Why Watching Cubs Without Cable Is Easier Than Ever

The Chicago Cubs play 162 games per season, and nearly all of them are now available through streaming services—no cable contract required. Between regional sports networks, national broadcast deals, and MLB's own streaming platform, cord-cutters have more options today than at any point in baseball history.

The key is understanding how the Cubs' broadcast rights are divided. The majority of games air on Marquee Sports Network, the team's dedicated regional sports network. A smaller set of games air nationally on ESPN, TBS, Peacock, or Apple TV+. Understanding this split prevents you from subscribing to the wrong service and missing most of the season.

This guide walks through every realistic viewing option—from the most comprehensive to the genuinely free—so you can find the right combination for your location and budget. Whether you're a local Chicago fan or following the Cubs from across the country, there is a workable solution without a traditional cable package.

Option 1: Marquee Sports Network via Live TV Streaming

Marquee Sports Network is the primary television home for Chicago Cubs baseball. It carries most regular-season games within the Cubs' local broadcast territory, which includes Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and portions of Wisconsin and Michigan. If you live in this region, getting access to Marquee is the foundation of your Cubs-watching setup.

Two major live TV streaming services reliably carry Marquee Sports Network:

• Fubo TV — Base plans start at approximately $80 per month and include Marquee Sports Network. Fubo offers a 7-day free trial, making it easy to test the service during a Cubs series before you pay. The platform supports up to 10 simultaneous streams on the most popular plan and works on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android, and smart TVs.
• DirecTV Stream — The Choice plan at approximately $108 per month includes Marquee. DirecTV Stream has no annual contract and offers a 5-day free trial. It typically includes more entertainment channels alongside sports, which makes it a better fit if others in your household want variety beyond baseball.

Before subscribing, verify Marquee is in your ZIP code. Regional sports network availability can differ by address even within the same streaming service. Enter your ZIP code in the channel-finder tool on each service's website before starting any trial to confirm Marquee is included at your specific location.

Note that Hulu + Live TV dropped Marquee Sports Network from its lineup and does not reliably carry it in most markets. Verify current availability directly with Hulu before subscribing if you already use that service for other content.

Option 2: MLB.TV for Out-of-Market Fans

If you live outside the Cubs' regional broadcast territory, MLB.TV is the most comprehensive streaming option. It provides live streams of every out-of-market game, plus full archives of every game going back years, so you can watch replays on your own schedule.

MLB.TV pricing for the 2025 season:

• Single Team Plan — approximately $107.99 per season. Covers all Cubs games that are not blacked out in your area.
• All Teams Plan — approximately $149.99 per season or $24.99 per month. Covers every out-of-market game across all 30 MLB teams, plus live look-ins and a pitch-tracking feature.

MLB.TV works on the MLB app for iOS and Android, as well as Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and directly in a web browser at mlb.com. The app also includes a free game-tracking mode with no subscription required, so you can at least follow the Cubs' score in real time even without a paid plan.

Blackout rules are enforced strictly. If you live within Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, or nearby states, MLB.TV will black out Cubs games because local rights belong to Marquee Sports Network. A VPN technically routes around blackouts but violates MLB's terms of service and risks account suspension. If you're local, use Fubo TV or DirecTV Stream for Marquee access instead.

Option 3: Free and Low-Cost Ways to Catch Cubs Games

Not every Cubs game requires a paid streaming subscription. Several legitimate free or low-cost options let you catch at least part of the season at no extra expense:

• Peacock (free tier) — NBC holds rights to broadcast select Cubs games nationally on Peacock. These games appear on the free tier and do not require a Peacock Premium subscription. Check the Cubs' official schedule on mlb.com/cubs/schedule for games labeled as Peacock broadcasts.
• Apple TV+ free game of the week — Apple airs one MLB game per week at no charge, without requiring an Apple TV+ subscription. Cubs games occasionally land in this slot. You can watch at mlb.com/tv without creating an Apple account.
• Over-the-air antenna — Some Cubs games air on local broadcast channels in the Chicago market, including occasional games on local NBC or ABC affiliates. A $25–$40 indoor antenna picks up these channels in 1080i HD for free. Check AntennaWeb.org with your home address to see which channels you can receive before buying an antenna.
• Library digital access — Some public library systems in the Chicago metropolitan area provide cardholders with access to streaming platforms that include live sports. Check your library's digital services catalog or ask at the reference desk.

Combining one or two of these free options with a single paid service like Fubo can cover the entire Cubs schedule without paying for cable's full channel bundle.

How to Set Up Cubs Streaming in 5 Steps

1. Identify your location relative to the Cubs' broadcast territory. If you live in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, or the nearby region, you are in the local market and need Marquee Sports Network. If you live elsewhere in the US, MLB.TV will work without blackouts.
2. Check a specific upcoming game's broadcast. Go to the Cubs schedule on mlb.com, find a game this week, and look at the broadcast column. This tells you whether the game is on Marquee, ESPN, Peacock, Apple TV+, or another outlet. This single check tells you which service to prioritize.
3. Start a free trial of your chosen service. If you need Marquee, sign up for Fubo TV or DirecTV Stream using their trial offer. Watch games for the first 5–7 days without paying anything. If MLB.TV is your route, the service offers promotional pricing at the start of each season.
4. Install the app on your TV or streaming device. All major services—Fubo, DirecTV Stream, MLB.TV—have dedicated apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung smart TVs, and mobile devices. Use the app rather than a web browser for the best live sports performance.
5. Enable game notifications in the MLB app. Download the free MLB app, search for the Cubs, and turn on game-start alerts. This ensures you never miss first pitch regardless of which streaming service you're using for any given game. The notification feature is completely free and requires no paid subscription.

Tips for the Best Cubs Streaming Experience

The most common reason a Cubs stream buffers or drops during a game is an insufficient internet connection. Live sports require sustained bandwidth, unlike on-demand video that can buffer ahead. Here is how to make sure your setup handles a full nine innings without interruption:

• Check your internet speed before first pitch. MLB.TV and live TV services require at least 5 Mbps for standard definition and 15–25 Mbps for HD. Run a speed test at fast.com an hour before game time. If your connection is near the minimum, close other applications and pause any large downloads.
• Use a wired ethernet connection when possible. Plugging your streaming device directly into your router with an ethernet cable eliminates Wi-Fi interference and packet loss. This makes a measurable difference during live events compared to wireless streaming.
• Use the TV app, not a browser, for live games. Native streaming apps on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV are optimized for live video in ways that browser-based players often are not. The picture quality and buffering behavior are both noticeably better through dedicated apps.
• Restart the app if audio and video go out of sync. Audio delay is a known issue with live sports streams. Force-quit the app completely and relaunch it—this resets the stream buffer and typically resolves sync problems within 30 seconds.
• Check the Cubs' radio broadcast as a backup. The Cubs broadcast on 670 The Score AM in Chicago, and the audio stream is available free on the Audacy app nationwide. If your video stream goes down in a critical moment, you can at least follow the game on radio until the stream recovers.