How to Watch NFL Games With or Without Cable in 2024

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The weather may be turning cold, but the NFL season is heating up. If you've been sitting on the sidelines so far because the sheer number of streaming services needed to watch the NFL is too overwhelming, then you've landed in the right place. We are here to help you sort through the various networks and services and show you the best options.

In short, this year you'll need more streaming services to catch all the NFL action than ever before. 

Here are the networks and services that'll be airing games this season:

• CBS: Games on Sunday plus Thanksgiving and playoffs (can also be streamed on Paramount Plus).
• Fox: Games on Sunday, plus Thanksgiving, playoffs and Super Bowl.
• NBC: Sunday Night Football, plus the opening game, Thanksgiving and playoffs. 
• ESPN: Monday Night Football, one game in the Week 18 Saturday doubleheader and two playoff games.
• ABC: Some exclusive Monday Night Football games in Weeks 3, 4 and 15 and one game in the Week 18 Saturday doubleheader.
  
• ESPN Plus: Exclusive Monday Night Football game in Week 7 between the Chargers and Cardinals (also can watch some Monday Night Football games).
• Peacock: Exclusive game in Week 1 between the Eagles and Packers in Brazil (also can watch NBC games).
• Prime Video: Thursday Night Football, Black Friday game and a Wild Card playoff game.
• Netflix: Two Christmas Day games.
• NFL Plus: NFL Network games.

YouTube and YouTube TV remain the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket, the plan that lets you watch any out-of-market game. And there's still RedZone to consider, the popular channel that bounces around between all the Sunday afternoon action. 

Watching football this season can be complicated, but we're going to try and make it easier. Here's what you need to know to stream all the NFL action this year, and our recommendations for watching the 2024 NFL season, including RedZone, week in and week out. 

Who airs games and when?

Paying for cable used to be the easiest solution, but not the cheapest, for watching all the football. In today's world things have gotten a bit more complicated, with games played across three different days and nights each week on different channels and streaming services.

Most NFL games are played on Sunday, with a game each week on Monday and Thursday nights. On Sundays, games start around 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT), with most AFC teams on CBS and most NFC teams on Fox. NBC has the primetime Sunday night game. 

With the exception of the three games on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Night Football games will be shown on Amazon's Prime Video. Amazon's Week 13 game will take place on Black Friday and feature the Raiders visiting the Chiefs. 

As in previous seasons, Monday Night Football games will be on ESPN and/or ABC. This year, there will be several Monday night doubleheaders including in Weeks 7 and 15. These weeks will have games on ESPN, as well as on ABC (Weeks 15) and ESPN Plus (Week 7). ESPN, ABC and ESPN Plus will also have a Week 18 doubleheader of games with "playoff implications" on Saturday, Jan. 4. The teams for those contests will be announced later in the year. 

New to the NFL viewing in 2024 is Netflix. Announced in May, the league will air two Week 17 games on the streaming giant on Christmas Day (which is a Wednesday this year): the Chiefs and Steelers, followed by the Ravens and Texans. 

What to know about blackout games

There was a time when NFL teams could black out a game on local TV in its home market if the game didn't sell out or come very close to selling out. That's no longer the case, so you can watch your local team's game in its local market whether or not there are empty seats in the stadium on Sunday. 

In addition to your local team's games on Sunday afternoon, you'll also be able to watch a couple other games on CBS and Fox that start at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on Sunday. You'll need to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket, however, for access to every game on Sunday afternoon. 

Another option is to use a VPN to steam NFL games that are outside of your local broadcast area. VPNs are meant to protect your privacy online, but you can also use a VPN to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access geographically restricted streaming content such as out-of-market NFL games. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to do this. Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming.

Where can you stream NFL games for free?

If you have an over-the-air antenna and live in an area with good reception, you can watch NFL games on your local Fox and CBS stations on Sunday afternoons, Sunday Night Football games on NBC and most Monday Night Football games on ABC. It's not exactly free, but a good antenna costs as little as $30 and doesn't require a monthly subscription.

If you are already paying for a TV package that includes NFL Network, you should know that it shows live game action on Sunday afternoons, including both in-market and out-of-market games. Again, it's not exactly free but is probably included in something you are already paying for. The NFL Network's coverage on Sundays is not as fast-paced as the action on NFL RedZone, but NFL Network is included in the basic channel lineup of most live TV streaming services (all but DirecTV Stream). In contrast, RedZone requires the purchase of a sports add-on package that costs an extra $10-15 per month.

What are my streaming options for NFL games in 2024?

All five of the live TV streaming services -- YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV and Fubo -- carry ESPN, ABC, NBC and Fox, and all but Sling TV carry CBS (although you need Sling Orange to get ESPN). All but DirecTV Stream carry the NFL Network with their base plans; DirecTV offers it with its pricier options, like Choice, Ultimate or Premier. 

Venu Sports -- the new streaming service created by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery -- might soon offer games that air on ESPN, ABC and Fox. (It will not have CBS or NBC, and it is unclear if it will offer the NFL Network or RedZone.) The company's launch plans are currently on hold as Fubo won an injunction against the service. 

For the games on CBS and Fox, keep in mind that not every streaming service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in your particular area.

In addition to Prime Video, cord-cutting NFL fans should consider four other streaming services. Both the Essential and With Showtime (previously known as Premium) versions of Paramount Plus will show CBS games on Sundays, and both the paid Premium and step-up Plus versions of Peacock will show NBC's broadcasts of Sunday Night Football, plus that exclusive Week 1 game in Brazil. 

ESPN Plus will stream some Monday Night Football games that air on ESPN and/or ABC, as well as those Week 7 and Week 18 games, but not all Monday night games that Disney broadcasts will stream on ESPN Plus. 

Peacock will have every NBC game, but its only exclusive game is in Week 1. Netflix is needed just for the Christmas Day games in Week 17. 

Lastly, there's NFL RedZone, a channel that springs to life each fall and shows live NFL action during the Sunday afternoon games. It pops in and out of the live games and attempts to show each touchdown scored in each game. RedZone is available as an add-on on all five major live TV streaming services. 

What about NFL Plus and NFL Network? 

NFL Plus, the NFL's own streaming service, recently got a few tweaks to go along with its price hike. Now starting at $7 per month ($50 if purchased annually), you can still stream any local or national games regardless of whether they air on ABC, ESPN, CBS, Fox, NBC or Amazon Prime Video, but those streams are limited to just watching on a phone or tablet. 

NFL Plus will also let you watch the ESPN Plus and Peacock exclusive games (though again, only on a phone or tablet). 

NFL Network is now also included, and you can watch the football-focused channel as well as the eight exclusive NFL games it airs (in Weeks 5, 6, 9, 10 and 16, as well as three games in Week 15), on your mobile device, computer, game console or TV with NFL Plus.

The NFL Network is also offered by the five major streaming services in at least some of their plans. 

Those looking for RedZone can opt for NFL Plus' Premium plan that runs $15 per month (or $100 annually). Discounts on NFL Plus can drop the annual prices by 20%, although that offer is listed by the league as being available for a "limited time." Like with the NFL Network, NFL Plus Premium will let users stream RedZone on TVs and computers in addition to their phones and tablets. 

Best for everything: YouTube TV ($73 per month without RedZone, $84 with)

Our pick from the last couple of years remains our go-to choice heading into the 2024 season. 

Priced at $73 per month, YouTube TV checks all the NFL boxes and is the best sports streaming service for NFL fans. Local channels CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC are included in many markets, as are ESPN and the NFL Network so you can watch Sundays and Monday nights. It's also surprisingly quick for showing the action, and sports fans watching on TVs can speed up streams with a simple settings change to be closer to real-time action. 

The next best choice is Hulu Plus Live TV. It offers the same channels as YouTube TV for NFL fans for $83 a month after a recent price hike.

Want to follow the action with RedZone? That's available on both services as part of an add-on. If you're a YouTube TV subscriber, you can add the $11 per month Sports Plus add-on by clicking on your profile and going to Settings, then the Membership tab. Hulu users can now add RedZone for $10 per month with its Sports add-on. 

YouTube TV allows three people to watch at once, and Hulu allows two livestreams. Both have apps on nearly every mobile device and major streaming platform, including Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Roku and Apple TV. 

In the end, we like YouTube TV for its lower monthly charge and superior DVR -- unlimited storage compared with 50 hours on Hulu. We also like YouTube TV because it gives you an option to stream in 4K for an extra $20 a month. Keep in mind that only Fox and NBC have previously offered any 4K NFL broadcasts; CBS and ESPN do not. 

DirecTV Stream offers all the main broadcast channels for NFL games, but it starts at $87 per month, and that base package lacks the NFL Network. Adding in RedZone also costs an extra $15 per month through its Sports Pack.

Fubo costs at least $92 per month when you factor in the RSN fees it charges, which you don't need for NFL games but must pay for anyway. Fubo's base plan costs $80 but it charges an extra $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area. RedZone is available for an extra $11 per month, and you can get 4K broadcasts with its $90-a-month Elite plan. 

Sling TV's Orange and Blue plan for $55 or $60 a month gets you ESPN and the NFL Network, and, in select major markets, Fox and/or ABC and NBC, but you'll still lack CBS. You can also add RedZone for an additional $15 per month with its Sports Extra add-on.

Sling is also offering a deal where new users can prepay for four months of its Orange and Blue for $219. Dubbed the "Season Pass," this would get you most of the NFL channels but not RedZone (and again, not CBS) for roughly $55 per month. 

The cheapest way to stream NFL RedZone: NFL Plus Premium ($15 per month)

A fan-favorite method of following all the NFL action on Sundays, RedZone is a way to catch every big play around the league. The cheapest road to RedZone in 2024 is with NFL Plus Premium. With the NFL adding in the popular channel and the ability to watch it on more than just phones and tablets -- including TVs and computers -- it's the easy go-to pick for RedZone fans.

Those looking to save a little more can get the annual subscription for $100 for the year. 

Budget alternative for NFC fans in big cities: Sling Blue ($40 or $45 per month) or antenna ($30 one-time)

Those looking to save some cash might want to check out Sling Blue for $45 a month (in some markets it's $40 per month). This package lacks ESPN, meaning you'll miss out on Monday Night Football, but in select markets, you'll be able to get Fox and NBC. The catch is that those markets are mainly in big cities, so if you live outside one of those areas, Sling Blue might not be for you. 

You can also add RedZone through the company's $11 per month Sports Extra add-on. 

With Sling lacking CBS (and Sling Blue lacking ABC), an antenna can fill those local channel gaps without a monthly charge.

Budget alternatives for AFC fans: Paramount Plus Essentials ($8 per month) or an antenna ($30 one-time)

Some apps offer CBS' slate of Sunday AFC games live, including Paramount Plus' Essentials tier for $6 per month. Depending on where you live, however, your local CBS station (and those NFL games) might not be available. CBS offers livestreaming services in many markets; you can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here. 

An antenna is another option for getting CBS. As we mentioned above, an over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option for all the basic channels, no streaming or monthly fee required, as long as you have good reception.

Thursday Night Football: Amazon Prime Video

Games on Thursday nights are available only on Prime Video, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account for $15 a month or $139 a year. Those who just want Prime Video can get it for $9 per month. 

The full list of Prime Video games can be found on Amazon's site here.

What about Sunday Ticket? 

After years as a DirecTV exclusive, NFL Sunday Ticket has a new home with YouTube TV. Pricing is as follows: 

If you have YouTube TV, you can add Sunday Ticket for a one-time charge of $379 for the season. If you want RedZone included, it'll be $419. If you don't have YouTube TV and just want football, you can get Sunday Ticket from YouTube for $479, or a version that includes RedZone for $519. 

Google is also including four months of Max for those who purchase Sunday Ticket. 

Students looking to save can get NFL Sunday Ticket for $199, or $209 with RedZone. It is worth noting that the student plan requires verification that you are enrolled as a college student and is limited to streaming on one device at a time. The regular Sunday Ticket can be streamed on "unlimited" devices at your home address and in two other locations at once.  

As with before, Sunday Ticket doesn't include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren't being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area (what is known as "out-of-market" contests). If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you'll need Sunday Ticket plus an antenna or cable, satellite or streaming service like the ones we mentioned above. 

All the live TV streaming services allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.