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Tennis’s best and brightest superstars compete on padded acrylic hard courts at the 2026 Australian Open, which is the first grand slam of the year.
In 2026, the Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, starting on Saturday, January 17 with the men’s and women’s first round.
At a glance: how to watch the 2026 Australian Open online
The tournament is broadcast on ESPN, while the tennis tournament is also broadcast live on ESPN Unlimited.
The Australian Open matches are broadcast live on ESPN (with summaries and analyzes on the Tennis Channel), despite a time difference of 16 hours between Melbourne and New York, or 19 hours between Melbourne and Los Angeles. View the full schedule here.
How to watch the Australian Open online
Cord cutters can watch the Australian Open on any live TV streaming service that offers ESPN, such as DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and others – some of which offer free trials, so you can stream live for free without cable. Web services also allow you to stream Australian Open tennis matches on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or Smart TV.
Keep reading to find out how to watch tennis matches with and without a cable subscription, including options to watch the Australian Open for free.
How to watch the Australian Open without cable
Since the Australian Open is broadcast on ESPN, matches are available on live TV streaming services that carry those networks. If you act quickly, you can watch tennis matches online for free with some of the free trial offers below.
Watch the Australian Open on DirecTV’s MySports genre pack. All of the cable alternative’s packages offer ESPN, while it includes more than 20 sports channels, such as FOX Sports, NBA TV, NHL Network, TNT and more, as well as local networks, like ABC, NBC and FOX. Additionally, the streamer offers a five-day free trial, which only lasts five days, but it’s more than enough time to watch matches. You can cancel or keep the service once the free trial ends – prices start at $69.99 to watch the Australian Open.
Best for ESPN
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN Unlimited is live streaming college football games this season, particularly the Peach Bowl. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for ESPN Unlimited for $29.99 per month.
ESPN Unlimited includes all sports network channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ABC on ESPN, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and others, plus original programming, such as The Pat McAfee Show, 30 for 30, McEnroe’s locations, The man in the arena: Tom Brady, Southern Hoops: A History of SEC Basketball, Deion’s double game and others. Meanwhile, it provides streaming access to live sports from NBA, UFC, Formula 1, NHL, MLB and other sports leagues.
Watch ESPN plus more than 200 other news, entertainment and sports channels with a subscription to Fubo, which starts at $48.99 for the first month of the series, then $73.99 per month after that with the streamer’s current deals. The online TV streaming service is offering a free trial to new subscribers, so you can watch matches online for free during this period.
You can watch ESPN with a subscription to Hulu + Live TV. The streaming service has access to more than 90 live channels – like BET, CNN, Food Network and more – starting at $89.99 per month and comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, plus Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. Hulu + Live TV offers a three-day free trial to new subscribers.
Sling might be a good choice for watching ESPN, while the live TV streaming service is on sale for half price on your first month. With Sling Orange, you can then start watching from $45.99 per month. Sling Orange owns AMC, BBC America, CNN, Comedy Central, Food Network and other channels.
Note: Channel pricing and availability depends on your TV market.
How to watch the Australian Open on cable
Since the 2026 Australian Open is broadcast on ESPN, you can watch through your cable TV provider or stream live tennis matches online on ESPN.com or TennisChannel.com, with login to your cable TV account.
How to watch the Australian Open outside the United States
Outside the United States? You can still stream the Australian Open 2026 on any of the streaming services above when paired with ExpressVPN. It’s a virtual private network that lets you legally access US web servers – even if you’re in another country – to stream to a smart TV, smartphone, tablet and laptop. Learn more about ExpressVPN here.
Watch the 2026 Australian Open online without cable and stream the tennis tournament live for free with DirecTV.
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