How to Watch SEC Network Without Cable

 
You don’t like cable, but you don’t want to go without college sports — and you especially don’t want to miss out on the action in the Southeastern Conference. But SEC Network is an ESPN-owned channel available only through pay TV services such as cable and satellite. So what can you do? Fear not: We’re here to show you how to watch SEC Network without cable. Below, we’ll lay out everything you need to know to grab an SEC Network livestream before the big game starts. We have free trial offers, great cable alternatives, and a host of ways to keep your cord-cutting lifestyle while still catching every big moment from every season of SEC college sports. Here’s how to watch SEC Network without cable.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to stream the SEC Network:

	Price	Channels	Free Trial
#1	$69.99 – $139.99	65+	None	See Offer
#2	$5.99 – $85.96	68 – 88	7 or 30 days	See Offer
#3	$64.99 – $33.00	220+	7 days	See Offer
#4	$35 – $50	30+ – 130+	3 days	See Offer

SEC Network is a type of channel we call “network television.” “Broadcast television” channels can be watched for free over the air, but you can’t watch SEC Network for free — at least not permanently — because it’s not broadcast over the air.

But there’s some good news too: live TV streaming services, or “skinny bundles.” What are skinny bundles? They’re multichannel pay TV services that offer live broadcasts of multiple network television stations, and you pay by the month for a subscription. That sounds a lot like cable and satellite — and it is. But there are ways in which skinny bundles are very different from cable and satellite.

Most importantly, skinny bundles stream over the internet; think of them like Netflix, but for live television. Since they’re online services, you won’t deal with any regional monopolies. There’s plenty of competition, which means lower prices and no monopolistic practices — and you won’t be forced to buy hundreds of channels just to get the few you actually want to watch. (Skinny bundles’ tendency to offer leaner, more cost-effective channel packages is where they got their “skinny” nickname). Plus, since these services stream online, you can watch them almost anywhere and on almost any type of device.

Not every skinny bundle can hook you up with an SEC Network livestream, but plenty of services do offer live feeds of the channel. Here are the skinny bundles you may want to consider.

DIRECTV Stream is AT&T's twist on live streaming services. It's full of great channels, including SEC Network, which is available in three of DIRECTV Stream's four bundles. You can learn more about the service in our DIRECTV Stream review.

Hulu + Live TV, the skinny-bundle counterpart to Hulu’s on-demand service, is a great solution to the problem of how to watch SEC Network without cable. For more on Hulu and its live TV service, check out our Hulu + Live TV review.

fuboTV has always been a good streaming service for sports fans, and its already impressive suite of sports-related content is strengthened by Disney-owned channels such as ESPN and SEC Network. fuboTV is especially great for soccer, but it also has really strong coverage of football and other American favorites. That includes college sports, which makes fuboTV a good option for SEC fans who want to check out lots of other sports coverage too.

Many skinny bundles organize their content in tiers: If you want a channel that’s available only in a larger bundle, you have to shell out the cash for the big bundle and get all its channels together. Not so with the live TV streaming service Sling TV! You still start with one or more base bundles (Sling has two), but you are then free to add whatever “extras” — mini add-on bundles of similar channels available on the cheap — you want. You can get your hands on an SEC Network livestream through Sling TV simply by building a bundle that includes it. The service has maintained a great rating in our constantly updated Sling TV review.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV, the live TV streaming service owned by the Google behemoth, has a channel lineup that includes an SEC Network livestream. For more information, head over to our YouTube TV review.

SEC action was meant for the big screen, so now that you know how to watch SEC Network without cable, it’s time to figure out how to watch SEC Network without cable on your favorite devices. The streaming services above work on a ton of streaming platforms and devices. Here’s a chart explaining what you need to know.

Stream More Sports Action From the SEC and Beyond

Not ever SEC matchup is on SEC Network. For complete coverage, you'll want to learn how to stream ESPN and other top sports channels. If you're a college football fan, the place to start is our guide to streaming college football online.

We know SEC Network has some of the best college sports action around, especially if you’re talking about Alabama football. Nick Saban can recruit anyone in the country. Heck, he could probably recruit an alien from outer space — if the alien had a good enough spiral. Yet he couldn’t coach the Miami Dolphins.

But other conferences have college sports action worth watching too. Big Ten Network is one of those big-name conferences, and it includes schools such as Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Penn State. You can find out how to stream all the action in our guide to watching Big Ten Network without cable.

And, of course, you can count on us for tips on streaming NFL games or watching them for free over the air.