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After a lot of hurdles, the Australian Open is finally almost here, as the event is scheduled to begin on February 8th. We're going to figure out how to watch the Australian Open this year, so let's go and see exactly what we need to do.
The 2021 edition of the Grand Slam Tournament is going to take place at Melbourne Park, which is the same location where it's been held since 1988. The players have been in the country for a while now, and quite a few of them have been in quarantine, which many considered to be detrimental to their performance in the tournament since they did not get to train properly.
The players will compete for over $80 million in prize money, with some of the tennis world's biggest names facing off on the court. The names on the list include 2020 defending Champions Novak Djokovic and Sofia Kenin.
The Australian Open is scheduled to start on February 8th and will continue through February 21nd. However, US viewers will get to watch it starting with February 7th, given day time zone differences between the United States and Australia.
As per usual, each day will be broken up into two sessions, so you'll have two starting times for the event. Furthermore, you should know that in the United States, the event is broadcast by ESPN and ESPN2 as well as the Tennis Channel, although the latter will mostly offer retrospective coverage.
If you want to watch the Australian Open online, then it's quite lucky because you have a few options in front of you. ESPN channels are easy to watch online, as they are included with most live TV services. One of the best ways to watch all the games is through fuboTV, which is a really cool single bundle service. Furthermore, since it is dedicated to sports channels, it features dozens of them, so you can have quite a bit of fun with other sports as well.
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fuboTV features ESPN networks in the main bundle, which is already part of several plants that include extra channel packs and premium networks offered at discount prices.
You can customize the subscription yourself by adding your own favorite channel packs, but we do suggest you start with one of these pre-made plans, as they offer discounts. There are also add-ons available to expand the cloud DVR storage space capacity or the number of simultaneous streams allowed on one account.Â
fuboTV works on loads of devices, including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and many others.
While fuboTV is a solid option, there are others that host ESPN networks, so you should look into those as well.
Hulu is a great service that hosts ESPN channels in the main bundle. You can customize your subscription by adding extra channel packs and premium networks to your account. As you subscribe to the Live TV service, you should know that you will also get access to the On-Demand library, so you have two platforms at your disposal. Start your free trial on Hulu now!
Sling TV is also a great service, and it comes with three bundles. ESPN networks are only available on two of them, namely Orange and Orange + Blue. Before you make your choice, you need to be aware that Orange subscribers can only watch content on one device at a time, but Orange + Blue subscribers get four simultaneous streams. There are also many extra channel packs and premium networks you can get, as well as add-ons to expand the cloud DVR storage space capacity. Start your subscription with Sling TV now!
If you are traveling abroad while the Australian Open is on and want to keep up with all the important matches, you can still do that, but you will need a little extra help. Live TV platforms and streaming services from the United States are geo-blocked, so if you travel abroad, you will not be able to access them as you do from home.
Instead, you will need a little bit of extra help in the form of a VPN tool. VPNs are apps that allow you to route your internet connection through one of their servers, in turn assigning a new IP address to your device. We recommend you use ExpressVPN, as it is one of the best tools on the market today, featuring thousands of servers worldwide and some really great privacy features to help protect your identity and browsing habits.
You need to subscribe to ExpressVPN (49% OFF) and then get the apps for your device. After you log in to an account, you need to look for a server located in the United States, which there are plenty of. Once you select your server, which takes a few seconds straight, you can simply load fuboTV, tune in to ESPN, and start watching the Australian Open matches.
ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee policy, so if you have any issues with your subscription, you should know that it's always possible to ask for a refund. If you are somewhat reluctant to subscribe to a VPN, this will hopefully help you out.Â
The Australian Open is an event that is thoroughly covered all over the world. Here are some of the event’s broadcasters in some areas:
You can check a full list on the Australian Open page.
As of right now, here are the top five male and female players scheduled to play the Australian Open (listed by their ATP and WTA ranking):
Roger Federer has withdrawn from the competition due to family issues.Â