Football fans dying for a fix can stream Bundesliga this weekend

With the EPL not expected to return until June, football fans (and sports fans in general) have been itching for a return to the pitch. The wait is over as Germany kicks off its 2020 Bundesliga season this weekend on Saturday, 16 May, from 11:25 pm (10:30 pm for pregame).

Football nuts are scrambling for the remote, making all the appropriate arrangements for a day on the couch. Unlike a lot of sports, your options for streaming Bundesliga online in Australia are many. First up, you’ve got Kayo Sports, the Australian streaming service commonly known as the “Netflix of Sports,” then there’s Foxtel’s Sports package if you don’t mind forking out a bit of extra cash. And lastly, there’s the humble beIN Sports, the sports channel available via Fetch TV, or as a standalone streaming subscription.

Here’s how much you’ll pay for each service if you’re hoping to watch Bundesliga live.

Australian football fans will want to ditch their Saturday night plans if they’re hoping to catch Bundesliga’s return at 11:25 pm on Saturday, 16 May.

• $19.99 Channel Pack add-on
• Available via Internet bundles
• Contract subject to Internet provider

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Foxtel, but you still like to have a traditional PVR set-top box, Fetch is your best option. The Fetch Mini ($169 outright) and 4K Fetch Mighty ($449 outright) both come with an included Starter channel pack at no extra charge, but the beIN Sports pack will cost you an additional $19.99 per month.

The benefit of Fetch is that you record live matches to watch later and bundle them with an Internet plan if you don’t want to pay for the hardware upfront.

Here are some examples of providers that bundle Fetch with their Internet plans.

• 14-day free trial
• $19.99 per month
• $179.99 per year
• No lock-in contract

beIN Sports Connect is a standalone streaming service for fans who want beIN without additional services or features. The standalone service has a 14-day free trial and costs $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year, but it’s also available to Foxtel Sports customers at no extra cost.

The standalone app is available on smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android), PC and Mac via web browsers and Apple TV.

• 14-day free trial
• $25 to $35 per month
• No lock-in contract
• SplitView streaming

Kayo Sports will stream all Bundesliga matches live it at the same time as the rest of the world. Kayo Sports has a two-week free trial and costs $25 or $35 per month (for Basic and Premium, respectively) once your free trial is up. Kayo is available on a wide range of devices, including smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android), Apple TV, Android Smart TVs, Samsung Smart TVs, Telstra TV, Chromecast, and PC and Mac via a web browser.

It also sports premium features, like SplitView for multi-window streaming, which will get a workout when the first five Bundesliga matches kick-off.

• 10-day free trial
• $54 per month
• All Bundesliga matches live
• HD streaming

If you’d prefer some variety with your sports subscription, you could sign up for Foxtel Now’s 10-day free trial. Once your free trial ends, you’ll need to pay $54 per month to keep your Sports and Basic channel packs active. Unfortunately, there’s no way to pay for the Sports pack exclusively on Foxtel Now.

Foxtel Now is available on more devices than Kayo, offering support for PC and Mac via web browsers, Apple TV, smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), Telstra TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and Sony, LG and Samsung Smart TVs.

If you’re a traditional Foxtel iQ subscriber, you can catch the Bundesliga live on beIN Sports 1, 2, and 3. Foxtel iQ’s discounted sports pack costs $55 per month for new subscribers, but that price goes up to $74 per month after your first 12 months.

Bundesliga returns to the pitch Saturday 16 May, with the first two matches kicking off at 11:20 pm (Leipzig v Freiburg, and Hoffenheim v Hertha), followed shortly by an 11:25 pm kick-off for Dortmund vs. Schalke after its 10:30 pm pregame stream.

Here are the fixtures, so you know when to tune in.