Many of the online bookmakers available in the UK offer a live streaming service, allowing users to view live sports directly from their betting apps.
However, the quality and features within the live streaming services offered differs from one betting app to another. Therefore, we take a look at these difference to establish which betting app we believe hosts the best live streaming service.
Live Streaming Features
So, what are we looking for to determine which live streaming services are the best? Here’s a list of the features that were incorporated in to our scoring system.
- Number of sports – We look at how many sports are covered by the Live streaming service.
- Number of live streams – We analyse how many streams are available across the different sports on offer.
- Picture in Picture (PIP) – We test whether it’s possible or not to multitask by having the ability to browse the app (or other apps) while also watching the action.
- Full screen capability – For when you want to immerse yourself in the action, you want the ability to make the viewing window full screen. We test to see which betting apps allow you to go full screen.
- Live Streaming events filter – We like it when it’s easy to locate the events that have a live stream attached to them and there’s no better way to achieve this than by having a dedicated live streaming events filter in the menu system. we highlight those bookmakers who offer this feature.
- Live Commentary – not a big deal for us but it may be to others so we have included whether or not live commentary compliments the live stream in to our scoring,
- Betting While watching – This is a new quirky feature whereby you can watch a live stream and have betting options available to you inside the viewing window, allowing you to bet and watch at the same time without the need to switch windows.
***IMPORTANT NOTICE***
Each streaming service mentioned below come with their own terms and conditions. For example, some streams may require you to place a bet on the actual event in order to watch the stream. Others may require you to have a funded account.
ALL Live streaming services can ONLY be accessed from a logged in registered account.
Betting Apps With Live Streaming Services
Bet365
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 4.42/5
The bet365 app offers the most extensive live streaming service with a dedicated streaming list, live markets available during streams, and Picture-in-Picture (PiP) on the markets page.
The ability to watch in full screen and the inclusion of live commentary on select events make it the best live streaming service on a betting app in the UK, in our opinion.
Why Bet365 Wins
- Most extensive live streaming library
- Full screen and PiP support (though PiP is limited to the markets page)
- Live betting integration while watching
- Live commentary on selected events
- Dedicated streaming section for easy access
Coral & Ladbrokes
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 4.29/5
With Coral and Ladbrokes both falling under the Entain umbrella, both use the same live streaming system. So what you get on what in terms of features, you also get on the other.
Both had a good selection of sports, although offered fewer streams throughout our testing than the bet365 app. A strong point with the Coral and Ladbrokes live streaming service is betting while watching. You can browse through many betting markets from the bottom of the viewing window and scroll horizontally to see more. There’s even an option to hide the markets if you want a clearer view of the action.
Betfred
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 4/5
The Betfred app has plenty of sports and streams available. There’s full screen viewing across all sports, as well as full Picture in Picture, meaning you can leave the Betfred app and still have eyes on the action.
However, there’s no betting options available in live screen.The viewing window doesn’t freeze either on the markets page, making it difficult to bet and watch the action at the same time. You can bet and watch in picture in picture, but this does moving the viewing window around to see all of the information.
Boylesports
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 4/5
The Boylesports live streaming service is one of high quality. There’s a healthy amount of streams available across a wide variety of sports. They’re easy to find as well thanks to the dedication streaming filter inside the in-play section.
Streaming windows can be enlarged to full screen and there’s full PIP support, meaning you can leave the app and still watch the action in a movable viewing window.
One downside here though, is that it is difficult to bet and watch on the Boylesports app at the same time.
10Bet
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 3.57/5
The 10bet Live streaming service offers a limited amount of sports. The main ones being horse racing, greyhound racing, tennis and eSports.
There’s plenty of flexibility when it comes to the viewing window though. There’s full screen, picture in picture and Airplay options available.
BetVictor
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 3.14/5
The BetVictor Live streaming service has a very capable viewing window, but lacks in the number of sports that are available to watch.
Users are limited to pretty much horse racing, greyhounds and eSports. If that small selection of sports covers what you want to watch, the BetVictor app may well be a good choice for you.
Picture-in-picture within the app is possible, allowing you to browse markets from the same event or different as the race or action plays out in front of you. you can also make the viewing window full screen, but if you do you will need to minimise again to be be able to place an in-play bet (or any other type).
William Hill
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 2.57/5
William Hill came short in quite a few of our metrics, as far as its live streaming service is concerned. locating events with a live stream was easy enough thanks to the live stream filter and there’s a number of sports that are live streamed.
However, we found the number of events offering a live stream somewhat disappointing. Users are forced to watch events that are available in a small window which makes it difficult to watch on mobile phones and frustrating to watch on a tablet.
There are three William Hill betting TV channels available streaming horse racing and greyhound racing, offering different commentators. The channels video window can be placed in to PIP, enabling you to browse the whole William Hill website whilst also watching the race.
Sky Bet
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 3.57/5
The Sky Bet live streaming service is somewhat of an all rounder, scoring reasonably well in all areas with the exception of a streaming events filter (there isn’t one!). Events that do have live streams are labelled with a small icon to identify them, but you are left to browse through the in play tabs to locate them.
There’s full screen capability alongside good audio, as well as picture in picture inside and outside of the Sky Bet app.
Paddy Power & Betfair
- Number of Sports
- Number of Streams
- Full Screen
- PIP
- Betting While Watching
- Streaming Events Filter
- Live Commentary
Total Score = 3.57/5
Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet all fall under the ownership of Flutter Entertainment. That connection has led to all three bookmakers sharing the same live streaming service.
Each app has a different look and feel to it and different offers, but as far as the live streaming service is concerned, you will get exactly the same on all three.