How can I watch live Ashes cricket on my iPad? Are there any free live streaming options?
The Ashes cricket is here! The Ashes 2015 is set to begin later today, on Wednesday 8 July, with the first Test in Cardiff, and continues until the final day’s play in the fifth Test on 24 August. (At time of writing there’s a little rain, but we hope the first day’s play will start on time or shortly after.) We’ve gathered everything you need to know about watching Ashes cricket matches on your Apple device, whether it’s an iPad, iPhone, Mac or Apple TV.
For the latest cricket action, see How to watch the Cricket World Cup.
How to watch the Ashes 2015: Stream the Ashes 2015 live on Sky Go for iPad & iPhone
Live coverage of the Ashes in the UK is on Sky Sports 2. To stream Sky Sports on your iPad or iPhone, you’ll need to either have a Sky subscription (including the Sports package) and the Sky Go app. Alternatively, you can use Sky Now TV.
Sky Go is a free iPad and iPhone app (with the exception of the Sky subscription fee) with some nifty features, including a sort of intelligent quality control which will adjust the picture resolution to suit your WiFi or 3G/4G speed. 3G isn’t a great option, but by dropping down the quality to compensate, Sky Go ensures that you’ve got a chance to see something, wherever you are.
Even with the reduced picture quality, streaming video consumes a lot of data, so watch your allowance and try to stay in range of WiFi where possible.
But what if you haven’t got a Sky Sports subscription? Sky has an option for you too. If you’re not already a Sky Sports subscriber you are unlikely to want to shell out for an annual contract just to watch one game of cricket. But with Sky’s Now TV you can pay on a one-off basis and watch online. You can get a day pass for just £6.99, and that offers access to all of Sky Sports output on that day. Paying for a week shouldn’t be too onerous, either, as it costs just £10.99 – offering you a whole Test match for the price of a couple of pints.
Nice roll of the wrists there. (Non-Ashes) cricket photo by Barry Skeates, under Creative Commons Licence
How to watch the Ashes 2015: Stream the Ashes 2015 live on Mac
To watch the cricket live on your Mac, you’ll need to install Sky Go Desktop, which is free but also requires a Sky Sports subscription (or the equivalent Sky Now package). You can download Sky Go here.
How to watch the Ashes 2015: Stream the Ashes 2015 live on Apple TV
Sky Sports is available to watch on the Apple TV through Now TV, which offers a Sky Sports Day Pass that’ll cost you £6.99 for 24 hours and give you unlimited access to Sky Sports 1, 2, 3, 4, Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports News.
How to watch more sporting events on Apple devices:
How to watch Euro 2016 football on iPad or iPhone
How to watch the Rugby World Cup 2015 live on iPad or iPhone
How to watch Rugby Six Nations on iPad or iPhone
How to watch Wimbledon on iPad or iPhone
and don’t forget festival season: How to watch Glastonbury 2016 on iPad or iPhone
Author: David Price, Editor
David has loved the iPhone since covering the original 2007 launch; later his obsession expanded to include iPad and Apple Watch. He offers advice to owners (and prospective owners) of these devices.