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Even after losing Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce in the offseason, the Cleveland Indians look like a strong bet to win 90-plus games for the third straight year in 2018. They have a two-time Cy Young in Corey Kluber, they have one of the most dangerous hitting threesomes in baseball in Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion, and they will once again be a must-watch team.
The majority of Indians games this season will be broadcast locally on SportsTime Ohio, while other games will occasionally be broadcast nationally on ESPN, Fox, Fox Sports 1 or MLB Network. Fortunately, if you don’t have cable, or if you’re looking for a good reason to cut the cable cord, you can still watch any of those channels live on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV, game console or other streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
DirecTV Now: Includes SportsTime Ohio (in local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1, ESPN and MLB Network
FuboTV: Includes SportsTime Ohio (in local markets), Fox, and Fox Sports 1
MLB.TV: Includes all non-nationally televised and out-of-market games. This is an option if you don’t live in the Indians market
All of these services, which allow you to watch live TV without a cable box or satellite or annual contract, have different pros and cons, so here’s a further run down of what they include, how to sign up and how to watch every Indians game in 2018 online without cable:
DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now offers four different channel packages, ranging from $35 to $70 per month. The biggest advantage with DirecTV Now is the amount of channels. Some of the price points are a little more expensive then other streaming services, but if you want the most cable-like package of channels without actually having cable, or if you’re looking for the best channels-per-dollar ratio, this is the way to go. Additionally, you can either get $25 off your first three months when you enter promo code “YESNOW3”, or you can get an Amazon Fire TV when you prepay for two months, so it’s not nearly as expensive when you look at it that way.
Indians Channels Included: SportsTime Ohio (in local markets), Fox (live in select markets), Fox Sports 1, ESPN, ESPN 2 and MLB Network. All bundles include Fox, FS1, ESPN and ESPN 2, while the “Just Right”, “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” bundles include both SportsTime Ohio and MLB Network.
You can find the complete channel list right here, and you can see what local channels are available by entering your zip code here.
Pricing Options: Live a Little: $35 per month | Just Right: $50 per month | Go Big: $60 per month | Gotta Have It: $70 per month | Plus, if you enter the promo code “YESNOW3” before checking out, you can get $25 off each of your first three months. For example, the Live a Little package will cost $10 per month for the first three months.
Extras: You can watch on two different devices at the same time; 20 hours of cloud DVR (Beta stage) is included; Includes a “72-hour rewind” feature, which allows you to watch certain shows and events up to three days after they air, even if you forgot to record them on your DVR; Includes an Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months.
How to Sign Up: Head to the DirecTV Now website and select “Start your free trial now.” After creating an account, select your channel package and add the Amazon Fire TV if you want to prepay two months (this deal can’t be combined with the $25 off “YESNOW3” promotion). You’ll need to enter your payment information, but if you cancel your subscription within seven days of signing up, you won’t be charged.
How & Where to Watch: If you want to watch on your computer, simply return to the DirecTV Now website and navigate to the channel you want to start watching on your browser. If you want to watch on your phone, tablet or other streaming device, you can do so via the DirecTV Now app, which is free to download for the following devices: Amazon Fire TV or TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Android phones and tablets, and iPads and iPhones. You can read here for more information on compatible devices.
FuboTV
While it started off as a live-TV streaming service tailored towards international soccer fans, FuboTV has since added a number of other sports and entertainment channels, establishing itself as a major player among the OTT crowd. The biggest drawback is that ESPN is still not included, but FuboTV has the lowest price point for the first month, it has a huge–and most importantly, diverse–channel package, and you’re still going to be able to watch the majority of Indians games even without ESPN.
Indians Channels Included: SportsTime Ohio (in local markets), Fox (live in select markets), and Fox Sports 1. You can find the complete channel list, including local channels available to you, right here.
Pricing Options: The main package, which includes 75-plus channels, costs $19.99 for the first month, and then $44.99 per month after that.
Extras: Watch on two different devices at once; 30 hours of cloud DVR is included; Includes a “72-hour lookback” feature, which allows you to watch certain shows and events up to three days after they air, even if you forgot to record them on your DVR
How to Sign Up: Head to the FuboTV website and select “Start Your Free Trial”. After creating an account, select your channel package and any extras if you want. You’ll need to enter your payment information, but if you cancel your subscription within seven days of signing up, you will not be charged.
How to Watch: If you want to watch on your computer, just return to the FuboTV website and navigate to a channel to start watching live TV on your browser. If you want to watch on your phone, tablet or other streaming device, you can do so via the FuboTV app, which is free to download for the following devices: Amazon Fire TV or TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Android phones and tablets, iPads and iPhones. You can read here for more information on compatible devices.
If You’re Out of the Indians Market: MLB.TV
MLB.TV
Those who are outside of the Indians television market can watch a live stream of any non-nationally televised Indians game on MLB.TV. If you want to watch all out-of-market teams, it costs either $24.99 per month or $115.99 for the season. If you only want to watch Indians games, it costs $89.99 for the season.
Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the MLB.com website, or you can can watch on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the MLB At Bat app, which is available on iPads and iPhones, Android phones and Android tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and other devices. You can find the full list of supported devices here.