Don’t have cable? This article will explain how you can stream the next Hornets game and every Charlotte Hornets game this season, no matter where you live.
Watch Every Hornets Game This Season
- Charlotte Hornets TV Market: The Hornets TV Market extends throughout all of North Carolina and South Carolina
- Best Solution when inside their TV Market: Watch on Bally Sports Southeast through the DIRECTV STREAM streaming service (sign up online). The Hornets have 1 national game on ESPN, but it will not be blacked out locally according to the schedule.
- Best Solution when living Outside the Hornets TV Market: Watch nearly all Hornets games on
- NBA League Pass (sign up online). The Hornets have one televised game on ESPN which won’t be on NBA League Pass. Read on to learn how to watch those nationally televised games.
What Channel Are The Hornets On
Where you can watch the Charlotte Hornets depends on whether or not you live inside the Charlotte Hornets TV market (throughout all of North Carolina and South Carolina). If you live inside that market, you can watch Hornets games on Bally Sports Southeast using a streaming service that carries the network. However, if you live outside that market, you will need a subscription to NBA League Pass and a streaming service that carries ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. Let’s take a look at your options based on where you live.
Watching Hornets Games In Market
If you live in the Hornets TV market, you can watch the Hornets on Bally Sports Southeast, the Hornets regional sports network. If you live in the Hornets broadcast areas, you can watch their regional sports network without cable on the following streaming services.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live streaming service that carries Bally Sports Southeast for those living in their broadcast region. However, you must subscribe to their “Choice” package for $108.99 per month. You can sign up online. They don’t force you into a contract, and you can cancel at any time. DIRECTV STREAM also carries ESPN, NBA TV, ABC, and TNT, which are all the networks that air nationally televised NBA games.
The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
FuboTV
fuboTV is a live streaming service that carries Bally Sports Southeast for those living in their broadcast region. They offer a 1-week free trial, which you can cancel within the trial period and not be charged. It’s also cheaper than DIRECTV STREAM at $74.99 per month. However, fuboTV subscribers in this area will be subject to a mandatory regional sports fee between $10.99 and $13.99 per month, depending on how many RSNs are in your area. Please note, that fuboTV does not have TNT, which may be a big deal breaker if you want to watch the NBA on TNT this season.
You can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The price includes a cloud DVR and the ability to stream on 3 devices at once. (see our review of FuboTV)
Bally Sports+
Bally Sports has a direct-to-customer streaming service called Bally Sports Plus. Bally Sports+ carries Charlotte Hornets games airing on Bally Sports Bally Sports+ is currently available on iOS and Android mobile smart devices, along with tvOS (Apple TV), Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and smart TVs. See our article, Is Bally Sports Worth the Price for more details.
You can subscribe to Bally Sports+ at BallySportsPlus.com for $189.99 annually or $19.99 each month and live stream games airing on Bally Sports Southeast or Bally Sports Southeast Extra through the Bally Sports app. To subscribe, you must live in the Bally Sports Southeast TV market. You are most likely outside the intended TV market if you do not see Bally Sports+ available on BallySportsPlus.com or within the Bally Sports app. You won’t have access to all the channels you get with DIRECTV STREAM, but it’s a cheaper way to watch Bally Sports Southeast.
Watching Hornets Games Outside of Their TV Market
If you live outside the Hornets market, then most games will be available with a subscription to NBA League Pass. The exception is the Hornets game nationally broadcast on ESPN. To watch that games, you need a streaming service that carries those channels; like DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV. I cover these services below.
NBA League Pass
To watch most Hornets games if you live outside the Charlotte market, you will need NBA League Pass. NBA League Pass will show every Hornets game except the one exclusively airing nationally on ESPN. NBA League Pass also provides access to NBA TV, so you are covered when they broadcast the occasional Hornets game.
NBA League Pass provides three ways to subscribe:
- Team Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Charlotte Hornets for $13.99 per month or $89.99 per year.
- League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Charlotte Hornets and every other team for $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Premium League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for every team for $22.99 per month or $149.99 per year. (commercial-free)
Keep in mind that there are blackout rules in effect. Games won’t be aired live if:
- They are being broadcast on ESPN, ABC, or TNT. (NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League pass.
- They are being broadcast where you live on the regional sports network’s broadcast area that owns the rights to air NBA games in your area. You will need a streaming service that carries your regional sports network like DIRECTV STREAM (sign up), to watch those games.
The Hornets Game on TNT
DIRECTV STREAM, Sling, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV carry ESPN to watch the Hornets’ lone exclusive national broadcast. Note that NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League Pass. So, just one of those services in addition to a subscription to NBA League Pass will provide live access to every Hornets game if you live outside their TV market.
Sling TV‘s Orange Planboth carries ESPN for a cost of $40 per month. Signing up for this Sling Plan and NBA League Pass will allow you to watch all 82 Hornets games this season if you live outside of their TV market. You pay month to month with no contract and can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The base price includes a cloud DVR. (see our review of Sling TV)
DIRECTV STREAM includes ESPN and costs $79.99 per month. The service carries TNT and ABC which also air NBA games. NBA TV is available on an upgraded plan. You can take advantage of their 5-day free trial. and they don’t force you into a contract, so you can cancel at any time. The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
YouTube TV also provides ESPN in their base package for $72.99 per month if you live in their broadcast area. YouTube TV also includes ABC and TNT which air nationally broadcasted NBA games throughout the season. The live streaming service also includes a DVR and supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. Like the other services, YouTube TV offers a free trial, cloud DVR, local broadcast channels, and many other features. Please read our review of YouTube TV for more details on their service.
Hulu Live TV costs $76.99 per month. After you sign up, the service provides ESPN, TNT, and ABC so you can watch nationally televised NBA games. You pay month to month with no contract and can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The base price includes a cloud DVR and the ability to stream on two devices at once, but the option to upgrade to unlimited streams. Hulu Live TV includes Hulu streaming library. (see our review of Hulu Live TV)
