Ustream is one of the biggest live streaming services available today, and offers a combination of free live streaming as well as paid services beginning at $99 a month. While there’s a paid membership option, you can still watch sports online free Ustreamfree, and overall it’s a good site.
Key Features
A wide array of sporting events can be streamed here such as the NBA, football, UFL, the NFL and many more. Not only can you watch NBA live on Ustream, but you can watch highlights, interviews and more. While there is a paid membership option, the free service is pretty extensive as you’ll see the moment you get on the homepage.
On the homepage are video highlights of the latest NBA games and interviews. You can also stream interviews and news reports on everything sports including updates on the World Cup in Brazil, ESPN radio as well as the latest from Fox Sports and the other major sports networks.
Clicking a video will play it, and provided you have a good Internet connection, plays smoothly. There’s none of the flickering you see from other sites, and the audio is crisp and clear. There are also no issues here like audio and video not syncing, and it doesn’t suffer from the pixelation that other streaming services do. Overall, the streaming quality is top notch.
Navigating the site won’t be a problem even if it’s your first time to visit since the content is organized. The latest sports highlights are on the main page so you won’t have a difficult time finding what you are looking for. With the Explore option you’ll see the “recommended” section and choose from upcoming or popular videos.
The categories section offers an extensive selection of options, and clicking “sports” will bring up several video highlights and news feeds. However, the site’s offerings are not limited to those since the categories menu has links to news, entertainment, PS4 games, technology, spirituality and more. In other words, this isn’t just a place to watch NFL live on Ustream but a complete entertainment solution.
If you’re looking for specific sporting events that aren’t on the homepage, just use its search feature. You can refine your search by the sport like basketball, baseball, tennis, NASCAR, racing and more. You can also search exclusively for live feeds, recorded, or those recorded the past 7 days or 30 days. Given these options, it becomes easy for you to find the exact stream you are looking for.
Broadcasting Service
Apart from live sports streaming, Ustream also offers broadcasting services. What will attract users is the amount of control you have over the videos if you opt for the broadcast service. You can make each individual video private or can be seen only by a group. You can have your channels private, have it removed from the site or limit embedding to particular URLs.
Ustream offers a wide array of features that you’ll enjoy such as multiple stream delivery which can be customized by the user. The site also offers you a lot of options for user control over the videos, and there are also plenty of subscriptions, PPV and advertising split options.
If you intend to use the website for broadcasting, you’ll be able to moderate the comments prior to their appearance, and it’s pretty easy to download older broadcasts. You will also get a channel page and it’s got a lot of features that you’ll appreciate such as the ability to schedule broadcasts, and they’ll show up as “upcoming” on the page.
Aside from those features, you’ll also be able to use social media like Facebook, Google Plus and more. If you’re serious about broadcasting, Ustream provides plenty of tools that you can use so you can produce custom content. While there are a lot of utilities here, they look pretty easy to use.
Pros
There are a lot of positive features on the site.
- The video quality is decent.
- The website is easy to navigate and loads quickly.
- There are numerous streaming services available apart from sports.
- The search function works very well.
- There is a wide selection of sporting events covered.
- You won’t see too many ads popping up when you watch a video.
Cons
If you’re only going to use the website to watch sports, then it will do fine since the videos are free. However, there are some drawbacks with the website. The first is that the site focuses more on video highlights than streaming. Second, if you want to broadcast you’ll need to avail of their membership service.
The most basic service, the Pro Trial, is a 30 day free trial, while the Pro plans goes from $99 to $999. There’s also an Enterprise package, and while it might be something you’re willing to pay for, it doesn’t come cheap.
The other thing is the video player is very basic and doesn’t offer a lot of controls. However, that should not be a major issue if you just want to watch soccer live on Ustream.
Conclusion
There are a lot of free sports streaming services available today, but Ustream is one of the best. The stream quality is very good and it offers a nice mix of different sporting events to choose from. The website is easy to navigate and it’s updated often. If you’re looking for a free streaming service with good quality videos, this is one you don’t want to pass up.
The broadcast service isn’t for everyone, but if you want to try it out, it’s there for the taking. Too bad that you have to pay to get most of the services, but the free trial will give you an idea of what you’ll get. But if you’re not going to use the broadcast service and just want to catch some college football live on Ustream then you won’t be disappointed. The high quality videos and clean interface makes this site a good choice.