Cord-cutters can watch PPV events live without cable using one of the following options: Sling TV, ESPN+, DAZN, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Fite.TV, and Showtime. In this article, we'll help you decide which streaming option is best to watch PPV events live online. Let's get started.
Browse upcoming PPV event schedules for free and before you purchase any streaming service subscription using our Flixed TV Guide.
Watch Pay-Per-View on Sling TV
Souce: Sling TV
Sling TV is currently the only multichannel live TV streaming service on the market that offers PPV rentals. If you want a cord-cutting experience but don't want to give up the option to rent PPV events, Sling TV is going to be your go-to option.
Sling TV pricing and packages
You can get between 30-45+ channels from Sling TV with Sling Orange or Sling Blue. The service also offers combo package with Sling Orange+Blue.
Sling Orange
$20 off your first month
- 30+ channels
- ESPN
- Stream on one device
$45.99/month
Sling Blue
$20 off your first month
- 40+ channels
- Local channels in select cities
- News and entertainment
- Stream on three screens
$45.99/month
Sling Orange & Blue
$20 off your first month
- General cable replacement
- 45+ channels
- Stream on three screens
$60.99/month
To learn more about Sling TV pricing, check here.
Sling TV channels
Your channel options vary depending on the package you choose. Sling Blue offers NBC Sports, for example, as well as some Fox-branded networks. Meanwhile, Sling Orange features Disney and ESPN. Both packages have some channel cross-over, but you'll find both Orange and Blue include channels unique to those options.
If you want every core channel Sling TV offers, opt for Sling Orange + Blue.
To learn more about Sling TV channels, check here. And to learn more about Sling TV as a service, read our review.
How to use Sling TV Pay-Per-View
After you sign up for Sling TV, the service doesn't make it entirely clear how to access Pay-Per-View broadcasts. Here’s how.
Step 1: Log into your account
Your next step is simple: log into your account! You should have created the proper credentials during sign-up, so all you need is your email and password.
Step 2: Go to your account settings
Now, go to your account settings under “My Account”. You can get there by clicking on the small “person” symbol on the top right of the screen.
From there, you should see a PPV event banner on the bottom right that says “Sling Pay-Per-View”. Click on it to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Choose your PPV event and pay
Once you select your PPV event, Sling TV will take you to a payment page. Simply select “purchase”. Sling TV will automatically bill your stored credit card.
Step 4: Locate your new PPV channel
Once you have paid for your Pay-Per-View event, Sling TV will add a new channel for that event to your channel lineup. If you don’t see it on your Sling TV app, simply reset the app and log back in. It should be the first channel in your lineup.
Watch Pay-Per-View on ESPN+
Source: ESPN+
ESPN's low-cost sports streaming service now offers Pay-Per-View events. The service has sole rights over UFC events in the US, and the main event fights are all broadcast through ESPN+ Pay-Per-View. This makes it a necessary service to get UFC Pay-Per-View events live without cable.
ESPN+ pricing and packages
You can get ESPN+ alone or alongside Hulu and Disney+ as part of a $13.99 per month combo package. If you've signed up, you can get a discount on Pay-Per-View events. Alternatively, when those events become available, ESPN will make you sign up for a yearlong account (which comes at a discount) to get access to the fight.
Pay-Per-View prices will vary, depending on the event. Most ESPN PPV events are UFC bouts, and the cost typically ranges between $70 to $90 USD to access the main event.
To learn more about ESPN+'s pricing, click here.
ESPN+ channels
There are no separate channels available through ESPN+. Instead, you'll get access to events as they become available. When Pay-Per-View events are available, ESPN will advertise them to you through the service.
To learn more about ESPN+, check out our review.
Watch Pay-Per-View on DAZN
Source: DAZN
Much like Fubo, DAZN (pronounced “Da Zone”) is a sports-centric streaming service. Originally founded and offered in the UK, the service has since spread to other European countries, as well as Japan and Canada.
DAZN launched in America with the promise to bring traditionally Pay-Per-View events to viewers via a subscription model. It so far has succeeded on that end and now offers over 100 fights (and growing) across several fighting sport genres.
DAZN pricing and packages
With your monthly subscription, you can get unlimited access to DAZN's live and on-demand sports.
DAZN
Only $99.99 for the year
- 50+ fights
- Crossover boxing women's soccer pool & more
- Pay per view available for purchase
$19.99/month
For more information on DAZN's subscription plans, check here.
DAZN channels
As with ESPN+, there are no channels here, just live events provided with a calendar. Once events are available, you can switch to and between them. Multiple sports may be broadcasting at the same time.
Click here to check out our DAZN review.
Watch Pay-Per-View on UFC
Source: UFC
Top-billed UFC fights are almost always locked behind Pay-Per-View, so you’ll need a good source to access them. Thankfully, the UFC offers it own cord-cutting Pay-Per-View service that lets you watch different matches, although at a somewhat steep price at times.
If you head over to UFC Fight Pass, you can purchase PPV access to certain events. The events you can purchase change over time, and some events that are advertised on their event calendar may not be available for purchase yet.
However, you can easily buy access to events by clicking on the event you want in the drop-down menu on the Pay-Per-View page, and then clicking “Continue” to purchase.
UFC also bundles access to their Fight Pass streaming service, which lets you watch a large number of UFC matches live and on-demand.
Note that a Fight Pass subscription will NOT grant you access to the Pay-Per-View events. UFC separates out the two, so, annoyingly, you’ll still need to purchase some events via PPV even with a Fight Pass subscription.
UFC has available apps most TV-connected streaming devices, mobile devices running Android and iOS, or through desktop browsers.
Watch Pay-Per-View on Amazon Prime Video
Source: Amazon
UFC fans can also use Amazon Prime Video to get UFC PPV matches. If you have an Amazon Prime Video account, you can purchase access to specific events through Amazon’s channels features.
Simply look up the event you want to stream and click on it to purchase viewing access. Amazon will bill your credit card on record.
Note that Amazon sometimes lists events before they're available to purchase, so you may have to wait for a bit before you can hit the "Rent" button. Additionally, Amazon may not list an event until the day it's scheduled to stream.
Watch Pay-Per-View on Peacock
Source: Peacock
WWE used to have its own streaming service, but now it's part of Peacock. To get WWE content, you'll need to get Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus. You'll get access to every WWE event, including Pay-Per-View matches.
If you’re a WWE fan, this is great news, as it means you can save a lot of money over buying access to PPV events every time. And unlike UFC, you don’t need to pay separately for those PPV events once you have a subscription to the monthly service.
You can stream WWE on Peacock on almost any device you want, including iOS and Android, TV-connected devices like the Roku, and your desktop computer.
Watch Pay-Per-View on Fite.TV
Source: Fite.TV
As you may have noticed, the vast majority of the options on this list cover PPV for fight sports. And while that does make up a large proportion of PPV events these days, boxing, WWE, and UFC aren't the only shows in town.
Fite.TV is a good alternative PPV alternative for sports fans who want a much broader selection. The service offers PPV streaming for every category you can imagine. And it expands its market beyond the US borders. Enjoy PPV events that span the globe for boxing, wrestling, MMA, motorsports, basketball, soccer, and live music.
This service even has free-to-watch content that doesn't require an account. Simply put, if you're a PPV fan, you need to add Fite.TV to your list of sources.
Stream Fite.TV on your computer, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox One, and several smart TV brands.
Watch Pay-Per-View on Showtime
Source: Showtime
If you’re a boxing fan, Showtime might be a good alternative to PPV for you. Showtime hosts a large number of boxing matches, and you can access these matches on Showtime through any cord-cutting service where Showtime is available.
This actually makes Showtime a much better option than HBO, as HBO does not provide access to its HBO Boxing service without a traditional cable provider.
None of the cord-cutting internet TV streaming services offer Showtime as an included channel in their basic channel packages, as it's a premium service. You will still need to purchase it for an extra fee as an add-on channel. However, most of the streaming services will let you add it on, and usually at the same price ($11.99 per month).
All of the following streaming services carry Showtime as an add-on channel:
Showtime also has a standalone streaming app for the same price. You’ll get Showtime live and on-demand, including the sports options, at no additional cost beyond what you’d pay for an add-on to the other streaming services.
Why is Pay-Per-View difficult to stream without cable?
For US residents, Pay-Per-View without cable is a huge headache. In fact, it’s a huge headache – even with a cable subscription. There are some reasons for this which are hard to counteract.
First, the biggest issue with Pay-Per-View in the US is that promoters have to sign deals for every single matchup. This means, for example, that every boxing match goes through a negotiation process between the two fighters’ promoters, who eventually come to terms over where the match will be held.
That agreement also has to include who will broadcast the event – if it gets broadcast at all – something that can cause a rift between the different promoters.
At times, this has resulted in last-minute announcements for when and where to watch matches, and some PPV matches have even been canceled last minute, much to the disappointment of combat sports fans.
Secondly, most streaming services attempt to minimize how complicated their services are. As shown above, Sling TV is a bit of a loner in the streaming services market in offering Pay-Per-View, and it’s not exactly a simple process to watch PPV on Sling.
This is not really Sling TV’s fault, however. The Pay-Per-View model has been broken and complicated in the US for some time now. The cord-cutting revolution has really highlighted how difficult it is to access Pay-Per-View matches without cable.
Because of this, we expect that more options for viewing PPV events without cable will emerge in the coming years. It’s also possible that more streaming services, such as DAZN, will begin to offer PPV events, and change the way that PPV is offered in America -- for the better.
Sam Cook • Author
Sam Cook is a full-time content strategist by day, a part-time freelance content writer since 2015. In another life, he was a high school English teacher for nearly a decade. Based in sunny New Orleans, he writes long-form educational content on technology, including Insurtech, Fintech, HRtech, and content streaming.
Lisa Holden • Editor
Lisa Holden is an editor and creative based in Houston, TX. Lisa holds a BA in African-American Studies from Temple University and has spent her career working in news publications and magazines, even founding a magazine herself. She began working as an editor for Flixed in 2023. When she’s not editing or working on one of her many creative endeavors (whenever that is), she enjoys traveling to new places and biking on sunny days.
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