Have Spectrum but missing ABC & ESPN? Here are streaming options for cable-cutters

Brooke Cain
·2 min read
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With the current dispute between Charter Spectrum and The Walt Disney Company looking like it could take a long time to resolve — if it ever does — lots of cable customers might be looking for alternatives to find college football, NFL games and yes, “The Golden Bachelor.”

There are several ways to get Disney content through streaming services, but if you’re looking for a cable or satellite alternative that includes live TV, the best two options are Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.

But note that no one — not even Hulu or YouTube — is immune to outages from carriage disputes.

Here’s what to know about those two services

▪ YouTube TV: This is a great option for those wanting to cut the “cable” cord. You get pretty much all the channels you might want, including the Disney channels and live local TV. The cost is $72 per month. Info: tv.youtube.com/welcome

▪ Hulu + Live TV: Similar to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV (not to be confused with regular Hulu) gets you a ton of channels — including ABC, Disney and ESPN channels — and live access to local stations. This costs $75 per month. Info: hulu.com/start/affiliate-liveTV

Other streaming options

▪ DirecTV Stream: You’ll get Disney and ESPN networks on this, and a bunch of other channels. It’s worth noting, though, that this AT&T-owned streamer currently has a dispute with Nexstar, which owns affiliates across the country, including the CBS affiliate in Raleigh. It costs $70 per month. Info: streamtv.directv.com/

▪ Fubo Elite: Fubo has long been known as a great sports streamer, but its newer Elite upgrade includes more than 170 broadcast channels plus tons of sporting events. And yes, all the Disney stuff. It costs $85 per month. Info: fubo.tv

▪ Sling has a few different option: a Blue tier and an Orange tier. Orange is its simplest option and it will get you Disney and the ESPN networks. The Orange+Blue tier combo gets a bunch more channels, plus some additional Disney channels like National Geographic. Orange costs $40 per month and Orange+Blue costs $55. Info: sling.com