How To Watch Big Ten Network without Cable

You don’t need cable to watch The Big Ten Network (BTN). You can watch BTN through any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Vidgo, and DIRECTV STREAM. The network features games from the Big Ten Conference and original programming highlighting what’s going on at those universities. Let’s see which streaming service will be the best one for you to catch Big Ten Conference games on BTN.

Stream BTN Live Now: You can watch BTN right now by subscribing to any of the streaming services below.

• DIRECTV STREAM Choice Plan – Carries BTN and normally costs $89.99 per month after a risk-free 5-Day Free Trial. However, there is a promotion running where the first 2 months are only $69.99
• Hulu Live TV: Carries BTN and currently costs $20/month for 3 months. Regular price is $69.99 per month. (Sign up)
• fuboTV – Carries BTN and costs $69.99 per month and offers a 1-week free trial
• YouTube TV –  Carries BTN and costs $64.99 per month and offers a 1-week free trial
• Vidgo: Carries BTN and costs $59.95 per month. (Sign up)
• Sling TV: Carries BTN and costs $35 per month. Currently the first month is 50% off (Sign up). BTN is available by adding the “Sports Extra” plan to the Sling Blue package for an additional $11 per month.

Streaming Services with Big Ten Network

Thankfully, as with most cable content today, there are alternate ways to enjoy the channels and shows you want without forking over mountains of cash to a cable TV provider. Below are more details on the live TV streaming services that carry BTN.

BTN on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is another way to watch BTN. Big Ten Network is part of their “Choice” package for $89.99 per month. DIRECTV STREAM provides a a cloud-based DVR, the ability to watch 20 separate streams simultaneously per subscription. Details on the Choice plan are below. You can check out everything this service offers by reading our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Go To DIRECTV STREAM's Website

DIRECTV STREAM Choice Plan Price: The service normally costs $89.99 per month after a risk-free 5-Day Free Trial. However, there is a promotion running where the first 2 months are only $69.99.

Device Support: DIRECTV STREAM is supported on iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can watch up 20 streams simultaneously per subscription with any DIRECTV STREAM plan. See our coverage of DIRECTV STREAM Device Support for more details.

DIRECTV STREAM Choice Channel Plan: ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, A&E, AccuWeather, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby TV, BBC America, BET, Black News Channel, Bloomberg News, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN En Español, CNN International, Comedy Central, COZI TV, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Lifetime, FS1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Galavisión, GEM Shopping Network, Grit, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HISTORY Channel, HLN, Home Shopping Network, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MotorTrend, TCM, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, OANN, Paramount Network, QVC, Reelz, Revolt, RFD-TV, Sundance TV, Syfy, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, Univision, USA, VH1, Viceland, and WE tv, ACCN, AWE, BTN, Cheddar, CleoTV, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Fuse, Game Show Network, Justice Central, MLB Network, NBA TV, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Ovation, OWN, POP, Science, SEC Network, Tastemade, Tennis Channel HD, The Weather Channel, Travel Channel, TV One, TVG, UniMás, UPtv, and WGN America.

If you live within the broadcast area of any of the following regional sports networks, you will also receive those with the "Choice" and higher packages: Altitude, AT&T SportsNet Southwest, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Wisconsin, Marquee Sports Network, The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), MSG Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Chicago, New England Sports Network, Root Sports Northwest, Spectrum Sports, SportsNet New York, YES Network

Watch BTN on Sling TV

BTN is available on Sling TV by subscribing to the Sling Blue package with the Sports Extra add-on for an extra cost of $11 per month. The Sports Extra Plan adds the following channels in addition to the channels listed below in the Sling Blue plan: FS2, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel, MLB Network, MLB Network Strike Zone, NFL Redzone, Tennis Channel, NBA TV, Pac-12, NHL Network, beIN Sports, Outside Television, and Big Ten Network. Just remember to add the additional $11 per month to the price listed below for the Blue package. Sling Blue also provides on-demand and a cloud DVR. For full details please read our Sling TV review.

Go To Sling TV's Website

Sling Blue Price: The service costs $35 per month. Currently the first month is 50% off (Sign up).

Sling Blue Devices: Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it's not a problem to watch Sling TV on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. Sling's Blue Plan allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once.

Sling Blue Channels: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, Barstool Sports, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery, E!, Epix, Food Network, FOX, Fox News, FS1, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, Stadium, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, and Viceland

Stream BTN on FuboTV

FuboTV is an excellent place to go for sports channels, including BTN. Over 90 channels are offered in its standard package for $69.99 after a 1-week free trial. As shown in my review of FuboTV, the pro Plan comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR storage, and the ability to watch on multiple devices simultaneously. Here are some of the highlights of the plan:

Go To fuboTV's Website

FuboTV's Pro Plan Price:The service costs $69.99 per month and offers a 1-week free trial.

FuboTV Devices: FuboTV is supported on Apple iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. FuboTV allows you to stream on up to 10 devices with the same account. See our coverage of fuboTV Device Support for more details.

fuboTV Pro Channels: ABC, ABC News Live, AccuWeather, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, beIN Sports, beIN SPORTS Xtra, beIN Sports Español, BET, Bloomberg Television, BTN, Bravo, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, CleoTV, CMT, CNBC, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Comet TV, Crackle, Curiosity Channel, The CW, Dove Channel, The Design Network, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, Estrella TV, Fail Army, Fan Duel, Food Network, FOX, FOX Business, FOX Deportes, FOX LiveNOW, Fox Soul, FOX Weather, Fox News, FS1, FS2, FreeForm, fubo Sports Network, Fubo Movie Network, FX, FXX, Galavision, GAC Family, Get TV, Golf Channel, Gusto, Hallmark, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Law & Crime, Local Now, Localish, Magnolia Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic, NBC, NBC LX, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, Newsmax, NewsNation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Olympic Channel, Origin Sports Network, Pac-12 Insider, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, The Pet Collective, Pop, Popcornflix, QVC, Smithsonian Channel, Sundance, Swerve Sports, Syfy, Tastemade, Tastemade Travel, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, TUDN, TV Land, Unimas, Universal Kids, Univision , USA, VH1, and We TV

Watch Big Ten Network on Vidgo

Vidgo is a newer streaming service that offers fairly competitive pricing over other live streaming services. Vidgo includes BTN in its “Plus” package, along with over 80 other channels as shown in our guide to Vidgo’s live streaming service. Vidgo doesn’t force you into a contract so that you can cancel at any time.

Go To Vidgo's Website

Vidgo English Pro Price: The service costs $59.95 per month. (Sign up).

Vidgo Devices: Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. You can also stream the service on up to 3 devices at the same time.

Vidgo Pro Plan Channels: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, ASPiRE, AWE, Baby TV US, Bandamax, beIN Sports, BET, Big Ten Network, BYUtv, Cheddar News, Classic Reruns TV, CMT, CMT Music, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Curiosity Stream, De Pelicula Classico, De Pelicula Plus, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family Channel, Discovery Life Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior US, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, FETV, Food Network, ForoTV, Fox (Local), Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, FYI Channel, G4, Galavision, Game Show Network, get TV, Great American Country, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, History, HGTV, i24 News English, Impact Network, INSP, Investigation Discovery, Kids Street, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Longhorn Network, Magnolia Network (DIY), MavTV, MLB Network, MOTOR TREND, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2: Music Television, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, NewsMax, NewsNation, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, OAN, Oprah Winfrey Network, Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Bay Area, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Mountain, Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Oregon, Pac-12 Washington, Paramount Network, QVC, Science Channel, SEC Network, Sony Movies, Stadium, Teen Nick, Telehit, Telehit Musica, Telenovelas, The Learning Channel, The Travel Channel, TUDN, TV Land, TVOne, UNIMAS, UNIVISION, UPTV, VH1, and Viceland

Stream BTN with Hulu Live TV

Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. However, Hulu also offers a live TV service that includes Live BTN. Hulu Live TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available. Hulu Live TV also includes a subscription to ESPN+ and Disney+, Hulu On-Demand, multiple stream, and more as detailed in our review of Hulu Live TV. Read on to learn more.

Go To Hulu's Website

Price: The service currently costs $20/month for 3 months. Regular price is $69.99 per month. (Sign up).

Device Support: Hulu Live TV is supported on Apple iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can watch on two devices at once. However, you can upgrade to unlimited devices for just $9.99 monthly

Hulu Channels: ABC, A&E, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Animal Planet, BET, BTN, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar Business, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, COZI TV, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN College Extra, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, FOX Business, Fox News, FreeForm, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf Channel, HGTV, History, HLN, Investigation Discovery, LifeTime, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Olympic Channel, Oxygen, OWN, Paramount Network, Pop TV, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Syfy, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, The CW, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, Universal Kids, USA, VH1, Vice, and WGN America

BTN on YouTube TV

YouTube TV also offers BTN streaming live, as well as limitless storage space for recording your shows. Your library of recorded shows can be streamed anywhere. YouTube TV costs $64.99 a month. A subscription to YouTube TV includes the following:

Go To YouTube TV's Website

YouTube TV Price: The service costs $64.99 per month and offers a 1-week free trial.

YouTube TV Devices: YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can stream on up to three devices at the same time. See our coverage of YouTube TV device support for more details.

YouTube TV Channels: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Bravo, Big Ten Network, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, CNBC, CMT, Comedy Central, Comedy.TV, CNN, Comet, COZI TV, Court TV, The CW, Dabl, Discovery, Disney XD, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, SEC Network, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX Business, FOX News, Fox Soul, Fox Weather, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, G4, Galavisión, Game Show Network, getTV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Justice Central TV, LiveNOW from FOX, Local Now, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, MTV Classic, MyNetworkTV, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, NBA TV, NBCLX, NBC News NOW, NBC Universo, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, Teen Nick, NFL Network, Olympic Channel, Oxygen, OWN, Paramount Network, PBS, Pop, QVC, Recipe.TV, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Sundance TV, SyFy, Tastemade, TBS, Telemundo, TLC, TNT, TCM, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, TYT Network, Univision, UniMás, Universal Kids, USA, VH1, The Weather Channel, WeTV, YouTube Movies, and YouTube Originals

Check our review of YouTube TV for all the information on this service.

Watch BTN for Free

Most of the streaming services that carry BTN offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free BTN for almost a month or longer if you use different email addresses. Let’s look at the free trials available.

• DIRECTV STREAM – Offers a 5-day free trial
• FuboTV – offers a 1-week free trial
• YouTube TV –  offers a 1-week free trial

As long as you cancel before the free trial expires, you won’t be charged. You can cycle the free trials to get nearly a month of BTN free. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch free BTN even longer. Doing this would also let you test out the various live TV streaming services to see which one you like the best.

Watch BTN on Roku

To watch the BTN on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries BTN ( Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc.)
2. On your Roku Menu, navigate to “Search” and press “OK” on your remote
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Add Channel” press “OK” on your remote. If the channel is already installed, “Go To Channel” will be an option.
6. The App is now installed on your Roku. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. BTN will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch BTN on Fire TV

To watch BTN on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries BTN (Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc)
2. On your Fire TV Home screen, click on the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Download,” and the channel will install
6. The App is now installed on your Fire TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. BTN will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch BTN on Apple TV

To watch BTN on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries BTN (Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc)
2. Scroll right to the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service click the cloud icon, and the channel will install
5. The App is now installed on your Apple TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. BTN will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Streaming BTN on the Fox Sports app

If you subscribe to FuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, or Sling TV, you can watch BTN online using the Fox Sports app. Below are the steps to install Fox Sports and watch BTN on Roku. However, the steps for other streaming devices are similar.

1. Go to the channel store on your device.
2. Search for “Fox Sports.” You will see the “Fox Sports app.” Add it to your device. 
3. Open the app. If it’s your first time opening the app, you may be asked to create or sign in with your Fox Sports profile. You can skip this step.
4. You will then be asked to “Sign in with your TV provider.”
5. Select “other provider.”
6. You will then see an activation code and a URL (activate.foxsports.com)
7. Using a web browser, go to activate.foxsports.com and enter the activation code.
8. Still, on your browser, choose the streaming service you subscribe to for BTN. I use Hulu, but Hulu, Vidgo, Sling TV, fuboTV, and YouTube TV are acceptable. Sign in using your login credentials to that service
9. Your TV screen will refresh, and you will see BTN and other Fox sports networks available through the app.

The Fox Sports app is supported on the following devices:

• Android
• iOS
• Apple TV
• FireTV
• Android TV
• Xbox One
• Roku
• Samsung Smart TV

B1G+

BTN also offers a service called G1G+ or BTN Plus, which lets you watch over 2000 non-televised games college football games on Roku, Fire TV, Android, and iOS devices. This way, you get plenty of content for all schools in the Big Ten Conference. You can view these games on the BTN Plus app for $14.95/month or $119.95/year. This service unlocks all untelevised games from the following schools:

• University of Michigan
• Northwestern University
• Wisconsin University
• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Penn State University
• Ohio State University
• Michigan State University
• Purdue University
• University of Minnesota
• Indiana University
• University of Iowa
• University of Nebraska
• Rutgers University
• University of Maryland

If you just want to watch one school, you can get the “School Pass” for $9.95 / month or $79.95 for the year. Remember, this will only provide access to that school games not being televised that week.

For information on watching other TV channels online check out: How To Stream Specific TV Channels