It’s that season again. Passionate baseball followers are on the edge of their seats as the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to clash in the World Series.
Supporters of the Astros hope their squad can deliver the city — still recovering from Hurricane Harvey — its first-ever MLB crown. Dodgers backers want to follow the Chicago Cubs’ lead and end a decades-long drought that has kept a World Series victory out of reach for roughly 30 years.
Baseball enthusiasts everywhere will be glued to their screens.
But what if you don’t own a TV? And what if you don’t have cable? Does that mean you’re out of luck for the next two weeks?
Before you commit to spending every night at a local bar for several nights and draining your discretionary cash on snacks and drinks, consider this approach to “free” sports streaming.
How to Find a Free World Series Livestream
Livestream provider Sling TV carries a range of broadcast and cable channels with packages from $20 to $40 per month. In many markets, subscribers can also view local broadcast affiliates like Fox, which is broadcasting every World Series game.
Sling also provides a complimentary seven-day trial for new customers.
See where I’m going with this? Tuesday, Oct. 24 would be an ideal day to launch your free Sling trial. If the series ends in five games, you’re covered — just cancel after the final out.
If the series extends to seven games, things get more complicated. You must enter credit card information to start the trial, and if the billing address matches across the cards in your wallet, you might be blocked from signing up for a second trial.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as using your alternate email address, [email protected], which you definitely created more than a couple of days ago.
There’s another option. YouTube TV, a streaming platform for cord-cutters who still want live programming, has an agreement with MLB to stream the World Series live.
YouTube TV is $35 per month, and it also offers a seven-day free trial.
While neither trial on its own will necessarily cover all seven World Series games, if they last that long, staggering the two trials could give you 14 days of free live TV. That should be enough time to watch the entire series.
Yes, it’s a bit fiddly, but securing a World Series livestream this way is far less expensive than hitting the bar every night.
Just remember to cancel both subscriptions before the trial periods end. Otherwise, you could finish the World Series with a $75 charge on your card.
Other Low-Cost Ways to Get Your Baseball Fix
If you have a TV but don’t subscribe to cable, a simple antenna will let you receive broadcast channels — including, of course, Fox. If you expect to keep watching local stations occasionally, you can buy an antenna for as little as $15.
If you only want baseball access, you can subscribe to MLB.tv for $9.99 for the remainder of the season, which can include live World Series coverage.
Also, if you already own a TV and a PlayStation 3 or 4, Amazon Fire device, Roku streaming player or Google Chromecast, you can use your PlayStation Network account to start a complimentary five-day trial of PlayStation Vue.
Packages that include dozens of channels begin at $39.99 per month, but the free trial grants access to Fox. As with Sling trial users, you’ll face the same issue if the matchup goes beyond five games — but that’s when friends can help.
Alex Morgan is a senior writer and producer at Savinly. Baseball gives them stress, but they just can’t quit. Staff writer Desiree Stennett updated this piece.
