How to Watch NFL Games If You Don’t Have Cable

The NFL regular season kicks off this weekend: We have our first Thursday night game on Sept. 5 and an international game on Sept. 6, followed by Sunday afternoon games on Sept. 8 and the premieres of “Sunday Night Football” that night, “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 9 and “Thursday Night Football” on Sept. 12. With this year’s games spread out across Fox, CBS, ESPN, NBC, Amazon Prime Video and The NFL Network, plus a handful of games exclusive to Peacock, Netflix and ESPN+, there’s no way to watch every game on a single streaming service or channel.

Unfortunately, piecing together a season’s worth of football across broadcasters doesn’t come cheap — you’ll spend around $100 a month to get most of what’s on offer — but it is possible. Here’s what you can combine to have every single game at your fingertips.

How to put together an NFL season broadcast

If you want to access almost You can catch everything planned for this season by combining Amazon Prime Video, which has exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football,” with a subscription to DirectTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or FuboTV. These broadcasters include the big four broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC for in-market games — as well as add-ons like ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone. Be sure to check your area’s channel lineup for live TV before purchasing a subscription.

Primary Video $9 per month. Adding a second service costs:

• DirecTV Stream: DirecTV Stream gives you access to games on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC (in most markets), plus ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone. You’ll miss out on a few one-time games that are exclusive to ESPN+, Peacock, and Netflix. DirecTV Stream packages with NFL Network start at around $75 per month.

• Hulu + Live TV: Hulu + Live TV includes local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC broadcasts, including ESPN and NFL Network, as well as CBS Sports and Fox Sports, with commercials for $77 per month, or without commercials for $90 per month (rising to $84 and $96, respectively, in October). NFL RedZone is an additional $10 per month add-on, so it’s a more expensive option than DirecTV Stream if you don’t already have a Hulu subscription. You can also Add ESPN+ ($11 per month) to watch the Chargers-Cardinals game in Week 7.

• YouTube TV: YouTube TV also offers all four broadcast networks (for in-market local and nationally televised games) along with ESPN, Fox Sports, and NFL Network. The basic plan costs $73 per month, with the option to add NFL RedZone for $11 per month. YouTube TV is also the only place you can get NFL Sunday Ticket, which includes all out-of-market games and costs $479 per year on its own or $639 per year when combined with YouTube TV.

• FuboTV: FuboTV offers ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC (in many markets), plus ESPN and NFL Network, all of that for $80 per month, plus NFL RedZone and additional channels for $100 per month.

Cable alternative Sling TV There’s a combined subscription for NFL Network and ESPN on the Blue and Orange plans ($55 per month), as well as the $15 per month NFL RedZone add-on. ABC, Fox and NBC are available in select markets, but you won’t have access to Sunday afternoon AFC games shown on CBS.

While the above covers most of the season, there are a few games that are only available on certain streaming services:

• Peacock: Peacock will air its first Thursday night game on September 5, and the service will be the exclusive host of the Eagles-Packers international game (played in Sao Paulo, Brazil) on September 6 and a playoff game later in the season. If you have a Peacock subscription ($8 for the ad-supported tier, $14 for the ad-free tier), you can watch every game that airs on NBC, including every Sunday Night Football broadcast.

• Netflix: While not usually known for live TV, Netflix has a three-year deal with the NFL to stream at least one game on Christmas Day. In 2024, it will be the only place you can watch Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans. Netflix’s monthly fee ranges from $7 (standard plan with ads) to $23 (premium plan).

• ESPN+: As mentioned above, this is the exclusive home of the Week 7 Chargers-Cardinals matchup. You’ll also be able to watch some Monday night games and both the divisional and wild card playoff game.

Paramount+ will air all AFC Sunday afternoon games (via CBS), as well as a handful of AFC postseason games and most NFL pregame content. The subscription fee is $8 per month for the ad-supported tier and $13 per month for the commercial-free Paramount+ With Showtime.

Finally, you can watch Sunday afternoon games and Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games on NFL+ (mobile only) and select matches via the network-specific apps (only if you have a cable or satellite subscription).

Alternative 1: Go to a friend’s or a sports bar

An obvious alternative to putting together a bunch of streaming subscriptions is to find a friend who has a service that shows the game(s) you’re looking for and offer to bring drinks or appetizers in exchange for couch space, or find a nearby sports bar that’s probably playing whatever you want to watch for the price of a beer or two. You can also search for a bar or restaurant that serves as your favorite team’s hangout and where you can watch almost any game. Simply Google (team name) + bar + (your city), type in your local subreddit, or Fan sites like Packers Everywhere To find the best options.

Alternative 2: Get a digital antenna

If you want to watch football from the comfort of your own couch but don’t want to pay for streaming, you may want to consider a digital antenna to access local channels via over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts. Keep in mind that your mileage with this technology may vary; there are a few Digital TV antennas we recommend For best results.