ESPNU is a cable channel dedicated entirely to college sports. It shows live games and events, sports news programs, commentary shows, and documentaries focused on NCAA athletics. So if you‘re a big fan of college football, basketball, baseball and more, you‘ll want access to ESPNU. But it‘s not included in the basic cable package from Spectrum. Let‘s take a look at exactly what channel ESPNU is on with different Spectrum plans across the US.
Background on ESPNU
ESPNU first launched in 2005 as part of the ESPN family of channels. While ESPN covers both professional and college level sports, ESPNU was created to be a home just for NCAA coverage. This allowed ESPN to broadcast college games and events that they didn‘t have room for on their main channels.
When ESPNU debuted in March 2005, it was one of the first mainstream sports networks devoted exclusively to college athletics. The channel launched with over 100 hours of archived programming from ESPN‘s NCAA library. This included classic bowl games, rivalry matchups, and tournament footage going back over 50 years.
ESPNU also premiered with over 400 live competitions scheduled for its inaugural year. These initial rights deals provided coverage of major Division I conferences including the SEC, Big 12 and Conference USA.
Over the years, ESPNU has expanded its live sports offerings and added many more original programs to the schedule. There are now over 650 live college games and championships airing annually. Plus ESPNU-branded studio shows like SportsCenterU, ESPNU Film Room, and the weekly talk program Inside the Polls.
The network is now available in over 72 million homes nationwid as part of standard cable packages from most major providers. And channel ratings have grown by an average of 15% annually since 2010 as both hardore fans and casual viewers continue tuning in.
Dual Demographic Approach
ESPNU employs a hybrid programming strategy targeting two distinct subsets of the sports viewing audience:
- Avid college sports enthusiasts who follow specific schools and conferences religiously
- Mainstream sports fans that occasionally watch high-profile NCAA events like March Madness
This allows ESPNU to provide the deeply analytical and school-specific coverage that ultra-passionate college fans crave. While also presenting more accessible game recaps, news updates and documentary features to draw in casual cable subscribers.
What Spectrum Package Has ESPNU?
Since it focuses specifically on college sports, ESPNU is considered a specialty sports channel by most cable providers. That means it‘s typically only included if you upgrade to a higher-tier package beyond basic cable.
For Spectrum subscribers, ESPNU can be found in the Entertainment View add-on package. This includes many other popular channels like the Cooking Channel, BBC America, and the Science Channel.
So while ESPNU doesn‘t come in Spectrum‘s Sports View package, getting Entertainment View will allow you to access both groups of channels. This makes it the ideal choice if you want all the extra sports and entertainment variety that Spectrum offers.
Rights Battles with Competing Sports Networks
In the ultra-competitive field of sports broadcasting, networks like ESPNU are constantly bidding for the right to air live events. CBS Sports Network and regional sports networks like the Big Ten Network all compete to lock up TV deals with major college conferences and universities.
This intense rights battle means the availability of coveted events like NCAA March Madness games or the College Football Playoff can change channels from year-to-year. Currently ESPNU has contracts in place granting extensive coverage of leagues including:
- Southeastern Conference (SEC)
- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
- Big 12 Conference
- American Athletic Conference
- Ivy League
Combined with ESPN‘s own rights portfolio, this makes the ESPN family of networks unrivaled for complete NCAA sports coverage. Fans know that between ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, they‘ll never miss a single snap, tip-off or first pitch from college sports‘ biggest games all year long.
ESPNU Channel Numbers on Spectrum
The exact channel location for ESPNU depends on what market and tier of service you have with Spectrum. But in most areas, it can be found between channels 100-500.
Here‘s a sampling of ESPNU channels across some major Spectrum regions:
| City | ESPNU Channel(s) |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 370 |
| New York, NY | 370 |
| Dallas, TX | 387, 701 |
So check your local Spectrum channel listings to see exactly what channel number ESPNU comes in at with Entertainment View in your area.
ESPNU Channel Comparison Across Providers
Since it‘s considered a specialty sports add-on, ESPNU channel availability varies quite a bit across different TV providers. Here‘s a sampling of where to find ESPNU depending on if you have Spectrum, DirecTV, Dish Network or a streaming TV package:
| Provider | Channel Package | ESPNU Channel(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Entertainment View | 100-500 |
| DirecTV | Choice Package | 208 |
| Dish Network | America‘s Top 250 | 141 |
| YouTube TV | Base Plan | 504 |
As you can see, availability runs the gamut depending on exactly which channels are included in a given provider‘s sports add-ons. But thankfully finding ESPNU is pretty straightforward with Spectrum once you have Entertainment View.
Content You‘ll Find on ESPNU
Since its focus is college athletics, the majority of ESPNU‘s content comes from live NCAA sports events across a wide range of games, tournaments, and championships. This makes it a must-watch channel during the College Football Playoffs and March Madness for basketball. You‘ll also find live coverage of less mainstream college sports like lacrosse, field hockey, softball, and more on ESPNU.
In 2022 alone, over 675 live college sporting events aired on ESPNU representing nearly 1,750 hours of exclusive live programming. Football, baseball, and both men’s and women’s basketball make up the majority of event coverage:
| Sport | 2022 Airings on ESPNU |
| NCAA Football | 125 games |
| NCAA Basketball (Men‘s) | 105 games |
| NCAA Basketball (Women‘s) | 50 games |
| NCAA Baseball | 190 games |
| NCAA Other Sports | 205 games/meets/matches |
In addition to the live events, ESPNU has several original programs covering the latest news, scores, analysis and stories in the world of NCAA sports. These studio programs include:
- SportsCenterU – An expanded college version of SportsCenter airing up to 10 times daily.
- ESPNU Film Room – Experts watch and analyze game film for X‘s and O’s commentary.
- College Football Live – Weekday program previewing the top college football matchups and storylines.
- Inside the Polls– Weekly release of college football rankings reactions and analysis.
You may also find reruns of classic college games and documentary programming like ESPNU Behind the Scenes and The Drive: SEC Football profiling legendary NCAA programs, coaches, and athletes.
ESPNU vs. ESPN – What‘s the Difference?
Since they are both part of the ESPN family of networks, fans sometimes think ESPNU just shows alternate broadcasts of games also found on the main ESPN channel. But that‘s not the case.
ESPNU exists to broadcast events that ESPN doesn’t have room to show on their primary networks. So while ESPN might choose to air an Ohio State vs. Michigan football game, ESPNU could instead show North Carolina vs. Wake Forest as part of its ACC college football package.
The two channels complement each other to bring more total college sports coverage, rather than duplicating broadcasts. This symbiotic programming relationship allows ESPN to remain the undisputed king of live sports while ESPNU offers a niche haven for hardcore college fans.
Other Ways to Stream College Sports
In addition to watching live college action on ESPNU through Spectrum, two other excellent options for streaming NCAA games and content include:
ESPN+
For $9.99/month or $99.99/year, ESPN‘s direct-to-consumer streaming platform shows hundreds of live out-of-market college games you won‘t find on ESPNU or ESPN. You also get access to their massive on-demand library featuring:
- 30+ original ESPN documentary series and films
- Tons of archived games, matches, meets and events
- Exclusive studio programs like Peyton‘s Places and Detail with Kobe Bryant
So while ESPNU focuses mostly on live sports, ESPN+ offers a perfect complement with its constantly growing on-demand college content catalog.
YouTube TV
This OTT streaming TV service has a base plan costing $64.99/month and includes ESPNU as part of its standard 110+ channel lineup. So you can get all the live NCAA action on ESPNU without needing a full Spectrum cable TV subscription.
Other live TV streamers also offering ESPNU in base packages include:
- Hulu + Live TV
- FuboTV
- Sling TV (in the Sling Orange + Sports Extra bundle)
One advantage of Streamers over Spectrum is that you can cancel at any time if you only want ESPNU for a specific sports season, then re-subscribe later on.
Get Comprehensive College Sports with Entertainment View
When it comes to finding ESPNU on Spectrum, getting the Entertainment View package opens up access to the channel and a ton of other popular networks focused on sports, cooking, pop culture and more.
The ability to watch 650+ live college sporting events every year makes adding Entertainment View a no-brainer for hardcore NCAA fans. It ensures you have a front row seat when your favorite teams hit the field or court this upcoming season!
And with complementary college sports programming on ESPN as well, Spectrum subscribers can enjoy absolutely unbeatable NCAA coverage through the full ESPN family of networks.
