What Sports Channels Are on YouTube TV?

YouTube TV carries every major US sports channel except the streaming-only ones: CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and The CW, plus ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, USA Network, NFL Network and NBA TV. What it does not include are streaming services like Prime Video, Peacock-only games, ESPN+ and Netflix. It is also where NFL Sunday Ticket is sold.

Sports channels on YouTube TV

Your local CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and The CW stations depend on your ZIP code. Enter yours on YouTube TV's site to confirm which local stations you get.

What YouTube TV covers, sport by sport

NFL

YouTube TV has every channel that shows NFL games on TV: CBS and FOX for Sunday afternoons, NBC for Sunday Night Football, ESPN and ABC for Monday Night Football and NFL Network. The one gap is Thursday Night Football, which streams on Prime Video for most of the season.

For out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, NFL Sunday Ticket is sold through YouTube. Our full NFL without cable guide covers every option.

NBA

YouTube TV carries ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBA TV, which covers most national games. It does not include Prime Video's games or games that stream only on Peacock. Your local team's games usually air on a regional sports network, so check YouTube TV's lineup for your ZIP code; DirecTV Stream and Fubo carry many regional networks. More in our NBA without cable guide.

College football

This is where YouTube TV is strongest. It carries the broadcast networks including The CW, the ESPN channels, SEC Network, ACC Network, FS1, Big Ten Network and CBS Sports Network. Streaming-only games on ESPN+ and Peacock still need those apps. See the college football guide.

College basketball

YouTube TV covers the ESPN channels, the conference networks, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network and all four March Madness channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Many regular-season games stream on ESPN+ or conference services instead. Our college basketball guide breaks those down.

What YouTube TV does not have

These carry real games but are separate subscriptions:

• Prime Video: Thursday Night Football and national NBA games.
• Peacock: NBC games are on YouTube TV through NBC, but Peacock-only games are not.
• ESPN+: streaming-only games inside the ESPN app.
• Netflix: occasional NFL games.
• NBA League Pass: out-of-market NBA games.

YouTube TV vs. other live TV services for sports

• DirecTV Stream has a similar sports lineup and carries many regional sports networks, which helps if you follow a local NBA team.
• Hulu + Live TV covers the broadcast networks, the ESPN channels, the conference networks, FS1, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS and truTV.
• Fubo is sports-first and carries many regional networks, but it does not list The CW, TNT, TBS or truTV.
• Sling TV costs less but leaves out CBS and ABC, so it works best with an antenna.

Plans and channel lineups change. Check current pricing and the exact lineup for your ZIP code on each service's site before you sign up.

Is YouTube TV worth it for sports?

YouTube TV is the right pick if you want one app for nearly every sports channel and you watch more than one sport. It covers the full NFL TV schedule except Thursday nights, all of March Madness and nearly every college football channel.

It is overkill if you only follow one league. An NFL fan could cover most of the season with an antenna, Prime Video and the ESPN app, and a single college team's games might all fit inside the ESPN app.

Getting the most out of YouTube TV for sports

A few habits make a live TV service work better for game days:

• Check the channel the day before. Networks move games late, especially in college sports and on NFL flex weekends. A game page shows the current channel and updates on its own.
• Record your team, not the channel. YouTube TV lets you add a team to your library so games get recorded wherever they air, which helps when a game lands on ESPN2 or FS1 instead of the usual channel.
• Keep an antenna as a backup. If your internet drops during a big game, an antenna still pulls in CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC.
• Watch your local stations. If your ZIP code lacks one local station, the antenna fills that gap too.

To see which channel any game is on this week, use the NFL, NBA, college football or college basketball TV schedule. Every game page shows whether YouTube TV carries it.