Football season
What it really costs to stream the NFL
Here's the part nobody puts on the box: no single subscription carries every NFL game. The rights are split up, so following your team the whole season usually means a small stack of services, each one renewing on its own date. The plans aren't the problem. Forgetting to cancel the ones you only wanted for football is.
What each service carries
No single one has every game, so here's what you actually get from each. Build the smallest stack that covers your team. The ones we grade link to their cancellation Exit Grade, since leaving matters as much as joining.
Only one place has these
- Sunday Night Football (streaming home)Peacock
- Thursday Night FootballAmazon Prime Video
- Out-of-market Sunday gamesNFL Sunday Ticket (on YouTube)
- Monday Night FootballESPN
If a window here is a must-have, that service is non-negotiable. Everything else is where you can trim the stack.
Your local FOX, CBS, and NBC games, plus ESPN for Monday Night and NFL Network. The closest thing to all the games in one app; add NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market.
Local Sunday games, ESPN for Monday Night, and NFL Network, bundled in with regular Hulu.
A sports-first lineup: local games, ESPN, and NFL Network. Built for people who mostly want live sports.
The lighter, cheaper option: NFL Network and ESPN on the Orange plan, plus local NBC and FOX in some markets. Less coverage for a lower price.
Local games, ESPN, and NFL Network across its channel packages.
Exclusive: Sunday Night Football (streaming home)
Sunday Night Football, NBC's game of the week, streams here, along with the occasional Peacock-only game.
Exclusive: Thursday Night Football
Thursday Night Football, exclusively. If Thursdays matter to you, this is the one that has them.
Local and primetime games on your phone or tablet, plus replays, with NFL RedZone on the higher tier. Mobile-first, not for the big screen.
Exclusive: Out-of-market Sunday games
Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, the add-on for following a team that isn't local. Usually the priciest piece of the puzzle.
Exclusive: Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football, reached through a live-TV service that carries ESPN or through ESPN's own streaming app.
Plan prices move around and vary by market, so check the current rate on each before you commit. What doesn't change: each one is a separate renewal.
Cancel football, not by accident
Track each service the day you sign up and a reminder reaches you before it renews, so the ones you only wanted for the season don't quietly roll into spring. You decide what stays.
Track a subscription freeCommon questions
- Can I watch every NFL game with one subscription?
- No. The rights are split across broadcast networks and several streaming services, so no single subscription carries all of it. Most fans end up with a small stack: something for local Sunday games, something for primetime, and often an add-on for out-of-market games.
- What's the cheapest way to watch the NFL?
- An over-the-air antenna is free and picks up your local FOX, CBS, and NBC games. From there, the cheapest path depends on which games you care about. If you only want your local team, an antenna plus one primetime service usually covers most Sundays. The cost climbs when you add out-of-market games.
- Why does streaming the NFL cost so much?
- Because the games are spread across different rights holders, and each one is a separate subscription that renews on its own date. The individual plans are reasonable; it's stacking three or four of them, and forgetting to cancel the seasonal ones, that adds up.
- How do I stop paying for football once the season is over?
- Cancel the services you only wanted for the season before their next renewal. The easy way to not miss it is to track each start date the day you sign up, so a reminder reaches you before each one renews. That's exactly what our tracker is for.
We are not affiliated with the NFL or any streaming service, and this isn't official pricing. It's a plain map of where the games are and a reminder to watch the renewals. Prices and rights can change; reconfirm on each service. Last updated 2026-07-26.