How to Watch Football Without Cable
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So you’re done with cable TV, but still want to watch as much NFL football as you can. The good news is there are lots of streaming services available. The bad news is it takes more than one service to get every game. We’re here to make it easier to navigate the streaming sports map and help you save money. Let’s look at where to watch the most games and the best ways to stream this season.
Where to watch Sunday, Monday and Thursday football games
NFL games mostly air on traditional TV networks, with the exception of “Thursday Night Football,” which streams on Amazon’s Prime Video each week.
Where to watch Sunday day games: CBS and Fox.
Where to watch Sunday night games: NBC.
Where to watch Monday night games: ESPN.
Where to watch Thursday night games: Prime Video.
NFL Network carries games played in London and Munich this season.
Where to watch football on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas
Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving brings the traditional doubleheader of football games, with the early game airing on CBS and the night game on NBC on Nov. 28.
Black Friday: Back this year is another Black Friday game airing on Prime Video on Nov. 29, because why wouldn't Amazon want you home on your couch during one of the biggest shopping days of the year?
Christmas: As if televised football isn’t fragmented enough, Netflix is the new streaming home of the two NFL games taking place on Christmas Day.
How to watch football without cable
If you're looking to save money on football streaming, one of these three relatively simple options should work for most fans.
Option 1: Subscribe to a live TV streaming service
The most convenient alternative to cable TV is a live TV streaming service. Each of the services listed below includes CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and NFL Network in its core lineup on a base plan. All that access brings cable-like costs, with prices ranging from about $73 to $80 per month before taxes and fees.
YouTube TV: $72.99 per month.
Hulu + Live TV: $76.99 per month.
Fubo Pro plan: $79.99 per month.
You’ll need a Prime Video subscription to watch “Thursday Night Football,” if you’re not already an Amazon Prime member. You can subscribe to Prime Video separately for $8.99 per month.
Option 2: Subscribe to multiple streaming services
Buying these three streaming services Ă la carte saves you a few bucks per month, but omits Fox and NFL Network. Prices are before taxes and fees.
Sling Orange: $40 per month, includes access to “Monday Night Football” on ESPN.
Peacock Premium: $7.99 per month, includes access to live NFL games on NBC.Â
Paramount+ Essential: $7.99 per month, includes access to live NFL games on CBS.
Total before taxes: Roughly $56 per month. Add $8.99 if you need Prime Video.
NFL+ Premium, a service from the NFL that costs $14.99 per month, is a compelling alternative to other streaming services, says NerdWallet editor Chris Hutchison. With it, you can stream NFL RedZone on your TV on Sunday afternoons to catch scoring plays of every game in real time. You get access to live local and primetime games too, but only on a mobile device.
Option 3: Subscribe to less expensive streaming services
If you’re OK with ditching roughly half the games featured on “Monday Night Football,” you can swap Sling Orange for an ESPN+ subscription and save significantly. Select “Monday Night Football” games during certain weeks of the NFL season will air on ESPN+ and ABC, alongside ESPN.
ESPN+: $10.99 per month, includes access to select “Monday Night Football” games.
Peacock Premium: $7.99 per month, includes access to live NFL games on NBC.Â
Paramount+ Essential: $7.99 per month, includes access to live NFL games on CBS.
Total before taxes: Roughly $27 per month. Add $8.99 if you need Prime Video.
How to get Fox (home of the Super Bowl) for less
The glaring issue with the á la carte streaming options is the absence of Fox, which is a problem if you want to watch the Super Bowl. The big game is Feb. 9, 2025 and it airs on Fox.
Sling Blue: For those who live in select major markets like Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, Sling’s Blue plan comes with both Fox and NBC. If you live in a participating region, you could ditch Peacock, but would need to buy the Orange + Blue plan for $55 to $60 per month to keep ESPN. Doing so adds access to NFL Network too, as part of Sling Blue.
Venu Sports: A new sports-focused streaming platform from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery called Venu sports could be a game-changer. It’ll include sports content from 14 networks, including ESPN, Fox, SEC Network, Big Ten Network and more. The service was supposed to launch this fall at a cost of $42.99 per month, but was delayed after streaming competitor Fubo filed a lawsuit.
If Venu pans out, it could be an alternative to Sling for access to both ESPN and Fox, and a unique option for NFL and college football fans alike.
Go over-the-air, says NerdWallet writer Kurt Woock, who reminds friends and relatives that TV antennas remain totally functional in a streaming-first world. Get access to live local TV stations like Fox, CBS and NBC for free. An inexpensive indoor antenna may be all you need if you live in a location with good signal strength.
How streaming services fit into your budget
The monthly cost of multiple streaming services can add up over time. In your quest to build the best sports bundle, it can be easy to forget that streaming entertainment falls into the “wants” category of the typical budget. With the Nerd-preferred 50/30/20 framework, you aim to allocate up to 50% of your income to needs, including minimum payments on debts, 30% to wants like shopping and entertainment, and 20% for savings and debt paydown beyond those minimum payments.
A good way to sort out what you spend on sports entertainment is to consider your time, interests and budget. Think about when you’re home to watch, what games are most important and how close you already are to hitting 30% for your wants. Maybe you’ll find, for example, that you won’t get the most out of a pricey live TV streaming service and can get by with something like Peacock, Paramount+ or both to catch a few games a week.
