Are you a would-be cord cutter living in Alabama? This article will to equip you with everything you need to know at the start of your cable-free journey, taking you through the best TV streaming providers, with the best live sports, channel options, and more.
DIRECTV Stream is the streaming service gets the nod as the best online streaming provider for TV viewers in Alabama, based on its sheer choice for sports, news and entertainment. Along with having a wider range of top channels, DIRECTV Stream also has the biggest array of local affiliate channels per market across the state.
So sit back and allow GOAL to guide you through the best streaming solution for everything from college football, the biggest NFL football games, our pick of plans and packages to suit all needs, streaming library, as well as the channel lineup and type of programming you can find with the television support from DIRECTV.
Competing TV streaming providers
When it comes to picking the most suitable streaming service to catch your favorite football team, there are a few to choose from. Watching TV via a livestream instead of through cable is now the preferred way for sports fans to catch all the action, whether its SEC football, college sports or the NFL, for whichever championships and trophies you're following.
Fubo, DIRECTV and Sling TV are the main competitors, and you can see the channels each offers, below.
Cable Channels - DirecTV Stream vs Fubo vs Sling TV
| Channel | DIRECTV Stream | Fubo | Sling TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&E | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue) |
| AMC | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| BET | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Bravo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Cartoon Network | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| CNN | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Comedy Central | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Discovery | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Disney Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Orange) |
| Disney Junior | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| E! | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| ESPN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Orange) |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Orange) |
| Food Network | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Fox News | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Freeform | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Orange) |
| FS1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Fox Sports 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| FX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| FXX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| Hallmark Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| HGTV | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| History | ✔* | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Investigation Discovery | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Lifetime | ✔* | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| MSNBC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| MTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Nickelodeon | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Paramount Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| Syfy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| TBS | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| TLC | ✔ | ✘ | ✔* |
| TNT | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| Travel Channel | ✔* | ✘ | ✔ (Blue + Orange) |
| truTV | ✔ | ✘ | ✔* (Blue) |
| USA Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (Blue) |
| VH1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
| WE tv | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
* customers require an add-on for this particular channel
Best online streaming service for live sports in Alabama
Getty ImagesBest online streaming service for live sports in Alabama
DIRECTV Stream and Fubo offer a considerable range of national and Regional Sports Networks (RSNs). However, DIRECTV Stream and Fubo require customers to buy a more comprehensive and ultimately more expensive package for more specialist channels than, say, Sling TV.
That said, the likes of Fubo and DIRECTV will secure you with a wide range of RSNs, meaning the college football season is covered, and have most of the national major sporting channels available, whereas Sling is far more limited in choice and availability.
How to watch Alabama Crimson Tide without cable
ABC owns the rights to most of Alabama Crimson Tide's matches and is available on most online streaming services.
The cheapest online streaming service to carry ABC is Sling TV. To get ABC on Sling TV, you will need a Sling Blue package, which starts from $50.99 per month.
To watch the next Alabama Crimson Tide game for free, check out the free trials available via Fubo (seven days) and DIRECTV Stream (five days).
How to watch Alabama A&M Bulldogs without cable
Most Alabama A&M Bulldogs games are shown via ESPN, from $29.99 per month.
Occasional Alabama A&M games are also shown on ESPNU. The cheapest way to watch ESPNU is, again, via Sling TV. It does, however, require the Sports Extra add-on. At $11 per month, on top of a $45.99 base (Orange) Sling TV subscription, this still works out as a cheaper option than other streaming services on the market but Orange is, as mentioned, extremely limited.
How to watch Alabama State Hornets without cable
Like Alabama A&M Bulldogs, Alabama State Hornets games are broadcast across ESPNU and ESPN. ESPN costs $29.99 per month, while Sling TV is the cheapest option for live streaming ESPNU.
ESPNU is also available on more comprehensive streaming services such as DIRECTV Stream and Fubo which are both available to watch for free with a five and seven-day trial, respectively.
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