Getty Joey Chestnut (C) eats during the men's hot dog eating contest on July 4, 2019
The 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will air live on Sunday, July 4 at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on ESPN.
If you don’t have cable or don’t have ESPN, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your AT&T TV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Sling TV
ESPN is included in Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with ESPN, and you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 2021 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2021 Preview
For the 18th year in a row, ESPN is broadcasting the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. The event dates back to 1972 — though there are some erroneous reports that it actually dates back to 1916, a date that promoter Mortimer “Morty” Matz admitted in 2010 was a fabrication from the early 1970s as part of publicity for the early days of the official contest, according to a story by the New York Times.
But for the past 18 years, the contest has taken place on the 4th of July and is broadcast live by ESPN. Nathan’s Famous will preside over the 2021 contest at Maimonides Park on Coney Island, New York, with George Shea, the chairman of MLE (Major League Eating), hosting the festivities, according to the ESPN press release.
ESPN personality Mike Golic Jr. will be the play-by-play commentator for the second year in a row, and the show will also include analysis by MLE’s Richard Shea and reporting by ESPN correspondent Jason Fitz.
The press release continues, “Seven-Time Women’s Champion Miki Sudo will join Golic and Shea in the booth for the women’s competition. The coverage will feature Joey Chestnut competing for a record 14th title in 15 years in the men’s contest. In addition to the live event on ESPN, an ESPN3 camera will be focused on Joey Chestnut as he attempts to break his world record of 75 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.”
Repeats of the 2021 contest will air on July 4 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNews. It will also be rebroadcast on Monday, July 5 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET on ESPNews. Furthermore, ESPN will rebroacast its “30 for 30” about the rivalry between Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, “The Good, The Bad, The Hungry,” at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 1.
In 2020, Chestnut broke his own record by eating 75 hot dogs in buns in 10 minutes. Also in 2020, Sudo set a new women’s record with 48 and 1/2 hot dogs, breaking the previous record set by Sonya Thomas in 2012, which was 45. Chestnut has been the winner almost every year since 2007, when he came in and defeated Kobayashi, breaking Kobayashi’s six-year winning streak. The only year Chestnut hasn’t won since 2007 was when Matt Stonie beat him 62 dogs to 60 in 2015. The women have only been competing in their own contest since 2011; Sudo has won every year since 2014.
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest 2021 airs live Sunday, July 4 at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on ESPN.