Why Sport Is Spread Across So Many Services
Almost every complaint about watching sport traces back to one thing: leagues don't sell their rights as a single product. They slice them — by day of the week, by round, by country, by whether you live near the team — and sell each slice to the highest bidder. The result is a schedule where the game you want is on a service you don't have, roughly half the time.
Blackouts sit on top of that, and they're the part people most often misread. A blackout is almost never a technical fault or a gap someone forgot to fill. It's a deliberate rule with a specific purpose: protecting attendance at the ground, or protecting the local broadcaster who paid for exclusivity in your area. Each league does it differently, and the differences are what these guides are for.
Below is every viewing guide we've written. Each one covers the same ground: who carries which games, what the restrictions actually are, and the cheapest legitimate way to follow the thing you care about.
The Guides
How to watch the NFL
Games are split across six broadcasters and which one you get depends on your zip code. The guide covers each window, why market exclusivity replaced the old blackout rule, and what Sunday Ticket costs on top of a base package.
Covers: Networks by window · market exclusivity · Sunday Ticket costs · when an antenna is enough
Read the guideHow to watch the NBA
The league sells in two layers — national partners and your regional sports network — and League Pass is deliberately an out-of-market product. Which is why the hardest team in the league to watch is your own.
Covers: The two rights layers · why League Pass blacks out your team · costs by route
Read the guideHow to watch football
The most fragmented sport there is, plus the famous rule that keeps ten matches a week off British screens entirely. The guide explains the 3PM closed period — where it came from and why it's still here.
Covers: Broadcasters by competition and market · the 3PM closed period explained · costs
Read the guideHow to watch the UFC
One fight night can be three separate products. The guide breaks down the card structure, how the pay-per-view model worked, and what UFC Fight Pass actually is — the sport's most misunderstood subscription.
Covers: Card structure · the PPV model · what Fight Pass is and isn't · Fight Nights
Read the guideHow Blackouts Differ by League
The word 'blackout' gets used for four quite different rules. Knowing which one you're hitting tells you whether there's a legitimate route to the game — or whether, by design, there isn't one.
Market exclusivity (NFL)
Your local affiliates carry the games assigned to your market. Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games are the specific thing the Sunday Ticket add-on exists to sell. The old rule that blacked out unsold home games ended in 2015.
Out-of-market products (NBA, MLB)
League Pass and MLB.TV are built for fans following a team from elsewhere. In your own team's market their games are blacked out, because the regional sports network already holds those rights locally. It's not a fault — it's the product definition.
The closed period (UK football)
No live football may be broadcast in the UK between roughly 2:45PM and 5:15PM on a Saturday. It dates to the 1960s and exists to protect attendance across the football pyramid. Nobody sells those matches because nobody is permitted to show them.
Pay-per-view (combat sports)
Not a blackout at all, but it produces the same feeling: the undercard pulls you in and the main event sits behind a separate fee. Understanding the card structure is most of the battle.
What Sport Actually Costs
There's no single cheapest answer — it depends entirely on which sports and which teams. But the broad shape holds across most markets, and doing this maths before subscribing is how you avoid paying for services you barely use.
| Route | Cost | What it gets you | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antenna only | ~$0 | Free-to-air games: many finals, the Super Bowl, big international tournaments | One-off hardware cost; more sport than people expect |
| One streaming TV package | ~$73–$85/month | National coverage across most sports, plus your RSN if it's carried | Check the regional sports network is included before subscribing |
| Package + one league add-on | +$150–$350/season | Adds out-of-market games for that one league | The add-on doesn't remove in-market blackouts |
| Cable + every add-on | $2,000+/year | Close to everything | Usually a contract; almost nobody watches enough to justify it |
What LunoTV Is (and Isn't)
An entertainment service
LunoTV is a subscription entertainment platform with a large on-demand library of films and series. It is not a sports package, carries no league, and is not a substitute for any of the broadcasters in these guides.
4K-capable playback
Streams are delivered at up to 4K Ultra HD where the source supports it, on a player built for stable, high-bitrate viewing.
Anti-freeze delivery
Our own buffering-reduction layer keeps playback steady when a home connection dips — the thing that actually ruins an evening's viewing.
Works on your devices
Fire Stick, Smart TVs, Android, iPhone, Apple TV and computers, with setup guides for each. Nothing to install on a PC.
EPG & catch-up
A full electronic program guide so you can see what's on and when, plus catch-up on supported content.
24/7 support
Real people, 5 Minutes to first response, every day of the week.
Sports Viewing FAQ
Why is sport spread across so many different services?
Because leagues sell their rights in slices rather than as one product — by day, by round, by country, and by whether you live near the team. Each slice goes to the highest bidder, and the bidders aren't obliged to line up with each other. Following one team through a season genuinely can mean two or three subscriptions.
What's the cheapest way to watch sport?
Start by writing down what you actually watch, then work backwards. An antenna covers more than most people expect — many finals, the Super Bowl and the big international tournaments are free to air. From there, one streaming package usually covers national coverage, and league add-ons are only worth it if you follow a team outside your own market.
Why can't I watch my local team?
Almost always because of the local rights holder. Your regional sports network paid for exclusivity in your area, so out-of-market products like League Pass and MLB.TV can't sell you those same games. The route that works in-market is a TV package carrying your RSN.
Do blackouts still exist?
Yes, but they're not one rule — they're four. Market exclusivity in the NFL, out-of-market product definitions in the NBA and MLB, the closed period in UK football, and pay-per-view in combat sports. Each guide above covers its own.
Does LunoTV include sports channels?
No. LunoTV is an entertainment subscription with an on-demand film and series library — it isn't a sports package and doesn't replace any of the broadcasters in these guides. For live sport, use the official routes each guide sets out.
The Short Version
Sport is fragmented because it's sold in slices, and it's blacked out because the rules are protecting someone — the ground, or the local broadcaster who paid for exclusivity. Neither is an accident, which is why no single service has ever quietly solved it.
The practical move is unglamorous: write down what you actually watch, check whether an antenna covers it, then buy only for the gap that's left. The guides above do that maths for each sport.
Related Reading
- Cutting the cord — working out what you actually watch before you cancel anything.
- Cable vs streaming — how the costs really compare once add-ons are counted.
- Watching the 2026 World Cup — the tournament that's mostly free to air.
Official League Resources
For official NFL schedules and the broadcaster for each game, seeNFL.com. For official NBA schedules, standings and scores, seeNBA.com. For official UFC fight cards and start times, seeUFC.com.