The 2014 FIFA World Cup is being streamed live on the WatchESPN app for Roku, and unexpectedly no TV service provider authentication is required. That means anyone with a Roku media player can download the WatchESPN channel app and stream the World Cup free-of-charge. Today’s games, which have started with fairly heavy rain, include Mexico vs. Cameroon at 12 PM Eastern, Spain vs. the Netherlands at 3 PM ET, and Chile vs. Australia at 6 PM Eastern. Those games will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2.
The WatchESPN app is also available for phones and tablets, but it appears the app is requiring a TV provider login/password to access through other devices. WatchESPN is also available online, but the website requires authentication. For those of you with paid TV service, you can validate the WatchESPN app or website by entering the email and password used for your provider.
We’ve gotten word the WatchESPN app for Apple TV and Fire TV are requiring authentication, but please let us know in the comments if you’ve found otherwise.
[Note: If ESPN2 asks for authentication, try the ESPN3 stream.]
[Update: As of this morning the World Cup matches don’t appear to be streaming on ESPN3, therefore DirecTV subscribers who can’t authenticate are out of luck.]
[Update 2: The US vs. Belgium match is back streaming on ESPN3]
That must be a change, but on Saturday it was requiring me to authenticate.