How to watch NFL games live in 2024
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Are you ready for some football? The season kicked off this month in Kansas City with the Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens, and will close on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, when my Pittsburgh Steelers will take on…
Hey, a guy can dream, OK?
Until then, we'll have 18 weeks of pro football action, with 272 games in total. CBS, Fox, ESPN, ESPN+, NBC, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, NFL Network, and Netflix will broadcast the regular season games. For the vast majority of games, though, a live TV streaming service is all you'll need -- not necessarily cable.
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Before we dive in, some initial tips:
- The prices of streaming services vary wildly depending on the type of subscription and package, so be sure to shop around to find some real deals.
- You want services that carry local CBS, NBC, and Fox channels. Not all of them do. For example, while I like Philo, it lacks local stations. Others only stream local stations for some areas. Before subscribing to any service, check the fine print and ensure you get your local stations.
- You'll also want the NFL Network and ESPN's national feeds. Again, not all packages include these by default.
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By and large, Sunday NFL games are on Fox; Sunday AFC games are on CBS, and Sunday night football is on NBC; Monday night football is on ESPN; and Thursday night games are on Amazon Prime Video. Here are the best ways to live stream NFL football this season without cable.
How to stream NFL games in 2024
Before talking about streaming services, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that you can still get some games for free over-the-air (OTA) with a good old antenna. Even rabbit ears from the 1960s will pick up your local CBS, Fox, and NBC games.
Also: The best TV antennas to buy in 2024
You can't, however, watch out-of-market games, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, or NFL Network games. Still, OTA games are free, so you can't beat the price! Check out our pick for the best TV antenna overall here.
DirecTV seems to change its name every time I turn around, but the service and offerings remain the same.
For NFL fans, that means you can get the CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and NFL Network games on it. Be sure to look closely at the major network offerings, as local channels aren't available everywhere. To get the maximum number of games, you'll need to get the DirecTV Choice Package, which includes the NFL Network.
I should also point out that Disney and DirecTV are in the middle of a contract dispute, meaning you can't currently watch ESPN on DirecTV, which in turn means you won't be able to watch Monday Night Football.
Ack! That may change -- last year Spectrum subscribers couldn't watch ESPN briefly, too -- but there's no guarantee that ESPN will be back on DirecTV in time for the first Monday night game on Sept. 9, the 49ers hosting the Jets.
The Choice Package costs $103.98 monthly or $74.99/mo for a 24-month subscription. The Entertainment Package costs less at $74.99 a month or $59.99 monthly with a 24-month subscription, but it doesn't include the NFL Network.
DirecTV will let you and your friends watch up to 20 simultaneous streams per account on your home network and up to three outside of it. However, it only gives you 20 hours of DVR storage. Its lookback and Rewind capabilities enable you to watch content previously shown up to 72 hours ago. It also lets you restart live streams from their start, which is handy for those times you couldn't get to the TV just as the game started.
You can catch all your local NFL games, Saturday and Monday Night games, and NFL Network games. However, you won't be able to catch Thursday Night or out-of-market games.
Are you a serious sports fan? By "serious," I mean besides watching the US holy trinity of football, basketball, and baseball, do you want to watch the English Premier League, F1 racing, and cricket? Then you should check out Fubo.
Fubo offers CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC in many areas. It also offers the NFL RedZone channel through its Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on, which costs $10.99 per month.
Besides sports, FuboTV is a full-fledged streaming service with all the usual stations. It comes with three English-language plans.
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The Pro Plan starts at $49.99 for the first month and then goes up to $79.99 per month. The Elite with Sports Plus plan offers 4K and NFL Redzone with its Sports Plus package for $69.99 for the first month and then $99.99 per month thereafter.
All three of its tiers offer 1,000 hours of video DVR storage, and you can stream on up to three screens at once on your home network. It also includes two handy features: Lookback, which lets you watch some sports programs up to 72 hours after they aired, and Startover, which, just like the name says, enables you to restart certain live events from their start.
Put it all together, and you can see all local games, Sunday and Monday night games, and NFL Network games. What you can't get are the Thursday night games or out-of-market games.
Hulu + Live TV's big selling point is that it combines the most live TV and a video-on-demand (VoD) service in one enjoyable package. Besides great original content, such as Only Murders in the Building, it has many other on-demand shows and movies. On top of that, you get over 75 live and on-demand channels.
Hulu + Live TV's interface and performance has consistently improved. I find it the easiest live TV service to use, and it really delivers in terms of the NFL. Like other streaming services, Hulu offers local CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in most areas. If you want NFL RedZone, it's available now with the Sports Add-on.
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Its combination of on-demand video and live TV costs $75.99 a month. You can stream two sessions simultaneously and get unlimited cloud DVR storage.
Hulu also offers bundles with Disney+ and ESPN+ starting at $12.99 a month. Disney+ offers Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney movies for the members of your family who couldn't care less about sports. With ESPN+, you can also watch ESPN's games and the exclusive ESPN+ game.
Sling TV's a la carte approach to channels separates it from its competitors. It offers two basic packages: Blue, with 43 channels for $40, and Orange, with 32 channels for $40. You can get them both as a package deal for $55 and add packages of other channels, called Sling Extras, for small additional fees.
For NFL fans, this is a mixed blessing. I like it because it lets me get the channels I want, but it's also confusing. Some channels are available on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Orange is basically an ESPN/Disney package, while Blue offers a Fox/NBC package. Blue also includes The NFL Network. If you want a broad selection of channels, your best deal is to subscribe to the combo for $55.
Sling TV is also offering a special NFL deal this season. For $219 in advance, you'll get all the regular NFL games -- except the CBS games -- with a combination of Orange and Blue. This includes ESPN, FOX, NBC, and the NFL Network. The $11 Sports Extra comes with 15 channels for pro ball fans, including NFL RedZone.
What you won't get, though, is your local CBS affiliate. For that, Sling TV urges you to use an OTA antenna. Another option to consider is subscribing to Paramount+, which will give you all of CBS's AFL games.
With Orange and Blue together, you and your people can watch up to four streams at once. You can only store up to 100 hours on Sling's cloud-based DVR.
Personally, I've liked Sling TV since it pioneered live TV streaming back in 2016. I like the interface, its speed, and the ability to pick and choose my channels, so I get just what I want. Its combined Blue and Orange price is still below those of its main competitors. But without CBS, you can't stream AFC games, making it a second-choice service for NFL streamers.
There's a lot to love about the $72.99 monthly YouTube TV. With over 100 channels, it offers more of the most popular channels than its competitors. It also enables you to watch your local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in most areas and your local PBS stations.
Better still, you can get YouTube TV for $64.99 a month for the first four months, which covers the NFL season nicely.
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The best deal of all, though, if you have the money for it, is the NFL Sunday Ticket Bundled plan. For four payments of $158.99 a month, you get to watch all the Sunday NFL games and NFL Redzone to boot.
Another neat new feature is YouTube TV's customizable NFL multiview. This enables NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers to watch any available combination of two, three, or four NFL Sunday Ticket games at the same time. YouTube TV Base Plan members will also have the option to watch multiview local NFL games via select stations.
This is backed by YouTube TV, which has unquestionably the best cloud DVR. It comes with unlimited storage and a generous nine months to watch recordings. You can stream up to three simultaneous shows at once. And, yes, you can zoom by commercials on your recorded shows.
I could easily recommend YouTube TV to everyone if it weren't for the price. As it is, if you've got a bigger budget and you're a hardcore NFL fan, it's your best choice.
Streaming services with limited live NFL games
If you want to watch Thursday Night NFL games, which start on Sept.12, Amazon Prime is your only choice. Amazon Prime Video is available on essentially all streaming devices and PCs for $8.99 a month, in addition to the required annual Amazon Prime membership, which costs $139 but gives other benefits.
NFL+ sounds good, but a closer look reveals it's really just a repackaging of the old NFL Game Pass. For $7 a month or $30 annually, you can watch out-of-market preseason games, local and primetime games (including Thursday night games), and replays… after the game's over.
But -- and this is the sticking point -- you can only watch them on your smartphone or tablet. You can also listen to live local and national radio games. As someone who grew up in rural West Virginia, where the radio was the only way I could "watch" the games I cared about, that's still an attractive feature.
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There's also NFL+ Premium, for $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, which lets you watch full ad-free game replays and see Coaches Film.
Hard-core NFL fans will like this offering, but casual fans can do better.
CBS was the first of the major broadcast networks to go big on streaming with CBS All Access. Its biggest selling point was CBS' huge catalog of past and new shows, as well as live CBS news and sports content. That's still true under its current name: Paramount+.
For football fans, this means Paramount+ includes CBS Sunday AFC games for $7.99 a month. Before signing up, make sure your local CBS station is available. If it's not, you won't be able to watch those games.
However, the Paramount+ Essential plan does not include your local CBS station, but the NFL on CBS and the UEFA Champions League will be available via separate live feeds. For your local station, you need the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. The former costs $7.99 a month, or you can save $59.99/year on an annual plan. The latter is $12.99/month or $119.99/year.
Paramount+ is running a deal right now, with plans startting at $2.50 per month for 12 months with the code FALL50. This offer ends September 23.
If you're a Sling TV customer, Paramount+ is an excellent way to add the CBS games to your Sunday football-watching menu.
Peacock will show all of NBC's Sunday Night Football games for $7.99 a month. It also will show one -- count it, one -- game that no one else will be broadcasting. That's the match between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, Sept. 6.
So, do you feel ready for some football now? I know I do, although, depending on how my Steelers do, I may change my mind in a few weeks. But that's life as a fan, isn't it?
NFL Streaming FAQs
How I chose these NFL streaming services
At ZDNET, we've been testing streaming services (including live TV and video on demand) for years. We chose these best NFL streaming services based on what channels and games they include, so you can get the most bang for your buck and watch the games that are most important to you.
How much Internet speed do you need for streaming?
You'll need broadband internet to use any of these services. If you're living on your own, you may be able to get by with as little as 10 megabits per second. However, if you're sharing your home with others or want to watch 4K videos, I recommend getting at least a 25Mbps Internet connection.
Not sure how fast your connection is? Try one of these Internet speed tests.
Will choosing streaming instead of cable TV save you money?
When I first cut the cable cord in 2009, I saved over $100 a month and still got to watch all my shows. But now, my internet video streaming bills are closing in on cable TV-level bills. Why? Internet streaming is copying the tired, old cable business models. As a result, almost all the live TV services have been seeing price increases, and they'll probably go up higher.
On the other hand, if you want to catch as many games as you can, you have no choice but to stream them. Going forward, I expect more and more games to only be available on streaming services.
In short, no when it comes to watching the NFL, you won't save much money over cable or satellite these days.
What hardware or gear do you need for streaming?
You might be wondering, what do I need a streaming device for? Can't I get all the streaming services I want from my smart TV? Well, actually, no, you can't.
I wish you could, but generally speaking, TV manufacturers still do a lousy job supporting streaming services. For example, in 2019, older smart TVs from Samsung and Vizio stopped supporting Netflix. No service is safe if they can do that to the most popular subscription-based video streaming service.
Besides, some smart TVs also don't support newer channels. So, for example, if your kids are demanding Frozen 2 on Disney+ and you have a non-supported Vizio Smartcast TV, you'll have to explain to your 5-year-old why they can't watch Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. Good luck with that.
That said, newer smart LG TVs, like the heart of my home theater, an LG OLED 77 C1 4K TV, do an excellent job of supporting even obscure streaming networks.
There are many streaming devices out there. Personally, I recommend any of the Roku devices. They don't cost much, support almost all services, and are easy to use. If you're looking for the best possible one, I recommend the Roku Ultra for $103. If you want to save your pennies, get a Roku Express 4K Plus for $30.
Be sure you have a TV capable of handling 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) sports to make the most of these services. These days, though, even a budget TV may be all you need for a great game experience.
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Finally, keep your eyes open for sales. You may be able to save a few hundred dollars, even thousands, on a TV, which can pay for your entire streaming football season.
NFL games get split up
Netflix has pro football now? Yes, yes, it does. The streaming giant will stream two Christmas Day games on Dec. 25: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:00 PM. ET and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans at 4:30 PM ET.
When I first discussed NFL streaming football in 2014, it was very difficult to stream the games. A serious NFL fan pretty much had to have a cable or satellite TV subscription. Today, it's getting to be the other way around. You'll need multiple streaming service subscriptions to catch all the games in 2024. Cable and satellite no longer cut it.
If you wanted to watch and/or record every game, you'd need subscriptions to cable/satellite/YouTube TV, Sunday Ticket, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN+, NFL+, and Netflix. That's seven services in total. At the list price, it will cost you over $1,600 for the season. Ow!
Still, few of us want to watch every game. For most of us, one of the live TV streaming services will do well. But, as Josh Koebert points out in his detailed examination of the upcoming 2024 NFL streaming season, the fans of some teams will need to pay more to catch every one of their team's games. For example, an unlucky New York Jets fan must pay a minimum of $58.95 to watch every game. That's because five of their games will be on ESPN/ESPN+, Prime Video, and NFL Network.
In addition to its usual variety of sports, ESPN+ will air all the ESPN Monday Night NFL games, ABC, and a single exclusive NFL game: The Week 7 Monday Night Football doubleheader with the Los Angeles Chargers visiting the Arizona Cardinals.
Remember when cord-cutting promised to slash our TV-watching costs? I do.
Wasn't there going to be a new all-sports network?
Yes, there was. But Venu Sports, the creation of ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, is stopped in its tracks for now. Had it gotten off the ground, you could have subscribed to it by now. It would have included games and shows from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, and truTV.
Now, its future lies in the courts. Stay tuned. In 2025, you might want a Venu Sports subscription.