Western Kentucky travels to Dallas to take on Western Michigan in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Monday, and the Hilltoppers will want to add another quality win to their season after beating Arkansas 45-19 on Nov. 9. The Broncos and the Hilltoppers are perennial underdogs, but both schools have made a bowl five out of the last six years.
RELATED: The complete list of college bowl games!
Western Kentucky will be favored on Monday due to its defense, and the Broncos’ best chance is to try and keep said defense on the sidelines by scoring as soon as possible. Western Kentucky allows six fewer points per game than Western Michigan, but the Broncos have the advantage on offense, scoring almost 10 more points per game than the Hilltoppers.
Here’s how to watch the First Responder Bowl.
| HOW TO STREAM FIRST RESPONDER BOWL | |
| SLING TV | TRY NOW |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
First Responder Bowl
- Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, TX
- Date: 12:30pm ET on Monday, Dec. 30
- Streaming: ESPN
How to stream Western Kentucky vs Western Michigan: Watch the First Responder Bowl
The majority of the bowl season is shown on ESPN or on network TV; the following services offer a one-week trial.
1) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $30-$45 per month ($10 off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, AndroidTV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check yourlocal availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $30 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NBCSN (where many Premier League matches appear), NFL Network, and local channels. (Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC, where some matches appear; see if yours has it here. Sling Blue also brings Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Headline News as part of its regular slate of channels, with Fox Business Channel available for those who get the Sling Blue News Extra add-on.
If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $45 per month.
Other features include a Free Cloud DVR tier for all subscribers (allowing 10 hours of recording a month), the ability to record all live linear channels, and no VOD preemption on any channels. New subscribers get $10 off the first month.
To add BeIN Sports and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and BeIN Sports Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from La Liga, Ligue 1, and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial.
Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four BeIN Sports channels. (And choosing Sling TV Latino + Sling Orange for $30 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels. While select NFL and college football games (on Fox, FS1, and FS2) are no longer on Sling, you can still catch Fox games with AirTV.
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
3) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football: Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FS1, FS2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPNU are all here and offer a nearly 360 programming platter of action. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
First Responder Bowl: Why it matters
For two mid-majors trying to make the New Year’s Six one day, bowl wins are most valuable for showing recruits that the program has ambitions beyond winning the Group of Five conferences.
New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, AMC, FX, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, the Weather Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports.
The Daily Dot may receive a payment in connection with purchases of products or services featured in this article. Click here to learn more.
