The 05 Best Sports Cable Channels
While all of us have different preferences and opinions on everything, be it entertainment genres, world politics, or even a simple soda – one thing that has no opposition is our national love for sports. Now that everyone is jumping the bandwagon to switch to streaming platforms, cable services owe much of their revenue to sports networks. The extensive number of sports channels that one can get through cable service is not offered by most live streaming platforms and in the event it is, you might have to pay substantially.
On such a note, if you are a sports fan and thinking about cutting the cord, you might want to consider this factor before making a decision. To make things easier for you, I would recommend you check out TWC TV plans to explore the most reasonably priced cable plans, some of which are specially designed for sports lovers.
Following are some of the most loved and best sports cable channels:
1. ESPN
Headquartered in Connecticut, ESPN was launched in 1979 by ESPN Incorporation. As its tagline suggests, it is the world leader when it comes to sports. With ESPN, you can be sure to get all the sports content, all the time. It features live sporting events, celebrity talk shows, and sports documentaries.
ESPN is the largest sports network in the world, bringing over five million subscribers an extensive amount of sports coverage on a daily basis. ESPN began as a television channel and has since expanded into radio broadcasting and online streaming services. Now boasting over four thousand employees, ESPN broadcasts games from all of the major sporting leagues and conferences, including NFL Football, MLB Baseball, NBA Basketball, NHL Hockey, and NCAA College Sports.
Some of the most popular programs of ESPN are SportsCenter, 30 for 30, Monday Night Football, First Take, Sunday Night Baseball, The Last Dance, and SportsNation.
2. Fox Sports 1
Fox Sports 1 is owned by Fox Sports Media Group and was founded in 2013. It broadcasts a range of live sports content including college sports, major league sports, and championship events. It is based in California and is accessible to more than 90 million U.S. households.
The network primarily carries regional broadcasts of sporting events from the “Big Four” major sports leagues in the United States – the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL – as well as college sports sanctioned by the NCAA. Fox Sports 1 is an American cable and satellite network dedicated to television broadcasts of sports events, with its flagship primary channel devoted to general live programming featuring all aspects of these sporting events.
Its most popular shows are Fox Sports Live, UFC Tonight, The Ultimate Fighter, Fox College Hoops, America’s Pregame, Fox NFL Kickoff, Speak for yourself, Fox College Football, and NASCAR RaceDay.
3. MLB Network
The MLB Network is a television sports channel dedicated to baseball. Launched on January 1, 2009, the network is a joint venture between Major League Baseball and cable provider Comcast. The channel’s headquarters and studios are located in Secaucus, New Jersey.
MLB Network debuted with an opening lineup of programming devoted to classic games from the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, including live telecasts of Los Angeles Dodgers games from 1977 to 1979 featuring Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully.
Primarily dedicated to the love of baseball, this sports network features everything related to sports including shows, live sports, and documentaries. NHL Network and MLB Network Radio are its sister channels. The MLB Network is dedicated to providing in-depth analysis and breaking news about Major League Baseball.
Television viewers watching a baseball game on a local affiliate station receive broadcasts from two sources, the home team’s broadcaster and Major League Baseball’s own network. The latter, MLB Network, is available as part of many cable and satellite packages, but it has its own schedule of live games separate from those aired by individual teams. This allows fans to watch any televised game they wish at almost any time, even if their hometown team is not playing or was eliminated from playoff contention.
You can catch the best sports shows on MLB Network like MLB Tonight, Intentional Talk, MLB Network Showcase, Hot Stove, Quick Pitch, The Club, Baseball IQ, Baseball’s Seasons, Incident at Candlestick, and MLB Network Division Series.
4. NFL Network
The NFL Network is an American sports channel dedicated to professional football, owned by the National Football League (NFL) and part of NFL Media. Dedicated to football 24 hours a day across all shores of the United States, the channel features game telecasts from the NFL, as well as NFL-related content including analysis programs, specials, and documentaries. The network launched in 2003 with an emphasis on showing uncut games; it began broadcasting in high definition in 2006. It airs almost all sporting events while prioritizing football. The genres of programs include talk shows, specials, sports documentaries, and analysis shows.
The National Football League has a huge following across the United States and internationally as well. The NFL consists of 32 teams that are divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference and the National football conference. Within these conferences, there are four divisions each, north, south, east, and west. There are also four teams that make up the national football conference at large which include; Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington
The most beloved shows of NFL Network are Thursday Night Football, NFL Total Access, A Football Life, NFL Replay, Good Morning Football, Inside the NFL, Inside the Draft, NFL Classics, NFL’s Greatest Games, NFL Top 100, and NFL Fantasy Live.
5. NBA TV
Now that we have covered the best network for football and baseball, it is the turn for basketball. NBA TV is owned by National Basketball Association and airs all the live basketball matches, specials, and analysis shows. The content of this channel is centered mainly around basketball. Over 55 million U.S. households have paid access to this channel.
The famous TV shows that you should check out on NBA TV are NBA Action, Hardwood Classics, The Starters, NBA Inside Stuff, NBA Gametime Live, 10 before Tip, NBA Saturday Primetime, Shaqtin’ a Fool, NBA Crunchtime, NBA Wednesday, and Open Court.