Follow Your Team Without Paying Year-Round
No league plays twelve months a year, but the services that carry them bill every month you let them. Here's when each major season runs in 2026–27, and how to pay only for the months you'll actually watch.
Sports fans tend to sign up once and forget. The service that carried the opener is still billing in the middle of the off-season, when there's nothing on it you came for. The fix isn't watching less. It's matching the months you pay to the months your team plays.
League, Team, or Game: Know Which One You Follow
These sound like the same thing. They aren't, and the difference decides what you need to pay for.
- A league. You want the whole sport: national games, other teams' big matchups, the playoff race. That usually means the league's main streaming home for the whole season window.
- A team. You want your team's games and not much else. Those games can land on different channels from week to week, and some may already be on local broadcast TV. You may not need every service the league uses.
- A game. One event: a rivalry game, an opener, a final. That rarely justifies a full month of anything. A day pass or a service you already have often covers it.
Most people who say they "follow the NBA" really follow one team, plus the Finals. Being honest about which one you are is where the savings start.
Why a Year-Round Subscription Wastes Money
Every major season below leaves somewhere between about two and seven months with no regular-season or playoff games at all. Pay year-round and you pay for all of them.
Here's the illustrative math. A service at $13.99 a month (ESPN Select's price as of September 17, 2026) costs $167.88 over twelve months. If your season fits in five months, those five cost $69.95. The other seven, $97.93, buy you nothing you came for. The bigger the service, the bigger the gap: a $31.99 plan left on for seven idle months is $223.93.
When Each Season Runs in 2026–27
Verified September 25, 2026 against league schedules and announcements. Sources are listed at the end.
| League | Preseason | Regular Season | Postseason | Months in Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Began Aug 6, 2026 (Hall of Fame Game) | Sept 9, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027 | Jan 16 – Feb 14, 2027 (Super Bowl LXI) | Sept – Feb |
| NBA | October 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 – Apr 11, 2027 | Play-In and playoffs from April; Finals in June 2027 | Oct – June |
| NHL | September 2026 | Sept 29, 2026 – Apr 10, 2027 | Playoffs from April; Stanley Cup Final ends in June 2027 | Late Sept – June |
| MLB | Spring training before Opening Day | 2026 ends Sept 27; 2027 scheduled Mar 24 – Sept 26, 2027 | 2026 postseason from Sept 29; World Series Oct 23–31 if it goes seven | Late Mar – Oct |
| MLS | Before the late-February start | Feb 21 – Nov 7, 2026, with a World Cup break May 25 – July 16 | Nov 18 – Dec 18, 2026 (MLS Cup) | Late Feb – Dec |
| College Football | None | Week 0 began Aug 27, 2026; most teams started Sept 5; runs through early December | CFP first round Dec 18–19; title game Jan 25, 2027 in Las Vegas | Late Aug – Jan |
Preseason timing without an exact date is approximate. MLB's labor agreement expires December 1, 2026, and Yahoo Sports reports a lockout is possible if owners and players don't reach a deal, so treat the 2027 MLB dates as scheduled, not certain. MLS runs on a calendar year; check its 2027 schedule for the next start date.
For where each league streams, see our guide to rotating sports streaming season by season. One carrier worth knowing about now: starting in 2026, every MLS match is included with an Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+) subscription at no extra cost, and the standalone MLS Season Pass ended after 2025. Apple TV went to $14.99 a month for new subscribers on August 28, 2026. For an MLS fan, the Apple TV months are the MLS months.
How to Pick the Months That Matter
A season window isn't one fixed thing. You set its edges, and each edge is a small decision.
Start: Regular Season or Preseason?
For most fans the season starts with the first game that counts. Preseason games often rest starters, so paying an extra month for them is usually a poor trade. If you love training-camp football or spring training, include it on purpose, not by default.
End: Your Team's Last Game or the League's?
If you follow a team, your season ends when your team's does. Missed the playoffs? Pause before the next bill. If you follow the league, the window runs through the final. Some postseason rounds air on different networks from the regular season, so check where the games you want will be before you keep a service on for them.
Watch the Billing Date, Not the Calendar
Most monthly plans bill from the day you signed up, not the first of the month. A season that ends on the 10th can still cost you a whole extra month if your renewal lands on the 8th. Note your renewal date when you subscribe, and pause before it. Our guide to pausing instead of cancelling covers how that works at the major services.
Put together, a team fan's window is often shorter than the league's. An NFL fan whose team misses the playoffs is done in January, not February. An NBA fan whose team's season ends in April skips May and June unless the Finals are a must.
How Intermission Handles League, Team, and Game Follows
The three kinds of following map directly onto how Intermission treats them:
- Follow a league (Plus). A league follow sets up SeasonTicket. You choose the league's months, and your plan keeps the mapped carrier on for that window, then schedules its pause when the window ends. You still make the final tap, from a link and a reminder. SeasonTicket is league-wide coverage, not a follow for one team.
- Follow a team. Your team's games are added to Your Games as they enter the schedule.
- Follow a game. That one event is added to Your Games.
Team and game follows are watch preferences. They don't add a paid service or change your budget by themselves. With Plus, GameRoute shows the ways your setup supports for watching each listed game, because broadcasts and local eligibility vary from game to game. Intermission never asks for your streaming passwords or touches your accounts; it plans, and you make each change yourself.
Pay for the Season, Not the Year
Follow your leagues, teams, and games, and get a plan that keeps each service on only for the months you choose. Joining is free; SeasonTicket is part of Plus.
Start RotatingWant to see what your whole lineup costs? Check what every streaming service costs in 2026, or put your own services into the savings calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Months Should I Pay for a Sports Season?
Count from the month of your league's first regular-season game to the month your team's season ends. That's roughly five months for the NFL or college football and seven to ten for the NBA, NHL, or MLB, depending on how deep into the playoffs you go. Add preseason or playoff months only if you'll actually watch them.
Is MLS Included With Apple TV in 2026?
Yes. Starting in 2026, every MLS match is available to Apple TV subscribers at no extra cost, and the standalone MLS Season Pass ended after the 2025 season. Apple TV costs $14.99 a month as of August 28, 2026.
Does a Team Follow Add a Paid Service to My Plan?
No. In Intermission, team and game follows are watch preferences. A team follow adds that team's games to Your Games, and a game follow adds one event. Neither adds a paid service or changes your budget by itself. A league follow with Plus is what sets up SeasonTicket.
What If My Team Is Eliminated Early?
Pause the service before its next billing date. Monthly plans don't lock you in, so there's no reason to pay for a postseason your team isn't in. You can always come back for a single playoff game you want to see.
More Sports Streaming Guides
Sources, accessed September 25, 2026: 2026 NFL season; NBA.com: 2026-27 schedule; 2026-27 NBA season; NHL.com: 2026-27 schedule; 2026-27 NHL season; 2026 MLB season; CBS Sports: MLB 2027 schedule; Yahoo Sports: MLB 2027 and the CBA; MLSsoccer.com: 2026 key dates; MLSsoccer.com: 2026 playoff schedule; MLSsoccer.com: MLS on Apple TV in 2026; 9to5Mac: Apple TV price increase; NCAA.com: 2026 season start; NCAA.com: 2026-27 CFP schedule; ESPN Fan Support: Select and Unlimited prices. Schedules and prices change; verify with each league and provider.