Prime Video, Pluto TV and more free streaming services just got a major live sports upgrade

Free streaming services are great. As long as you’re willing to suffer through some commercials, you can stream thousands of shows and movies for the low, low price of absolutely nothing. But these streaming services have always had a massive shortcoming: They show little (if any) live sports.

That’s all changing, though. Today (Oct. 30), FanDuel Sports Network announced that it’s bringing select local NBA and NHL games to some of the best free streaming services out there. Starting in mid-November, FanDuel will air select games live on Prime Video, Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus for free, with more streaming services to be announced in the future.

Now, there are two important things to note here. First, the availability of these games depends on your zip code. FanDuel Sports Network operates regional sports networks (RSNs) in several markets across the U.S., from Michigan to Alabama, Southern California and more. So, the games that will be available to you depend on the market you live in. For example, if you live in Atlanta (like me), you won’t suddenly get free Oklahoma City Thunder games via FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma, but you will see some Atlanta Hawks games become available through FanDuel Sports Network Southeast.

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The other thing to mention is that these games will also be broadcast over the air, meaning you’ll be able to watch them with a TV antenna as well as via these free streaming services. Which specific games will air for free has yet to be announced, so make sure to keep an eye out for more details in the coming days and weeks.

Malcolm McMillan

Streaming Editor

Malcolm has been with the streaming team at Tom’s Guide since 2023, covering the latest streaming news, shows and movies.

Live sports is a massive win for free streaming

A lack of sports has been a significant weakness for free streaming services. There’s a reason these FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) platforms have passed on offering live sports: it costs money. Sports broadcast rights are expensive, and it’d make it nearly impossible for FAST platforms to make money if they regularly offered live sports.

For a lot of people, even access to just a few broadcasts a season might be enough to scratch their live sports-viewing itch, letting them cut the cord and save serious cash.

It’s not like people wouldn’t watch free live sports. Earlier this year, Tubi offered a free livestream of Fox’s Super Bowl LIX broadcast. Over 15 million people watched that broadcast, according to Tubi, showing a clear demand for free live sports streaming. But Tubi hasn’t shown any live sports since, presumably, because it wouldn’t be beneficial for its parent company, Fox.

So if FanDuel Sports Network regularly makes select games available on widely available free streaming services like Prime Video and Pluto TV, that signals a massive shift and a big win for consumers. And with FanDuel Sports Network also announcing today that it plans to launch a 24/7 FAST channel next year, it seems like this won’t be a flash in the pan.

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Sure, you’ll still need to get a paid subscription to FanDuel Sports Network through a live TV streaming service to get all your local games — which FanDuel Sports Network is hoping you’ll do — but for a lot of people, even access to just a few broadcasts a season might be enough to scratch their live sports-viewing itch, letting them cut the cord and save serious cash.

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