Watching The Astros Postseason
The rest of the Astros postseason will air on Fox and FS1. While Sling’s Blue Plan has FS1 for $40 per month, they won’t have Fox unless you live in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Seattle, Tampa/St. Petersburg, or Washington, DC.
So unless you have a TV antenna that gets Fox, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, and FuboTV can provide FS1 and Fox. Read on for more information on watching the Astros’ next Playoff game Game, or check out our guide on the best streaming services for watching the MLB postseason.
Remember an antenna is always a great way to watch local networks like Fox. You can try something like this $20 Flat TV antenna from Amazon. If it doesn’t work out, Amazon is great with returns. If you want to try and find the best TV antenna solution for your area, check out my in-depth guide to choosing a TV antenna.
Watching The Astros in The Regular Season
Astros games will air on FS1 or Fox for the remainder of this postseason, so no games will be airing on Space City Home Network. The information below pertains to watching the Astros during the regular season. Scroll back up to the top for information on watching the Astros during the 2023 MLB postseason.
The 2023 Baseball Season is here, and you don’t need cable to watch Houston Astros games. However, with MLB TV rights, how to watch your Houston Astros can be confusing, depending on where you live. This article will explain how to watch every Houston Astros game this season, no matter where you live.
- Houston Astros TV Market: The greater Houston area and Southeast Texas
- Best Solution when inside their TV Market: Watch on Space City Home Network through the fuboTV streaming service (free trial)
- Best Solution when living Outside the Astros TV Market: Watch nearly all Astros games on MLB.TV.
What Channel Are The Astros On
You can watch the Houston Astros depending on whether or not you live inside the Houston Astros TV market, which consists of the greater Houston area and Southeast Texas. Please note that if the Astros are playing on the Apple TV+ Friday Night Game or Peacock’s Sunday morning game, then those games will not appear on Space City Home Network.
Watching Astros Games In Market
If you live in the Astros TV market, you can watch the Astros on Space City Home Network, the Astros regional sports network. If you live in the Astros 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 Space City Home Network for those living in their broadcast region. However, you have to 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 Fox, ESPN, MLB Network, TBS, and FS1, which are all the networks that air nationally televised MLB games.
DIRECTV STREAM Choice Deal: After a 5-day free trial, the DIRECTV STREAM Choice plan costs $108.99 per month. You can sign up on the DIRECTV STREAM website. There is no long term contract and you can 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.
Watch Space City Home Network on fuboTV
fuboTV offers subscribers local and cable TV channels just as if you subscribed to a cable TV package, and Space City Home Network is a part of their channel lineup. However, fuboTV subscribers in this area will be subject to a mandatory $6 per month regional sports fee. You can watch Space City Home Network through fuboTV online or on your TV using a supported streaming device like a Roku or Fire TV Stick. Like cable, Space City Home Network is only available through fuboTV if you live in their TV market. I recommend checking their website to find the channels they offer in your area using this link.
There is no contract so you can cancel at any time. If you cancel during your free trial, you will not be charged at all. Here are some features included with your subscription to fuboTV:
- live local CBS, FOX, and NBC broadcast in many parts of the country
- a ton of channels you usually find on cable like HGTV, History, FS1, and more
- a cloud DVR for recording TV shows
- stream to 2 devices at once (can upgrade to more)
The monthly cost of fuboTV currently starts at $74.99. For more information on this streaming service, see our guide to fuboTV.
Watching Astros Games Outside their TV Market
If you don’t live in the Astros TV market, you can watch the Astros through the MLB.TV streaming. With MLB.TV you can watch every game, for every team, all season long. With MLB.TV, you can watch Astros games on Roku, Apple TV, Smart Devices, and more. You can watch Astros games live or on-demand. Here is a list of MLB.TV features:
- Chose to watch both the home and away broadcast.
- Live Game DVR Controls
- Full Game Archives
- Customized Fantasy Player Tracker
- Clickable line scores
- A Pitch by Pitch Widget, that tracks speed, location, and pitch type
MLB.TV costs $129.99 for the year to have access to every game for every team. The “all-teams plan” has a free trial and provides a monthly pricing option. You can also opt to watch Astros games through the MLB.TV single-team plan for $109.99 for the year. You can check out their subscription packages at MLB.TV.
Please note that MLB.TV does have blackout rules for games where a team is playing in the market you reside. For example, if the Astros are playing the Nationals and you live in the DC area, that game will be blacked out on MLB.TV. You can check your zip code on MLB TV’s website to see which team’s games are under a blackout in your area. Nationally televised games will also be blacked out. The list below provides a general description of whether a game is going to be under a blackout:
- Home and Away games of the designated team if you live within their blackout territory
- Games that broadcast nationally such as the ESPN Sunday game or Fox Saturday game
- Play in games (Playoff tie-breakers)
- Post Season Games, but there is a way around it
Pro Tip: Try This Blackout Workaround to watch the games you want to watch and get around the black-out.
Watching Nationally Televised Astros Games
Nationally televised MLB games air on Fox, TBS, Peacock, Apple TV+, ESPN, MLB Network, Peacock, and FS1. A handful of Astros games will air nationally this season on one or more of those networks. You can check MLB’s website for the MLB’s national TV schedule. You can watch nationally televised games using MLB.TV with this blackout workaround. You can also watch nationally televised games using one of the streaming services listed below.
DIRECTV STREAM
Through the DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” package for $108.99 per month, you can watch nationally televised MLB games on Fox, ESPN, MLB Network, TBS and FS1. You can sign up online, and 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.
fuboTV
FuboTV carries the local Fox channel in some parts of the country along with MLB Network, ESPN and FS1 for watching nationally televised games.
They offer a fuboTV subscription. After the trial, its basic package costs $74.99. The FuboTV app is available on major platforms, including Apple TV, AndroidTV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV. Check out our review of FuboTV for more details.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV cost $72.99/month per month and includes a DVR. YouTube TV carries the local Fox channel in most parts of the country. They also provide access to ESPN, TBS, and FS1 for watching nationally televised games.
YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. The YouTube TV app has also returned to Roku devices after settling a dispute between the two companies. Please read our review of YouTube TV for more details.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu carries the local Fox channel in most parts of the country, along with ESPN, TBS, and FS1 for watching nationally televised games.
Hulu Live TV will cost you $76.99 per month. However, that includes access to Hulu’s on-demand streaming library, a cloud DVR, and more. To see what channels are available through Hulu Live TV in your area, check out the tool: Channels Available by Zip Code
Hulu is supported on Roku, Fire TV Devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and more. For more information on this service, please check out Hulu Live TV review.
Sling TV
Sling carries, carries ESPN, TBS, MLB Network, and FS1 for watching nationally televised games. Sling TV also carries the local FOX channel in the following markets: New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, DC, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Gainesville, Austin, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, and Seattle
You can sign up and see if this solution will work for you.
Sling TV is supported on Windows and Mac PCs and laptops, Android and iOS devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Nexus player, Xbox One, 4th Generation Apple TV, Chromecast, and more.
The service also includes a cloud DVR along with other great features. For details on Slings service offerings and the difference between them, check out my Sling TV review.
