Updated on: April 24, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best Stream2Watch alternative in 2024:
- BBC iPlayer. Is 100% legal and safe to use and covers tons of sports, including football, golf, beach volleyball, snooker, and tennis. Plus, it doesn’t feature any ads. I also recommend using a VPN (like ExpressVPN) with BBC iPlayer to secure your streaming traffic.
I strongly recommend avoiding streaming sites like Stream2Watch — these platforms feature pirated content, which goes against copyright laws. Due to that, such platforms often go offline unexpectedly. Plus, in countries with very strict copyright laws, website users can be fined.
Instead, you should use free and legitimate alternatives. To make it easy on you, I put together a list of the best free alternatives to Stream2Watch that are completely legal to use (and are also user-friendly and cover tons of sporting events).
Also, you should definitely use a VPN, too. This way, you’ll be able to secure your streaming traffic when binging live matches on free sports streaming sites.
Streaming unauthorized copyrighted content is against the law. We here at SafetyDetectives don’t condone violating copyright laws. While all the VPNs we recommend have strict no-logs policies, we still strongly recommend following all applicable laws in your region.
Is Stream2Watch Legal?
No, as the site hosts copyrighted content without permission, which is illegal in most countries. Due to that, Stream2Watch has been subject to legal action, and its site has been blocked in a lot of places, including the US.
This unfortunately means that using Stream2Watch might expose you to certain legal risks. For example, if you live in a country with very harsh copyright laws, you might receive a fine — even if you’re only using the site to watch content, and not for downloading or uploading copyrighted content.
No matter where you live, we here at SafetyDetectives strongly recommend only using legitimate and authorized platforms to watch sporting events — this is both for your safety and to show support for everyone who makes those events possible.
Best Legal Stream2Watch Alternatives in 2024
1. BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is the best overall alternative to Stream2Watch. While it’s only available in the UK, it broadcasts tons of sporting events — curling, football, rugby, beach volleyball, badminton, boxing, snooker, tennis, and golf (my colleague in the UK confirmed all of these sports are available on BBC iPlayer).
The site has both live and on-demand content, but you need an account to watch it. On the plus side, the site doesn’t feature any ads (but you do need a TV license to use it).
2. Channel 4
Channel 4 is mostly geared toward niche sports, and it’s also only available in the UK. You get access to both on-demand and live streams of various sporting events, such as international football, paralympic games, and F1. You’ll need an account to use Channel 4 and keep in mind it also displays ads.
On the plus side, the site has a really intuitive interface, so you’ll have an easy time finding the sporting events you want to watch. There’s also a TV Guide feature that shows you what you can live stream on the site over two weeks.
3. 9Now
9Now is free to use, but its content is mostly available to Australian viewers. The site carries dozens of sports, including golf, rugby, swimming, tennis, and cricket. It also provides access to popular sports-related podcasts and major sporting events like Davis Cup and NRL. You get both live and on-demand content, all in HD quality.
To use 9Now, you’ll need to set up an account (though, doing so is pretty easy as confirmed by my colleague in Austrailia). Just keep in mind that all content is ad-supported.
4. 7plus
7plus is a good pick if you live in Australia, as it’s only available there. It’s a great alternative to Stream2Watch, as it broadcasts tons of sporting events and channels, including golf, hockey, surfing, horse racing, fishing, and extreme sports. It also offers live channels, which is a great bonus.
The site’s interface is user-friendly, and it makes it simple to see when a certain event starts. But to use 7plus, you’ll need an account. Also, keep in mind that the site displays ads.
5. ProSieben
ProSieben covers American football, basketball, ice hockey, and even Esports. The site mainly focuses on entertainment but also sometimes broadcasts major sporting events and competitions, like Formula E, WWE, and Rugby World Cup Sevens. The site provides HD streams and is also user-friendly, but its content is mainly available in Germany.
6. ARD
ARD offers good coverage of European sports, but most content is only available to German viewers. The platform offers good variety, as you get access to winter sports, documentaries, football, and extreme sports.
Its content is also varied, as you get on-demand content, live streams, highlights, and re-lives. Also, you don’t need an account to view most videos.
7. CBC Gem
CBC Gem is 100% free to use if you live in Canada, as it’s only available there. The site streams tons of sports in HD, including gymnastics, figure skating, football, rugby, curling, snowboarding, squash, track and field, and triathlons. My colleague in Canada said he’s a big fan of the access you get to many documentaries about famous players.
The site is easy to navigate and also makes it simple to see upcoming live sporting events. To use it, you’ll need to create an account, however.
8. RaiPlay
RaiPlay is the go-to option for Italian sports coverage. You get access to both on-demand and live content. And there’s lots of variety too, as RaiPlay carries tons of sports, such as tennis, cycling, volleyball, horse racing, skiing, and football. It even broadcasts movies about sports.
Naturally, since the site covers Italian sports, it’s only available in Italy. Also, to use the website, you’ll need to create an account.
9. RTÉ Player
RTÉ Player offers coverage of Irish sports, but it’s only available in Ireland. The streaming service provides access to live channels that broadcast sporting events, and it also covers FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro, and Champions League. You also get access to a dedicated section that covers all news related to Irish sports.
It’s pretty great that you don’t need an account to use RTÉ Player. That said, the platform does use ads, which you’re likely to see at the start of the videos and throughout them.
10. France TV
France TV is free to use and mostly covers French sporting events. Due to that, the site is also only available to French viewers. The platform broadcasts tons of major sporting events, including the World Skateboarding Tour, French Road Cycling Cup, French Football Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, and Roland-Garros.
Like pretty much all of the free sports streaming sites on this list, France TV requires you to sign up to use it. And it also displays ads.
Why You Need a VPN for Free Legal Sports Streaming Sites
The main reason I recommend using a VPN for free sports streaming sites is to secure your traffic. A VPN will encrypt your data, preventing anyone from monitoring it — your internet service provider (ISP), advertisers, or cybercriminals.
What’s more, VPNs also change your IP address, which reveals your location. So, the websites you access won’t be able to track your location. On top of that, advertisers also won’t be able to associate your online sports preference with your IP address.
And, finally, using a VPN for streaming will protect you from bandwidth throttling. Since VPNs make your internet traffic unreadable, your ISP won’t be able to selectively slow down your streaming speeds when you watch sporting events for hours on end over the weekend.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for free legal sports streaming sites like Stream2Watch:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best VPN for free and legal sports streaming sites (ultra-fast speeds & secure).
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Excellent VPN for protecting your privacy on free and safe streaming sports websites.
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Great VPN service for beginners (with very convenient automation features).
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best Stream2Watch alternative?
I think BBC iPlayer is the best alternative to Stream2Watch. It’s 100% legal and also really safe to use — plus, it covers tons of sports, including tennis, curling, football, rugby, beach volleyball, and snooker. Also, it’s free to use, but it’s only available in the UK. On the plus side, it doesn’t feature any ads (though, you do need to create an account to use it).
Is it safe to use free sports streaming sites like Stream2Watch?
I don’t believe it is — these websites host illegal content, as they broadcast copyrighted videos without permission. In some countries with very restrictive copyright laws, you could face legal repercussions for using such a site. Plus, these kinds of sites often host malicious links and ads that can compromise your data and device.
Is it legal to use a free sports streaming site?
Yes, but this really depends on the free sports streaming site you’re using. As long as you stick to legitimate platforms that legally stream content (like the ones mentioned on my list) by paying for rights, you should be safe.
Should I use a VPN with free sports streaming sites?
Yes, I always recommend using a VPN with free sports streaming sites — that’s because the VPN encrypts your data, effectively securing your streaming traffic (since nobody can spy on it). A VPN will also prevent your internet service provider from throttling your streaming speeds. If you’re not sure which VPN to use, I personally recommend ExpressVPN since it’s compatible with 100+ streaming sites.
