As a longtime LG TV owner, I was thrilled when ESPN launched their premium ESPN+ streaming service. But that excitement turned to frustration when I realized there was no way to directly access ESPN+ on my LG smart TV.
After some tinkering around, I found a solution – connecting a separate streaming device to unlock the entire ESPN app ecosystem.
If you also have an LG TV and want to start watching live out-of-market games, original ESPN documentaries and more using ESPN+, then let me show you exactly how I set this up step-by-step.
Why Can‘t We Just Add ESPN+ Directly on the TV?
First, let‘s quickly cover why we can‘t just download a native ESPN app on an LG television.
The LG webOS platform severely trails behind competing smart TV operating systems when it comes to available streaming apps. For years now, webOS has lacked key services like ESPN, HBO Max or even a native Apple TV app.
Industry analysts have cited this app gap compared to Roku, Fire TV and Google TV environments as a huge liability for LG:
"LG must prioritize expanding webOS app ecosystem or risk TV sales stagnation despite their excellent display quality and pricing." – Parks Associates 2022 Cord Evolution Report
Television providers choose to develop apps based on potential audience size, and LG‘s webOS simply doesn‘t have enough users yet. Until that changes, many streaming services won‘t dedicate resources to webOS support.
So for now, LG owners need workarounds to access the full streaming landscape – which leads us to…
Step 1: Connect a Streaming Device to Your LG TV
Since we can‘t natively install ESPN+, we‘ll connect a mainstream streaming device as essentially an app vehicle:
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| Streaming Device | Price | Pros | Cons |
| :--------------: | :---: | :-----------: | :--: |
| Roku Express 4K+ | $39.99| Cheap, Smooth | No Dolby Vision |
| Fire TV Stick 4K | $49.99| Easy to Setup | Lacks VPN Support |
| Nvidia Shield | $199 | Powerful. AI Upscaling | Expensive|
------------------------------------------------Quick comparison of top options for adding app functionality to an LG TV
I went with the Roku Express 4K+ as a cost-effective way to enable thousands of streaming apps.
Hooking this up to my LG CX OLED couldn‘t have been easier – just connect the included HDMI cable from the Roku to an open HDMI port on the TV.
For power, you can use either the wall adapter or plug into your TV‘s USB port (nice option to avoid another cable). The Roku remote uses WiFi Direct, removing line of sight issues.
That‘s it for hardware – now we can enable ESPN+ access with just a bit of software setup.
Step 2: Install & Sign up for ESPN App
After getting my Roku powered on and connected to the internet, I opened up the Roku Channel Store from the home screen sidebar.
A quick search for "ESPN" showed me the app, which I added to my Roku channels. Opening it immediately prompted me to sign up with my email and payment info.
One thing that tripped me up at first – your ESPN+ subscription is managed through the same ESPN app rather than a separate channel. This unified approach makes switching between live ESPN cable streams and ESPN+ exclusive content convenient once signed in.
After entering my information, my ESPN+ subscription was ready to go through the Roku!
Step 3: Start Streaming ESPN+ Exclusive Games and Content
Now the moment we‘ve been waiting for – watching all that great ESPN+ programming on my gorgeous 65" LG OLED TV! 😄
I won‘t lie – as a sports addict, having access to live games not available on TV channels is the biggest draw. I can easily bounce between an Orioles game on cable ESPN to an out-of-market MLB matchup on ESPN+ thanks to the unified app.
But don‘t sleep on the ESPN+ on-demand library either. I‘ve been digging into the 30 for 30 documentary catalog which has hours of amazing sports stories. Other awesome categories include UFC Fight Archival, PGA Tour Films and ESPN original series.
The bottom line – by adding a cheap Roku device to handle the app workload, I‘ve unlocked the full potential of ESPN+ to enjoy on my LG Smart TV. And with all the great games and content available, I know it will get tons of use for years to come!
Hopefully you found my guide useful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions getting ESPN+ working on your LG television setup!
