If you’re already a fan of La Liga, especially Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atletico Madrid, you already know about BeIN Sports. If your soccer tastes run to Ligue 1, the top French league where Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco duel week in and week out, you’re familiar with BeIN Sports as well.
But there’s more to BeIN Sports than those top two European domestic leagues. The network features tournaments like Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericano, the Turkish Super Lig (featuring some of the most passionate fans in the world), and some key Concacaf matchups tied to World Cup qualifiers. (When the United States crashed out of 2018 World Cup qualifying against Trinidad & Tobago in Couva? It was on BeIN.) And other sports shine on BeIN as well: Namely motorsports like Moto GP, WorldSBK, and MotoAmerica.
What is BeIN Sports?
BeIN Sports was created in 2011 after French Ligue 1 made a four-year deal with Al-Jazeera Media Network. Over the past decade, beIN has amassed a number of live rights, primarily for soccer, that can be broadcast or streamed through services like FuboTV and Sling TV. Along with Ligue 1 and both French Cups, BeIN Sports also has rights to Spain’s La Liga, CONMEBOL Qualifiers, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and the Africa Cup of Nations. Perhaps its most important asset, BeIN Sports has extensive pre- and post-game coverage of the biggest La Liga events.
While BeIN Sports isn’t available on every major live TV streaming service, you still have three solid options, all of them coming with an initial trial to check things out.
1) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $25 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NBCSN (where many Premier League matches appear), NFL Network, and local channels. If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $40 per month.
To add BeIN Sports and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and BeIN Sports Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from La Liga, Ligue 1, and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four BeIN Sports channels. (And choosing Sling TV Latino + Sling Orange for $30 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
2) FuboTV
- Cost: $44.99 for your first month and $54.99 per month thereafter
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, the CW (in some markets) (check local availability here)
FuboTV is a solid TV streaming service option, whether your tastes run to entertainment (AMC, Syfy, FX), news (MSNBC, CNN), or sports (NBA TV, NFL Network). If you’re a soccer fan, however, it will appear tailor-made for you, with 10 BeIN Sports channels, NBC and NBCSN, FS1, FS2, UniMás, and Champions League actions via TNT all on tap. If you can’t watch a match live, FuboTV offers a three-day replay for each match and 30 hours of cloud DVR. (Check out the complete FuboTV channels list.)
FuboTV also has bilingual families in mind; each subscription comes with UniMás, Galavisión, NBC Universo, BeIN Sports, Univision, and Fox Deportes. An extra $7.99 per month will bring you Latino Plus, which includes CNN en Español and TyC Sports among its offerings.
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
PlayStation Vue is a fantastic option for soccer fans who already own a PlayStation console, but this streaming platform is available on a variety of devices. ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2, which will get you a lot of soccer action, are part of the Core package of channels that offer soccer and other sports programming, and the options increase at the Elite and Ultra levels. The Español package includes BeIN en Español and a direct route to La Liga matches.
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