MLB fans in Houston can watch watch the Astros live without cable on AT&T SportsNet Southwest with DIRECTV STREAM Choice, or Fubo.
MLB fans can watch the Astros on their phones with just a WiFi connection, here is what you need to know:
- Choose a streaming service that carries AT&T Sportsnet Southwest. It is the channel that airs almost all regular season games to local fans in Houston.
- Our top pick for watching the Astros, DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” offers AT&T Sportsnet Southwest, MLB Network, ESPN, TBS, FOX, FS1, and KHOU-TV CBS 11 for watching the Texans on Sundays.
- Fubo offers the longest free trial for Astros fans but is missing TBS for Tuesday Night Baseball and the AL playoffs.
Watch MLB Network, ESPN, FOX, NBC, TBS, plus KHOU, CBS 11. | $99.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial |
Watch ESPN, MLB Network, FS1, FOX, and more. Longest free trial for ATT Sportsnet Southwest. | $84.99 / month | 7 Day Free Trial |
Add MLB.TV for OUT-OF-MARKET Astros games only. | $24.99 / month | Signup for MLB.TV on ESPN+ |
Important channels
In the table below, we list the live TV streaming providers that carry the channels that will be broadcasting MLB games this season. For the Astros, now that the future of AT&T Sportsnet Southwest is in flux, ESPN, TBS, FS1, FOX and MLB Network will feature more games. In addition, MLB has been selling the exclusive rights to chunks of games to media giants like Apple, and NBC through its Peacock streaming service.
| DIRECTV STREAM – Choice | ESPN Plus | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV Blue + Sports Extra | YouTube TV | |
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| $99.99 / month | $9.99 / month | $74.99 / month | $69.99 / month | $46 / month | $72.99 / month |
For local Houston fans
For fans in Houston, the two live TV streaming providers that carry AT&T Sportsnet Southwest are fuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM.
fuboTV carries AT&T Sportsnet Southwest, so that box is checked.
Even without TBS, fuboTV carries most of the channels you need to watch the Astros when they are on national TV. The lack of TBS, while less than ideal, is easier to tolerate for an AL team like the Astros because the AL playoffs are on ESPN, FS1, and FOX for the World Series, whereas after the Wild Card Round, the NL playoffs are carried by TBS.
With fuboTV, Houston fans can watch:
- The Houston Astros
- The Houston Rockets
- Houston Dynamo FC
- The Houston Texans
Note that fuboTV does offer KHOU, CBS 11 for Texans games on Sundays.
Read our fuboTV review for sports fans.
DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” features AT&T Sportsnet Southwest and also gets Astros fans access to MLB Network, as well as TBS and CBS 11 in Houston. You can watch the World Series on FOX with DIRECTV STREAM as well as all of the MLB playoffs.
One of the nice things about DIRECTV STREAM in addition to its extensive Astros coverage for in-market fans is the ability to use DIRECTV STREAM credentials to watch the Texas Longhorn football games and basketball games, that air on Longhorn Network via TV Everywhere. Simply log in to the ESPN app with your DIRECTV STREAM username and password to access the channel.
Read our DIRECTV STREAM review for sports fans.
Outside Houston
One of the things I love about AT&T Sportsnet Southwest is the easy to follow territory map they publish to let sports fans know which zip codes get the channel. If you live in TX, LA, AR, or OK, as well as parts of eastern NM, you will get AT&T Sportsnet Southwest when you sign up for a live TV streaming service. What if you live further away?
Let’s say you grew up in Houston, but moved to NYC. In NYC, the Yankees will be on the YES Network, so in order to get an out-of-market broadcast, MLB requires a premium upgrade to MLB.TV.
MLB.TV is the premium out-of-market option for MLB fans. With MLB.TV fans can circumvent the regional broadcast rules and watch any game they like, including Astros games. If you want to follow just one team all summer, the rate drops to a one time annual fee of $109.99.
National TV
Here is how to watch Houston Astros baseball when the team is featured on national TV. For 2024, the Astros will appear in more national games after AT&T Sportsnet Southwest shut down.