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The Tampa Bay Lightning are an NHL team that plays in the Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division. After a disappointing 3rd place finish in the Atlantic Division in 2021-22, there is optimism in Tampa that the Lightning could have a break out season this year, especially if new defenseman Ian Cole can still play at a championship level.
With a DIRECTV STREAM subscription, you can live stream Lightning games on most major streaming devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, and more. Like DIRECTV STREAM “Choice,” Bally Sports Plus carries Bally Sports Sun, the regional sports network that airs about 70 Lightning regular season games to local fans each season. However, due to the limited number of devices supported by Bally Sports Plus, as well as the lack of key channels that broadcast marquee NHL games, our top pick for watching the Lightning is DIRECTV STREAM “Choice.” Out-of-market Lightning fans can watch the team on ESPN+.
Watch WTVT FOX 13 Tampa Bay, Bally Sports Sun, ABC, ESPN, CBS, TNT, TBS, and more. | $99.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial |
Watch Bally Sports Sun in-market. | $19.99 / month | Learn More |
Watch out-of-market Lightning regular season games. | $9.99 / month | Sign Up for ESPN+ |
How to watch tonight’s Lightning game
What channel is the Lightning game on tonight? We list the Lightning TV schedule, as well as the live TV streaming services that carry each game, in the easy to use table below.
The most important channels for Lightning fans
Bally Sports Sun carries about 70 Lightning games each season for in-market fans in Tampa, and across Florida. When the Lightning are on national TV, including playoff games, the games will air on ABC, ESPN, TNT, or TBS. Bally Sports Sun will often air first round Lightning playoff series, however, as the Lightning go deeper in the playoffs, the NHL’s TV contracts with Disney and Turner Sports dictate that the games will air on ABC, ESPN, TNT, or TBS.
| DIRECTV STREAM – Choice | DIRECTV STREAM | Bally Sports+ | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Sling Orange & Blue | YouTube TV | |
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| $99.99 / month | $74.99 / month | $19.99 / month | $74.99 / month | $69.99 / month | $50 / month | $72.99 / month |
How to watch the Lightning on DIRECTV STREAM
In order to watch the Lightning games that air on Bally Sports Sun, fans in Tampa will have to upgrade to the more expensive “Choice” package.
With DIRECTV STREAM “Choice,” sports fans in Florida can watch in-market MLB, NHL, and NBA games, as well as Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on WTVT FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
DIRECTV STREAM has recently upgraded its DVR storage, offering a hybrid unlimited DVR that does cap episodes of shows at 30 episodes.
How to watch the Lightning on Bally Sports Plus
With Bally Sports Plus, Lightning fans who live inside the Tampa Bay TV market, and some surrounding Florida markets, can watch only the Lightning games that appear on Bally Sports Sun. This means you can watch most of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, but CAN’T watch the Lightning when they are featured on a marquee national game or when the team makes a playoff run.
If you are a diehard Lightning fan who also wants to follow all the big NHL games all season, and wants to watch the Stanley Cup Finals, Bally Sports Plus isn’t a good option unless it’s paired with another live TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.
Watching the Lightning FAQ
Yes, if you live out-of-market, meaning outside of Florida or South Alabama, you can watch the Lightning on ESPN Plus, subject to blackouts when the Lightning air on NHL Network, exclusive ESPN and TNT games, or during the later rounds of the playoffs. If you live in Tampa, most ESPN+ Lightning games will be blacked out to protect Bally Sports Sun’s TV rights.
No, you can’t watch the Lightning on Peacock. The Peacock app doesn’t carry any of the channels you need to live stream Lightning games. NBC, the parent company behind Peacock, no longer has the rights to televise NHL games.
Yes, you can live stream the Lightning on most Roku devices with DIRECTV STREAM. To add the DIRECTV STREAM app to Roku, find the “Streaming Channels” option on the left sidebar of the Roku home screen. This option will help you search for, and find, your live TV streaming app. Press “ok” when you have found your streaming app.
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