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However, the league is still adjusting to the streaming revolution. Broadcast rights continue to be dominated by the major networks, with a few games streamed exclusively on cable channels like ESPN or the NFL Network.
To make it more confusing, because most games are being played simultaneously, blackout or regional restrictions play a huge role in what games you can easily watch.
Whether you only want to watch your local team, follow every game at once, or tune into your hometown team from out-of-state, here are the best ways to stream NFL games without a cable subscription.
Regardless of the seemingly endless controversies surrounding the league, the NFL is still the most watched sport by the American television audience. Because of this huge profit potential, the major TV networks have maintained a firm grip on the broadcast rights to NFL games. Compared to other leagues, streaming any NFL game you want is a bit more complicated, and more expensive.
Basically, the games are spread across five different networks. Games with an NFC home team are aired on Fox, games with an AFC home team on CBS, Sunday Night Football on NBC, Thursday Night Football on NFL Network or available for streaming via Amazon Prime or Twitch, and Monday Night Football on ESPN. Wherever you are watching from determines which games get aired on your local networks.
You can access these channels without a cable subscription via streaming services like HDTV antennas, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, and NFL Sunday Ticket. Additionally, NFL RedZone can be added as a bonus for fans who want to watch all the action from across the league simultaneously rather than sit through one game.
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These services can all be accessed through most smart TVs, game consoles, and streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV Stick. They can also be streamed on-the-go via smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
Here's how you can stream all the NFL content you want without signing up for a traditional cable subscription.
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You can purchase an antenna to add to your TV for under $10 that gives you access to local channels within a certain distance.
What you get:
Purchasing an HD antenna gives you access to a capture TV signals from whatever area you are watching from. This means that you will be able to access the local affiliates of major broadcast networks like FOX, CBS, and NBC.
This lets you watch all the regional games broadcasted from wherever you're located. You also get the Sunday Night Football matchup that airs on NBC. Because it's only a one-time payment, this is a great deal for those solely interested in watching the team in your area.
If you're only hooking up your TV to watch sports, Sling TV is a great budget option that gives you all the channels you need at a cheaper price than Hulu or fubuTV. There are three different plans, depending on what channels you prioritize. Sling Orange and Sling Blue each cost $15 per month, while the combined Sling Orange & Blue plan costs $25 per month.
What you get:
Sling Orange has ESPN, while Sling Blue has the NFL Network plus FOX and NBC in select markets. Additionally, you can add the Sports Extra package to the Sling Blue subscription for $10 per month, which lets you watch NFL Redzone.
Your best bet to get access to all the games is to cash in on Sling's offer of a free antenna that grants you access to the local channels, and get the Sling Orange & Blue plan plus their Sports Extra package.
If you don't want it all, you can add just Sling Blue to gain access to Thursday night's game, or just Sling Orange to gain access to Monday night's game in addition to the local offerings included with the antenna.
For only $35 per month, Sling offers a free antenna to gain access to all local channels, ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to tune in to as much NFL as possible.
In addition to all of its other offerings, Hulu with Live TV has mostly everything you need to stream NFL games for $44.99 per month. However, one glaring absence is that you don't have any way to add NFL RedZone as a channel, which could be a deal breaker if you're hoping to watch and monitor action across the league.
What you get:
Like an HD antenna, Hulu with Live TV gets you access to all the local affiliates of the major broadcasts, meaning FOX, CBS, and NBC. These will show the games that are within your regional broadcast map. In addition, you also get ESPN, which gives you access to all Monday Night Football games, and some of the best NFL coverage and analysis on TV.
While you don't get access to watch out-of-network games from across the country like you do with NFL RedZone or NFL Sunday Ticket, this is a comprehensive way to tune into all locally and nationally televised games besides Thursday Night Football, which airs on NFL Network or can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
At $54.99 per month, fubo TV is a more expensive option that makes more sense if you're looking for content beyond NFL football. Also, for an extra $10.99 per month you can add the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone package to gain access to the highly coveted channel.
What you get:
In terms of NFL games, this price includes access to the local CBS, NBC, and FOX stations. Additionally, you can stream NFL Network, meaning you will be able to tune in to Thursday Night Football all season long.
However, there is no way to access ESPN through fuboTV, so you'll need to add another service if you want to stream Monday Night Football. Because of this, Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV are probably better options if your only goal is to watch as much NFL as possible.
NFL Sunday Ticket used to only be available with a cable subscription, but NFL fans in non-DirecTV markets anywhere in the country can now gain access to every Sunday afternoon game. There are two separate plans available: The NFL Sunday Ticket To Go plan costs $73.49 per month for four months, which is $293.96 total. There is also the NFL Sunday Ticket Max plan for $99 per month for four months, adding up to $395.99 total.
What you get:
Both plans give you access to all of the Sunday afternoon games. This means that you do not get access to Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night games. You will also be unable to stream locally televised games with only an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription. However, this is the only way for people hoping to watch live full games of their favorite teams out of market. A fun feature included in both plans is that you can watch four games at once on your screen.
In addition to the normal features, NFL Sunday Ticket Max adds in NFL RedZone and the DirecTV Fantasy Zone, which is a new channel solely dedicated watching games through the lens of fantasy football.
