Most organized sports are on lockdown due to the current coronavirus outbreak. However, pro football fans will get a glimpse into the future with the NFL Draft 20202 event that’s happening on April 23-25. But how do you watch the NFL Draft 2020 via streaming apps and services, if you don’t have a traditional broadcast, cable, or satellite TV?
The good news is that NFL fans who are also cord-cutters can still watch the NFL Draft 2020 with a variety of streaming outlets on their smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. Here’s how you can watch the event?
What is NFL Draft 2020?
The 2020 edition of the NFL Draft will see the 32 teams of the National Football League pick from the top college football players to join their rosters. The NFL Draft has become a bigger media event in terms of mainstream coverage over the years. It’s also become a huge live event for the host city. Originally, the NFL Draft 2020 was going to be held in Las Vegas, and you can imagine how massive that would have been in terms of people, flash, and coverage.
However, the coronavirus crisis caused the physical Las Vegas event to be canceled. Instead, the NFL Draft 2020 will be a virtual event, as team coaches will make their picks from their homes, often with a lot of technology and screens in front of them.
The first round of 32 player picks will be held on Thursday, April 23 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The second and third round of player picks will be held on Friday, April 24, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Finally, rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday, April 25 starting at noon Eastern time.
How to watch the NFL Draft 2020 via streaming services
The event will broadcast on Disney’s ABC broadcast network, along with its cable ESPN and the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes. The cable-based NFL Network will also provide coverage.
Stream via ESPN or NFL apps or websites
If you are subscribed to either the ESPN cable channels or the NFL Network, the good news is that you can also stream the NFL Draft 2020 via their respective apps on your smartphone or tablet.
You can also stream the draft coverage via the ESPN.com or NFL.com websites.
Stream via Internet TV services
Live TV is no longer just available for traditional TV viewers. Smartphone, tablet, and smart TV owners can also subscribe to a number of internet TV services that offer live TV, along with many other features. All of our choices also include cloud DVR features, which means you can record the NFL Draft 2020 coverage to watch later.
1. Sling TV
Sling TV is perhaps your best bet for watching the major portions of the NFL Draft 2020 without having to spend any money. Right now, the service is offering a coronavirus-themed promotion where it will let new users watch live TV from 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time for free. You don’t even have to type in any credit card info. Just type in your email address, whatever password you want to use, and your zip code. Then just sign into the service during those hours and you can watch over 50 live TV channels, via the Sling Blue package, for free.
The list of channels you can watch during “Happy Hour” includes the NFL Network, which means you can watch the first three rounds of picks for the NFL Draft 2020 at no cost.
If you decide to get Sling TV beyond the Happy Hour promotion to get the rest of the NFL Draft 2020 picks on Saturday, you can sign up for either Sling Blue (NFL Network) or Sling Orange (ESPN) packages for the introductory price of $20 for the first month. After that, the price goes up to $30 a month, or you can sign up for both Sling Blue or Sling Orange for $45 a month.
2. Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV offers access to ABC and ESPN’s full coverage of the NFL Draft 2020 via streaming. You also get over 60 other live TV channels and access to all of Hulu’s original and library content on demand. It costs $55 a month but doesn’t offer a free trial, unfortunately.
You can also bundle Hulu with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. That means you can get three major streaming services under one bill.
3. YouTube TV
Google’s YouTubeTV costs $49.99 a month and offers live access to both ABC and ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft 2020 via streaming. It also has over 70 other live TV channels. The better news is that new customers can sign up with a 14-day free trial. You will have to type in credit or debit card info, but you can cancel the service before the trial period ends.
4. AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now offers access to ABC and ESPN, along with HBO and over 45 other live TV channels for the price of $65 a month. There’s no free trial, unfortunately.
5. FuboTV
FuboTV costs $54.99 a month and you can access the NFL Network for that price, along with over 90 other live TV channels. There’s also a 7-day free trial that you can cancel before the trial period ends.
Via Phandroid