month doesn’t sound like the right service, there are other options available with the next cheapest being Vidgo. This live TV streaming service is a little different to the others considering it places more of a focus on watching live than on demand or recording content. However, with a subscription costing $55 per month, it is the next cheapest option for a live TV service with access to SEC Network.
fuboTV, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV all also include SEC Network with their base plans, but with all three of these services starting at $64.99 per month, none of them are cheaper than the others. Due to this, consumers will need to take into consideration the rest of the channel lineups and feature differences when choosing between fuboTV, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV. With fuboTV, there is the additional caveat of SEC Network only being available in select states. For residents in other states, they will need to either upgrade their plan with the fubo Extra or Sports Plus add-on, further increasing the monthly cost.
Lastly, there’s AT&T TV (DirecTV Stream). AT&T TV’s live TV plans start at $69.99 per month with four different plans to choose from – Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate and Premier. However, consumers will need to sign up to at least the Choice plan to gain access to SEC Network, resulting in a cost of $84.99 per month and making AT&T TV the most expensive option overall.
Watching SEC Network directly
In addition to streaming SEC Network through a live TV service’s app or website, subscribers can also watch live directly. Watching SEC Network is available through the SEC Sports website or by downloading the ESPN app on a supported device. Watching this way does still require the consumer to have an active live TV subscription, as the log in details are what’s used to authenticate access and unlock the channel.
This is made possible through TV Everywhere support, and as SEC Network is delivered through ESPN, all of the live TV streaming services that provide TV Everywhere support for ESPN also offer the same support for SEC Network. While some services don’t include TV Everywhere support for all the channels they offer, there are no issues with SEC Network for AT&T TV, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Vidgo and YouTube TV subscribers.
If opting to sign up and stream SEC Network through Sling TV, then the added TV Everywhere support is going to be specifically beneficial. This is because the Sling Orange plan limits the number of devices that can stream at the same time to one. Therefore, with Sling’s TV Everywhere support, subscribers will be able to watch SEC Network without having to sacrifice their one and only simultaneous stream. This is less of an issue for the other live TV streaming services as they all offer the option to stream on more than one device at the same time.
Watching SEC Network without cable summary
Sling Orange is the cheapest live TV plan that includes SEC Network. Although the base plan is priced at $35 per month, subscribers will need to add Sling TV’s Sports Extra add-on for access to SEC Network, increasing the monthly total to $46 per month. In addition to SEC Network, Sling Orange also provides access to the other ESPN channels as well, including both ESPN2 and ESPN3 as well. Not to mention, with TV Everywhere support available, Sling Orange subscribers can watch SEC Network directly through the SEC Sports website or the ESPN app on supported devices.
Vidgo is the next cheapest option for watching SEC Network at $55 per month. Otherwise, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV all also include access to SEC Network with their base subscriptions, but the price rises to $64.99 per month. Alternatively, consumers can opt for AT&T TV, but at $84.99 per month through the Choice plan, this is the most expensive option to watch SEC Network overall.
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