As the number of ways to watch live sports without cable has ballooned, so too has the number of resources for helping you sift through all the options.

Sites like ESPN’s Where to Watch, MyBundle’s “Find My Bundle” tool, and Roku’s Sports section all aim to help make sense of the complicated, fragmented mess that sports streaming has become, with schedules of upcoming games and lists of ways to watch them.

I’m glad these resources exist, but they’re also a bit confusing in their own way, with informational blind spots that often result in an incomplete picture of your streaming options. Spend any time with these sports streaming guides, and you’ll quickly see where the limitations lie.

Over at TechHive, I’ve come up with a list of useful tools to help you make sense of sports streaming, and what to be aware of as you use them. Read the full column→

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Weekly rewind

DirecTV-Disney blackout: It happened as expected. Disney-owned channels such as ESPN, FX, and Disney channel—along with ABC in some markets—have gone dark on both DirecTV and DirecTV Stream, as the companies’ previous agreement expired without a new deal in place.

As Matthew Keys notes, this isn’t a typical carriage dispute over the cost of Disney’s channels. DirecTV says it’s fed up with oversized bundles and wants to offer smaller packages around specific interests such as sports. It’s been telling customers that cancelling in protest won’t accomplish anything, and that it’s “prepared to take this as long as it needs to” in pursuit of more flexible packaging. Disney has clapped back, saying DirecTV should invest more in having a “slick and dynamic” product, while also claiming that DirecTV’s genre-based bundle ideas lack specificity.

All of which means that the two sides don’t seem particularly close to getting a deal done. In the meantime, DirecTV customers can request $20 monthly bill credits to make up for the missing channels.

Updated NFL resources: Over at TechHive, I’ve updated my story on how to stream NFL Redzone for the 2024 season. The whiparound channel is available as part of NFL+ Premium ($15 per month, $100 per year), but is cheaper as an add-on with live TV streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. And if you’re already paying for Redzone with a cable or satellite TV package, you can stream it through the NFL app at no extra charge.

My guide to NFL Sunday Ticket is also up to date now, with the latest price details and deals. As before, it’s the only legal way to watch live, out-of-market games in their entirety, and you have to buy the whole package even if you only care about one team.

More catch-up

• Here’s a surprising rumor: Amazon may stream regional Bally Sports networks on Prime for an extra $20 per month.
• Pay TV providers lost another 1.6 million customers last quarter.
• Disney+ adds some round-the-clock streaming channels.
• Spectrum TV customers will get AMC+ as part of a new carriage deal.
• Hollywood says it just “took down the mothership” of pirated streaming.
• Vizio’s free streaming service is now available on phones.

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Save more money

We now have not one, not two, but three different Paramount+ promos to choose from:

• Get a month free (including the ad-free plan with Showtime) using this link or promo code OGGMPZR3YBW.
• Get three months free (ad-supported Essentials plan only) with promo code 3MOESSENTIALCS.
• Get one year for half off using this link.

As always, these deals are for new and returning subscribers only, so if you’re already a subscriber, you must cancel and wait until it expires before signing up again. Consider a limited-use payment card to avoid bill shock when the promo period ends—especially on the three-month offer.

Other notable deals:

• Peacock is back with another sale: Three months for $5 per month with code TGIF.
• Watch the MLS playoffs for free: Grab an Apple TV+ free trial, then add MLS Season Pass. Cancel both immediately after sign-up to avoid auto-billing. (For non-Apple TV+ subscribers, it’s $10 for the remaining season.)
• Britbox takes 20% off a year for new and returning subscribers.
• My master list of streaming deals is updated every Friday on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.

Thanks for reading!

Got cord cutting questions for me? Reply to this email to get in touch.

Until next week,
Jared