Day by day Roku is gaining more popularity due to its unique streaming services. For the past few years, Roku has been one of the best streaming gadgets for cord-cutters. Since the rates of the local cable subscription are so high, lots of users are searching for other alternatives. In spite of all these hinderance, only very few TV channels can be streamed using the local cable subscription. ESPN is one such channel. It has over 90 million overall active users. It can be viewed through cable subscription, internet TV services, and on some websites too. In this article, we will explain different methods to watch ESPN on Roku. You can either watch ESPN on Roku with Kodi for free or with IPTV services for a fee.
The article is structured into two methods. The first method will explain the steps to watch ESPN on Roku using the IPTV Services. The second method will explain the steps to stream ESPN using Kodi.
Method 1: How to watch ESPN on Roku using Paid IPTV Services
The boom of IPTV services has made the cord cutting easier than ever. New IPTV service providers have utilized this chance to grow them. Direct TV and Sling TV are some of the popular IPTV service providers in the industry. Their monthly subscription starts at just 20$. It covers most of the popular channels including ESPN. Many other channels are also available, for which you need to pay additional few bucks.
1.Sling TV
It is one of the most used IPTV services in the United States. And it has over 2 million active users. The concept of sling TV is somewhat different when compared with other IPTV service providers. Sling TV offers two base plans with different channels. The two package has a different set of channels. You can subscribe to any one pack or both.
- Orange Pack: $20 (30 channels)
- Blue Pack: $25 (45 channels)
- Orange + Blue Pack: $40 (50 channels)
All these plans have 7 days free trial. We highly recommend you to try the free trial before buying the plan. Refer to sling TV official site for more detailed plans. And sling TV also provides support across various other platforms.
How to add Sling TV to Roku?
Follow the steps to add sling TV to your Roku Streaming Stick. Since Sling TV is a premium service. So, you need a sling TV account. If you are using sling TV for the first time, go for 7 days trial. And if you like the service, you can buy a paid subscription.
- Open Roku home page.
- And select search from the left pane.
- Type “Sling TV”. The results will be shown on the left pane.
- Select any of the channel based on your language.
- And select Add channel.
- Wait till the channel get added.
- It will show a notification, once the channel is added.
- Now navigate back to home screen.
- Select sling TV from the channel list.
- It will ask for a sign-in process. Select “watch now 7 days free”.
- Then scroll through the list of channels and select ESPN.
- These are the steps you must follow to install Sling TV and watch ESPN on Roku.
2.DirecTV
DirecTV is the second largest IPTV service provider with 1.2 million active users. The special thing about DirecTV is, it has 120+ channels which is much higher than its competitors. DirecTV has a single base plan. And you need to pay extra for additional features. You can upgrade the plan anytime. It also allows the user to stream on two devices simultaneously.
- Basic Pack: $35 (155 channels)
- Entertainment Pack: $40 (160 channels)
- Choice Pack: $45 (185 channels)
- Xtra Pack: $55 (235 channels)
- Ultimate Pack: $60 (250 channels)
- Premier Pack: $110 (330 channels)
So far it doesn’t have any free trial. So before enrolling in the plan, make sure to check the availability of the claimed benefits. DirecTV also provides support across various platforms. DirecTV also provides 4K Streaming. If your Roku stick is capable of 4K streaming, you can use it.
How to install DirecTV on Roku?
The steps to install DirecTV is similar to Sling TV installation procedure. Search for DirecTV in the search box, and follow the same procedure. After installing DirecTV Now, open the channel and explore the contents.
- At first, the channel is auto-configuring based on your device. So wait for a few seconds.
- Your home screen will look something like this. Here some of the popular shows are already listed. This is based on your location and it may vary.
- Under the guide section, you can find the list of channels and its schedule. The list may change depending upon the plan you chose.
- Find the suitable program of your interest and enjoy streaming.
Method 2: How to watch ESPN on Roku for free using Kodi
Refer this guide to install Kodi on your Roku streaming stick. After installing Kodi, you just need to install the required Kodi addon to watch ESPN live. There are tons of sports add-ons and IPTV addons to stream live sports. Since Kodi is an open source software, you can surf most of the contents for free. Kodi also consists of paid add-ons, but the cost is high. So we are providing some third-party add-ons to watch ESPN on Roku via Kodi addons. The following steps will take you through the installation of the required Kodi addons to watch ESPN on Roku.
Selfless Kodi addon
Selfless is one of the best add-ons to watch IPTV across the world. And selfless is known for its US and UK contents. And with this addon, you can stream most of the sports channels on Kodi. The installation procedure is pretty simple. Just follow the below steps to install the selfless Kodi addon.
- After installing Kodi, launch your Kodi and select settings (gear icon).
- Select File manager > Add Source > None.
- Enter the URL as http://bliss-tv.com/blisstv/
- Give any name and select OK.
- Back to the home screen and select Add-ons > installer icon (top left icon)> Install from zip file.
- Select the name you had given followed by the zip file.
- Wait for few seconds for the repo to get installed. And select install from Repository option.
- Select Bliss repository from the list.
- Select Video addons > Selfless > install.
- Wait for few seconds for the addon to get installed.
- Open the addons from the home screen and enjoy the Live TV.
- These are categories available in selfless Kodi add-on. To watch ESPN. I am selecting USA channels.
- It contains a great list of 74 USA channels. In this list, just browse for ESPN.
- Select any of the streams, to stream ESPN live on Roku.
These are the steps to watch ESPN on Roku using Kodi addon. Make sure you follow the above-described steps correctly for successful streaming. By using this method, you can stream any channel for free. But you have to know, which addon to install. There are lots of other addons to stream ESPN. But Selfless is working great.
We hope this tutorial helps you to watch ESPN on Roku. If you are facing any issues, comment below. We will guide with the appropriate solutions.
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