How to Watch Live Sports on a Budget with a Season‑by‑Season Streaming Plan

We’re Maya & Tom in Hamburg. We love live sports and hate wasting money. Our solution is a season‑by‑season streaming plan: subscribe only when the games you care about are on, keep just 1–2 active subs at a time, and lean on free broadcast coverage whenever possible. These rules keep us on the same team—focused on outcomes, not policing.

Here’s the exact plan we use, plus copy‑paste rules and prompts to make decisions fast.

Why a season‑by‑season plan works

Free local coverage exists. An over‑the‑air antenna can pull in ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC for zero monthly cost. Use the FCC’s map to check your exact reception before buying and remember to rescan channels periodically after station changes. This often covers NFL, college football, NBA on ABC, and more. [transition.fcc.gov]
Rights are fragmented by month. A rotating plan matches the calendar: fall football, winter hoops and hockey, March Madness, and spring/summer baseball, MLS, and F1. You pay only when the action you want is live. [nba.com, plus.espn.com, ncaa.com, apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com, apple.com/si/newsroom, espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/03]
One‑off big games don’t need full months. Sling’s Day/Weekend passes are handy to catch ESPN/TNT/TBS for a single event without committing to a month. [sling.com]
Fine print matters. Some services limit devices (e.g., NFL+ local/primetime on phones/tablets), and some live sports require specific plan tiers (e.g., Max ad‑free for Turner sports). [nfl.com, theverge.com]

The core monthly rotation

Base layer (free): OTA antenna for ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC after checking coverage via the FCC map. [transition.fcc.gov]
Fall (Sept–Jan): NFL stack
- Peacock for Sunday Night Football; note a Peacock‑exclusive holiday game in 2025 and student pricing for eligible students. [peacocktv.com]
- Prime Video for exclusive Thursday Night Football with full‑season DVR; local markets get OTA simulcasts. [aboutamazon.com]
- Paramount+ to stream NFL on CBS in your local market; useful for AFC games and playoffs carried by CBS. Activate for CBS‑heavy weeks or postseason, then pause. [paramountplus.com]
- ESPN Unlimited only when you need Monday Night Football weeks or major college slates; Select includes ESPN+ content while Unlimited includes ESPN linear networks plus ESPN+. [espnpressroom.com]
- NFL+ Premium is the low‑cost safety net if mobile viewing is enough (local and primetime games on phone/tablet, plus RedZone/NFL Network and replays across devices). [nfl.com]
- Out‑of‑market super‑fans: Sunday Ticket (standalone on YouTube or bundled with YouTube TV) covers out‑of‑market Sunday afternoon games. Local and national games still live on broadcast/cable. Consider only if you truly need non‑local games. [tv.youtube.com]
Winter (Oct–Apr): NBA/NHL window
- NBA 2025–26 national games move to ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock (including weekly Peacock slates), and Prime Video. Plan around these three; you don’t need Max for NBA. [nba.com]
- NHL sits with ESPN for 100 exclusive national games; NHL Power Play on ESPN+ carries 1,000+ out‑of‑market games within ESPN Select/Unlimited. This covers most hockey fans efficiently. [plus.espn.com]
March: tournament month
- To see every men’s March Madness game, stack one month of Max (TBS/TNT/truTV) and Paramount+ (CBS), then cancel. Note: live sports on Max require an ad‑free tier. [ncaa.com, theverge.com]
Spring–Summer:
- Baseball: Apple TV+ offers Friday Night Baseball weekly doubleheaders. If you want broad out‑of‑market coverage, MLB.TV includes out‑of‑market regular‑season games and features like Multiview, and pricing often drops mid‑season—waiting can stretch your budget further. In 2025, MLB Network streaming was included for U.S. MLB.TV subscribers. [apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com]
- Soccer: MLS Season Pass streams every MLS match with no blackouts and supports Family Sharing for up to six users—ideal for Feb–Nov, easy to pause off‑season. [apple.com/si/newsroom]
- F1: ESPN/ABC air all races live in the U.S., with ESPN+ alternates; F1 TV Pro/Premium offers full live coverage and multi‑view/onboard options—subscribe selectively for race months. [espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/03]

Copy‑paste rules you can adapt

“Antenna‑First” Rule
- We always check OTA first. If a game is on ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC locally, we watch free via antenna. We only add a paid service when the game isn’t available OTA. [transition.fcc.gov]
“1–2 Active Subs” Rule
- We keep a maximum of 2 sports subscriptions active at once. Any new sub follows “one‑in, one‑out.”
“Season Window” Rule
- We activate services only in active months: NFL (Sept–Jan), NBA/NHL (Oct–Apr), March Madness (Mar), MLB/MLS/F1 (Spring–Summer). We cancel the same day the key event window ends. [nba.com, plus.espn.com, ncaa.com, apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com, apple.com/si/newsroom, espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/03]
“Device Fit” Rule
- If we can watch on phone/tablet, we use NFL+ Premium as a budget safety net; if we need TV viewing, we shift to services that support TV devices. [nfl.com]
“Tournament Stack” Rule
- For March Madness, we run Max (for TBS/TNT/truTV) + Paramount+ (for CBS) for one month, then cancel. [ncaa.com]
“Big Game Pass” Rule
- For one‑off events on ESPN/TNT/TBS, we buy a Sling Day/Weekend pass instead of a monthly bundle. [sling.com]
“Super‑Fan Filter” Rule
- Out‑of‑market fans compare league passes (MLS Season Pass, MLB.TV) to live‑TV bundles. NFL super‑fans consider Sunday Ticket only if non‑local Sunday games are essential. [apple.com/si/newsroom, mlb.com, tv.youtube.com]

Fairness options for couples

Split by role: One person owns “Calendar & Cancels,” the other owns “OTA & Tech Setup.” Rotate each season.
Split by usage: If one partner watches >70% of the games on a service, they cover 60/40 that month; if usage is roughly even, split 50/50.
Split by priority: Each partner picks one “must‑have” season. We fund those first; everything else is optional and uses the 1–2 Active Subs Rule.

Conversation prompts to decide fast

Which leagues are must‑watch this season? Which months?
Do we get enough with OTA for our local teams?
Is phone/tablet viewing okay for us during NFL weeks? If yes, could NFL+ cover most needs?
For NBA 2025–26, which national windows do we actually watch—ABC/ESPN, Peacock slates, or Prime nights? [nba.com]
Are we super‑fans needing out‑of‑market coverage (MLS Season Pass, MLB.TV), or can we live with highlight nights like Friday Night Baseball? [apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com, apple.com/si/newsroom]
Do we have any one‑off events worth a Sling Day/Weekend pass? [sling.com]
Are there student/intro deals we qualify for (e.g., Peacock student)? [peacocktv.com]

Blackouts and plan tiers: the budget‑saving fine print

Out‑of‑market vs. local: Sunday Ticket is for out‑of‑market Sunday afternoon NFL games; local/national games remain on broadcast/cable. MLS Season Pass covers every match with no blackouts. MLB.TV is out‑of‑market only. [tv.youtube.com, apple.com/si/newsroom, mlb.com]
Device limits: NFL+ base tier streams live local and primetime games on phones/tablets only; Premium adds RedZone, NFL Network, and full/condensed replays across devices. [nfl.com]
Tier changes: Live sports on Max require ad‑free tiers as of March 30, 2025—plan your March Madness month accordingly. [theverge.com, ncaa.com]
Rights shifts: NBA national rights move for 2025–26—focus on ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video. [nba.com]
OTA reliability: Use the FCC DTV maps to confirm reception before buying an antenna and rescan after station changes. [transition.fcc.gov]

Quick setup checklist

Check OTA coverage and place the antenna; scan channels. [transition.fcc.gov]
Mark season windows on a shared calendar: NFL (Sept–Jan), NBA/NHL (Oct–Apr), March Madness (Mar), Baseball/MLS/F1 (Spring–Summer). [nba.com, plus.espn.com, ncaa.com, apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com, apple.com/si/newsroom, espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/03]
Turn on only the services needed this month (keep it to 1–2).
Set same‑day calendar reminders to cancel when the window ends.
Keep a backup: Sling Day/Weekend passes for one‑off ESPN/TNT/TBS nights. [sling.com]

Minimal Monee mention (optional)

If you want to track this as a team, you can set recurring “Season Pass” or “Streaming” categories and tag months you’re active. Shared households can each log a sub and filter by category to see the true monthly picture. Keep it simple: amount, category, optional note.

Sample monthly plan templates

NFL month (example loadout): OTA + Peacock (SNF) + Prime Video (TNF); add Paramount+ for CBS‑heavy weeks, and ESPN Unlimited only when you need MNF/college. If mobile‑only is fine, swap in NFL+ Premium instead. [peacocktv.com, aboutamazon.com, paramountplus.com, espnpressroom.com, nfl.com]
NBA/NHL month: ESPN Select/Unlimited for national windows and NHL Power Play; add Peacock for NBA weekly slates; use Prime Video for select NBA nights. [plus.espn.com, nba.com]
March: Max (ad‑free tier) + Paramount+ for full tournament coverage; cancel after the championship. [theverge.com, ncaa.com]
Summer baseball: Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball; delay MLB.TV until mid‑season price drops if you want deeper coverage. [apple.com/newsroom, mlb.com]
Soccer or F1 focus: MLS Season Pass for full, blackout‑free coverage; F1 via ESPN/ABC or F1 TV Pro/Premium for heavy race months. [apple.com/si/newsroom, espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/03]

Copy‑paste fairness rules for subscriptions

Ownership Split
- Role A manages antenna, OTA checks, and device setup.
- Role B manages subscription on/off and calendar cancels.
- We rotate roles each new season.
Cost Split by Usage
- If one partner watches >70% of a service’s events, split 60/40 that month. Otherwise 50/50.
Cap Rule
- We cap streaming at 10% of our combined take‑home allocated for “fun media.” If we hit the cap, we postpone any new sub until one is canceled.
Discretion Rule
- Personal treats (team merch, bar watch nights) come from personal budgets, not the joint streaming pot.

By agreeing these rules in one sitting and revisiting only when seasons or rights change, you get the games you love without subscription creep. Keep your stack light, your OTA dialed, and your months intentional.

How to Watch Live Sports on a Budget with a Season‑by‑Season Streaming Plan

Sources:

Discover Monee - Budget & Expense Tracker