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Fireworks and parades and family time are all nice, but everyone knows the real jewel of the Fourth of July is the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot-Dog Eating Contest. Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo are once again back to defend their titles in 2018, as Coney Island provides the backdrop for the most intense sporting event of the year.
Coverage of this year’s contest will be on ESPN 2, starting at Noon ET. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still easily watch all the action live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including ESPN 2. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the tournament on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If there’s a match or broadcast 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), allowing you to record the contest if you want.
ESPN 2 is included in the “Sling Orange” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of both bundles, and you can then watch the contest live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
You can also watch the contest live your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider in order to watch the contest this way, but if you don’t have cable, you can still just sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on ESPN’s platforms.
Other events being broadcasted today, for the 4th of July holiday, include Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular and A Capitol Fourth. The Macy’s spectacular takes place in New York City and some of the performers included in this year’s event are Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and the American Authors. The show airs from 8 – 10 p.m. ET/PT on the NBC network, with a shortened encore presentation airing directly after, from 10 – 11 p.m. ET/PT. A Capitol Fourth will air on the PBS channel and some of this year’s performers include The Temptations, Beach Boys, Pentatonix, Andy Grammer, Chita Rivera, Renee Fleming, Luke Combs, Lauren Alaina, Kyla Jade, CeCe Winans, and Jimmy Buffett. John Stamos is returning as the show’s host and told WTOP that he’s excited to be a part of the show again.