Last Tuesday, when the opening game of the "First Four" tipped off, hoops fans around the country had one big question: What channel is TruTV on again? And no wonder: It's only been a year since coverage of the NCAA Tournament expanded from just CBS (and NCAA.com) to TruTV, TNT, and TBS, adding yet more networks from which sports fans can get their fix. For the most addicted among us, like me, that's a very good thing. Readers often notice how often I tweet and write about sports, and wonder how I’m watching all the different events. The truth is that if you are strategic about which sports upgrades to add to your basic cable package; have a Slingbox and can access a cable or satellite box out of your area; or, worst-case scenario, just know where to look for those channels that are already available, you can watch great sports pretty much 24/7, 365 days a year. Here's how:
ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU
It’s a given that the ESPN family of networks are a known commodity. They own the rights to nearly every sport in the Western Hemisphere and even the casual sports fan knows what they can provide. The one thing I will remind people of is how many different college sports actually appear on ESPNU. College football is usually covered on the other networks, but The U is really useful for college baseball, basketball, hockey, and lacrosse, especially during their tournament times. It’s good to know you can catch your college team play long after you’ve left the school, even if it’s trying to catch a James Madison D-I FCS college football playoff game.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
ESPN3 & the Watch ESPN App
Since the ESPN networks air many sporting events and own the rights to numerous others, they’ve made those games available on the Internet and through mobile devices. ESPN has now negotiated these rights into most of their carrier agreements with the cable and satellite companies, allowing you to watch with your cable or satellite company’s login information. ESPN3.com allows sports fans to access all that content on their computers, subject to local blackouts. This provides a couple major positives: First, it allows you to watch games that aren’t being aired in your region of the country. Second, you can turn your living room into your very own sports bar by having games showing on multiple screens. It got even better when ESPN brought all this to mobile devices via their App. Airport delays and long car rides became a little more tolerable now that you can watch some sports to kill the time.
- Carriers: All computers and most mobile devices with cable or satellite company login information.
ESPN Goal Line
Two seasons ago ESPN created an extra channel that was their version of NFL Red Zone, but for college football. Every Saturday during college football season, ESPN Goal Line flips through all the games in the ESPN family of networks as well as the ABC games and a few others (mostly Big 12 and ACC) that they have content rights for. If you’ve only got one TV, it’s a nice way to keep track of all the action.
- Carriers: Time Warner and Verizon Fios.
ESPN Buzzer Beater
With the success of ESPN Goal Line, ESPN decided to launch a college basketball version with the same concept. Airing on Wednesdays and Saturdays over the last two regular seasons, ESPN Buzzer Beater usually airs on the same channel that ESPN Goal Line aired on in the fall. And like ESPN Goal Line, it flips through all the games ESPN has content rights for on a given day.
- Carriers: Time Warner and Verizon Fios.
FX
Known mostly for its night-time comedies and dramas like “The League” and “American Horror Story,” FX also shows a couple different sports properties. The FX “College Football Game of the Week” is shown every Saturday throughout football season. It’s one of the places to find Gus Johnson these days since he’s no longer doing the NFL and college basketball for CBS. The games usually include teams from the Big 12 or Pac 12. FX also carries European Champions League games, so soccer fans need to be aware of that. And The Ultimate Fighter Live just premiered last week and airs each Friday at 10 p.m. on FX.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
TNT, TBS, and TruTV
It’s a well-known fact that TNT covers the NBA. They’ve been around for years and have shown no sign of every wanting to give up the property. If anything, they’ve increased their NBA coverage by combining forces with the NBA to maximize resources. They also show six NASCAR races a year and a few golf tournaments. Since 2011, TNT and its Turner siblings TBS and TruTV have aired NCAA Tournament games, ensuring that every game of the tournament is airing on some network, no matter what part of the country you're watching in. (In 2016, these networks will begin airing late-tournament games, including the Final Four.) TBS, meanwhile, national home of the Atlanta Braves until 2007, now airs some MLB post-season games.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
NCAA.com and App
We'll take the opportunity to once again mention the incredible ability to watch every single NCAA Tournament game on your computer or mobile phone. Sure, the games usually lag by anywhere between 15 and 45 seconds, but if you're stuck at work or out somewhere and don't want to miss a minute of action, sign up asap. (They're charging $3.99 for anyone who doesn't have a home cable account, but read this for info on how to bypass that charge without your cable bill.)
- Carriers: The Internet.
CBS Sports Network
Formerly named the CBS College Sports Network, CBS Sports Network does focus mostly on college sports, but it changed its name for better brand recognition. The majority of the content you’d care to see is college basketball from the Mountain West Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, and Conference USA. For the college hockey fans out there, this is usually the best place to catch a few different games each weekend featuring the best teams in the country, including Minnesota, Boston University, Boston College, Wisconsin, and Michigan. There are a bunch of non-event college sports on their as well if you’re into that.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
NBC Sports Network
It was once OLN and then Versus, but now NBCUniversal has finally decided it was time to brand the network in line with their other properties. The calling card for the network is its NHL coverage. It’s got a few games every week and plenty of games in the playoffs. They’ve recently added the MLS and a Friday night College Hockey game to go along build their portfolio. Horse Racing and the Olympics are shown as well since those tie into the NBC coverage.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus
As the popularity of soccer grows in the United States, so too does the amount of soccer available on television. Fox Soccer recently added Fox Soccer Plus because they’ve continued to expand their soccer content and needed another channel to bring it to the masses. The real flag bearer on the network is the English Premier League action. It’s the most well-known soccer league in the world and there are at least five EPL games a weekend shown live on Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, with a few more being shown on tape delay. Fox’s rights to the European Champions League give fans the opportunity to watch the best Club teams in the world on these two networks. There’s also a pretty strong following of Serie A (Italian League) soccer in the U.S. and that can also be found on GolTV. The two channels also show the two major English cup tournaments along with Ligue 1 (French League), U.S. National team games, European international games, and a few other soccer properties. It’s a soccer fan’s dream.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
GolTV
Not to be outdone by Fox Soccer, GolTV is on the rise, specifically because they own the U.S. rights to La Liga (Spanish League) soccer. The two best players in the world (Messi and Ronaldo) now play on opposing teams in Spain, and Barcelona is widely viewed as the best Club team in the world. La Liga may not be as deep as the EPL, but one can get plenty of enjoyment out of watching Barcelona or Real Madrid play. While the Bundesliga (German League) may only be the fourth biggest league in the world, it’s a nice complementary product as well.
- Carriers: Most satellite and cable providers.
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