How to Watch Cubs Games Online Without Cable in 2018

After winning 92 games, capturing their second straight NL Central title and advancing to the NLCS for the third consecutive year, last year’s Chicago Cubs season was still seen as a relative disappointment. That gives you an idea of the expectations for this loaded squad, and they are once again on the shortlist for NL Pennant and World Series favorites in 2018.

The majority of Cubs games this season will be broadcast locally on either NBC Sports Chicago, ABC-7 or WGN-TV, while other games will occasionally be broadcast nationally on ESPN, Fox, Fox Sports 1 and 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 most of these 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 NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1, ESPN and MLB Network

Hulu With Live TV: Includes NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN

Sling TV: Includes NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN

FuboTV: Includes NBC Sports Chicago (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 Cubs 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 Cubs games in 2018 online without cable:

Hulu With Live TV

Hulu

Many are probably already familiar with Hulu, a video-on-demand subscription service similar to Netflix. However, in addition to an ever-growing library of on-demand TV shows, exclusives and movies, Hulu recently entered the live-TV streaming business by launching Hulu With Live TV, which costs $39.99 (includes on-demand library with limited commercials) or $43.99 (includes on-demand library with no commercials) per month.

The service is unique in that it couples a bundle of live TV channels with its extensive library of on-demand content, so if you’re looking to watch live Cubs games, then switch over to watching old “Seinfeld” episodes or one of any other hundred shows without changing the app, Hulu With Live TV is the only service that offers all of that at once.

Cubs Channels Included: NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox (live in select markets), Fox Sports 1, ESPN, ESPN 2. There are a total of 50-plus channels included, as well as Hulu’s streaming library (a $7.99 per month value).

You can find the complete channel list right here, and if you select “View all channels in your area”, you can enter your zip code to see what local channels you get.

Pricing Options: Hulu With Live TV (includes the “Limited Commercials” on-demand plan): $39.99 per month | Hulu With Live TV (includes the “No Commercials” on-demand library plan): $43.99 per month

Extras: The regular Hulu With Live TV plan allows you to watch on two different devices at the same time, while you can watch on unlimited screens at the same time for $15 per month extra; 50 hours of cloud DVR is included, while you can upgrade to 200 hours of enhanced cloud DVR for $15 per month.

How to Sign Up: Head to the Hulu website and select “Sign Up Now”. After creating an account, select your channel package and any extras you want, then enter your payment information.

How & Where to Watch: If you want to watch on your computer, simply return to the Hulu website and select “Start Watching” at the top of the page, and then “Live TV.” Scroll to the channel you want to start watching live TV.

If you want to watch on your phone, tablet or other streaming device, you can do so via the Hulu 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, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, select Smart TV’s and other devices. You can find a complete list of compatible devices here.

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.

Cubs Channels Included: NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox (live in select markets), Fox Sports 1, ESPN, ESPN 2 and MLB Network. All bundles include ABC-7, Fox, FS1, ESPN and ESPN 2, while the “Just Right”, “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” bundles include both NBC Sports Chicago 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.

Sling TV

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The first to dive in to the cable-free, live-TV streaming service, Sling TV remains the lowest price point if you’re planning on keeping a streaming service for the long term. The downside is that you won’t get as many channels as the other streaming services unless you include a bunch of add-ons, but if you’re looking to keep things basic, the two main channel bundles comes in at just $20 (Sling Orange) or $25 (Sling Blue) per month.

That said, because of how the channels are broken up into different bundles, getting all available Cubs channels is going to run $45 per month (Sling Orange + Blue + Broadcast Extra), so we would recommend one of the above options if that’s your priority.

Cubs Channels Included: NBC Sports Chicago (in local markets), ABC-7 (in local markets), Fox (live in select markets), Fox Sports 1, ESPN and ESPN 2. Fox, FS1 and NBC Sports Chicago are included in the “Sling Blue” package, while ESPN and ESPN 2 are part of the “Sling Orange” bundle, and ABC-7 is a part of “Broadcast Extra”, which can only be added to “Sling Orange”.

You can find the complete channel list right here, and you can see what local channels are available by entering your zip code here.

Price: Sling Orange: $20 per month | Sling Blue: $25 per month | Sling Orange + Blue: $40 per month | Broadcast Extra add-on: $5 per month

Extras: Watch on one device at once with Sling Orange, or three devices at once with Sling Blue; 50 hours of cloud DVR is $5 per month extra (restrictions with certain channels)

How to Sign Up: Head to the Sling TV website and select “Watch Now 7 Days Free.” 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 Sling TV website and navigate to your desired 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 Sling TV 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, Fire tablets, and Xbox One. You can read here for more information on compatible devices.

FuboTV

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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 a majority of Cubs games even without ESPN.

Cubs Channels Included: NBC Sports Chicago (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 Cubs Market: MLB.TV

MLB.TV

Those who are outside of the Cubs television market can watch a live stream of any non-nationally televised Cubs 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 Cubs 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.

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