Watch TSN and Sportsnet Without Cable in Canada

TSN and Sportsnet are the two pillars of Canadian sports broadcasting. Between them, they carry virtually every major sporting event that matters to Canadian viewers — NHL hockey, CFL football, NBA basketball, MLB baseball, Premier League soccer, tennis Grand Slams, curling nationals, and championship golf. If you follow any sport in Canada, you need access to both networks.

The problem is that both networks have historically been locked behind cable subscriptions. Bell owns TSN and packages it with their Fibe TV and satellite plans. Rogers owns Sportsnet and does the same with their Ignite TV bundles. For years, the only way to watch both was to subscribe to a cable package costing $80 to $150 per month. That changed when both networks launched standalone streaming platforms — but the pricing on those might surprise you.

TSN+ and What It Actually Costs

TSN launched TSN+ (formerly TSN Direct) as their standalone streaming option for cord-cutters. On paper, it sounds like the answer. You get access to TSN content streamed through a browser or the TSN app on your phone, tablet, or smart TV. No cable subscription required.

The monthly price for TSN+ is $19.99. That is just for TSN — one network. And there are significant limitations worth knowing about. Not all TSN content is available on TSN+. Certain live events, particularly some NHL regional broadcasts, are subject to blackout restrictions depending on your location. If you are in the Toronto market trying to watch a Leafs game that is airing on TSN4, you might find it blacked out on the streaming platform due to regional rights deals with Rogers.

TSN operates five separate feeds — TSN1 through TSN5 — each carrying different simultaneous programming. During busy sports nights (think a Saturday in January with NHL, NBA, and tennis all running), different games air on different TSN channels. With cable, you get all five feeds. TSN+ gives you access to live content, but the experience of flipping between feeds is not as seamless as having dedicated channel access.

The annual subscription runs $199.99, which works out to about $16.67 per month. Slightly better, but still a significant amount for a single network that does not include Sportsnet content.

Sportsnet+ Pricing Breakdown

Rogers launched Sportsnet+ as their cord-cutting solution. Sportsnet+ comes in two tiers: a basic plan at $14.99 per month and a premium plan at $34.99 per month. The basic plan gives you access to Sportsnet streaming content but excludes premium NHL game broadcasts and some regional feeds. The premium plan includes everything — all Sportsnet regional channels (Ontario, Pacific, West, East), Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360, and full NHL coverage including playoffs.

Here is the reality check. If you want complete Sportsnet coverage — which most Canadian sports fans do — you are paying $34.99 per month for a single network. That is $420 per year for just Sportsnet. Combine that with TSN+ at $19.99 per month ($240 per year), and you are spending $54.98 per month or $660 per year just to watch the two main Canadian sports networks. No movies. No entertainment channels. No international content. Just sports broadcasting on two networks.

For context, many Canadians were paying around $100 per month for a full cable package that included TSN, Sportsnet, plus a hundred other channels. Cutting the cord and subscribing to both standalone services only saves you $45 per month while giving you dramatically less content.

What You Miss With Standalone Streaming

Beyond the price, there are practical limitations to the TSN+ and Sportsnet+ experiences that cable never had. First, blackout restrictions remain a persistent frustration. Regional sports broadcasting rights in Canada are a tangled web. Certain games are blacked out in specific regions on the streaming platforms even though they air freely on the cable channel version. This is particularly infuriating for hockey fans during the regular season.

Second, the streaming experience during peak demand — think NHL playoff games or Raptors in the postseason — can be inconsistent. Both services have experienced buffering and quality drops during high-viewership events. The irony of paying $35 per month for a stream that stutters during the third period of a playoff game is not lost on Canadian sports fans.

Third, neither platform includes the other's content. TSN+ does not show Sportsnet programming and vice versa. If you want both, you pay for both. There is no bundle deal. Bell and Rogers have shown zero interest in creating a combined sports streaming package, likely because their cable TV revenue depends on keeping these services separate.

How IPTV Solves the Problem

IPTV services provide a fundamentally different approach to accessing Canadian sports content. Rather than subscribing to individual network streaming platforms, an IPTV subscription gives you access to every channel from every network — live, in real-time, exactly as it airs on cable.

With CanadaIPTV, you get all five TSN feeds (TSN1 through TSN5) plus every Sportsnet regional channel (Ontario, Pacific, West, East, One, and 360). That is the complete Canadian sports broadcasting landscape in a single subscription. No blackouts tied to streaming platform restrictions. No separate apps for separate networks. Every channel available through one player app on your device of choice.

But it goes well beyond TSN and Sportsnet. Canadian sports fans who follow American leagues need access to ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and NFL Network. IPTV includes all of these. Premier League fans get Sky Sports and BT Sport. UFC followers get every PPV event. Tennis, golf, motorsports, cricket — if it is broadcast somewhere in the world, it is available through a comprehensive IPTV service with 19,000+ channels. Browse our full channel lineup to see the complete list.

The Cost Comparison That Changes the Conversation

Let us put the numbers side by side so the picture is unmistakable.

TSN+ standalone costs $19.99 per month. Sportsnet+ premium costs $34.99 per month. Together that is $54.98 per month or $659.76 per year. And that only covers two Canadian sports networks with blackout restrictions and no other content.

A cable sports package from Bell or Rogers runs $100 to $135 per month — roughly $1,200 to $1,620 per year — which includes TSN, Sportsnet, plus entertainment and movie channels, but comes with contracts, equipment rentals, and installation hassles.

CanadaIPTV costs $5 to $8 per month on an annual plan, which works out to $60 to $96 per year. That includes every TSN feed, every Sportsnet feed, every American sports network, every international sports channel, plus 19,000 additional channels spanning entertainment, movies, news, kids content, and international programming. No blackouts. No contracts. No equipment fees.

The savings are staggering. Compared to TSN+ and Sportsnet+ combined, you save over $560 per year. Compared to cable, you save over $1,100 per year. Over five years, that is enough to cover season tickets to your local CFL team with money left over.

For a broader look at how IPTV compares to traditional cable across all content types, our IPTV vs cable comparison breaks down every angle.

Setting Up IPTV for Sports Viewing

Getting started takes minutes, not hours. The most popular device for watching sports via IPTV is the Amazon Firestick, and our Firestick setup guide covers every step. You can also watch on Android TV boxes, Samsung and LG smart TVs, Apple TV, or directly on your phone or tablet when you are on the go.

For sports specifically, a few tips will optimize your experience. Use a wired ethernet connection if possible — sports streams are high bitrate and a stable connection eliminates the risk of buffering during fast-action sequences. Set your IPTV player's buffer to Medium or High. And favourite all your sports channels so you can flip between games quickly, just like you would with a cable remote.

Most IPTV player apps, including TiviMate and IPTV Smarters, support multi-screen viewing. During a busy Saturday night of hockey, you can have two or three games running simultaneously in picture-in-picture mode. Try doing that with TSN+ and Sportsnet+ on separate apps.

Canadian Sports Coverage Beyond the Big Two

While TSN and Sportsnet dominate, Canadian sports broadcasting extends further. CBC streams Hockey Night in Canada — free to watch, but only on Saturday nights and only select games. RDS and RDS2 carry French-language sports coverage that matters to fans in Quebec. TVA Sports holds some NHL French-language rights. City TV occasionally picks up sports specials.

IPTV covers all of these. Every regional and national Canadian broadcaster is included, ensuring you never miss a game because it aired on a channel you did not subscribe to. This comprehensive approach is why IPTV has become the go-to solution for serious Canadian sports fans from Vancouver to St. John's.

Ready to Drop the Cable Sports Package?

If you are still paying Bell or Rogers for cable because you cannot live without TSN and Sportsnet, now you know there is a better option. CanadaIPTV delivers every sports channel you need — and thousands more — at a price that makes both cable packages and standalone streaming subscriptions look overpriced.

Visit our pricing page to see current plans. With instant activation, you could be watching tonight's game on every TSN and Sportsnet feed within minutes.