NFL fans have never had more ways to watch football. For the first time this year, all 272 regular season games will be available in all regions of the U.S. via one streaming service or another. But the old way of tuning into games—turning on a television and flipping channels—won’t be enough for the NFL completist. A record 21 regular season games are exclusive to streaming services this year, starting with a YouTube debut on Friday.
You can now pay basically however much you want to get games, with eight different digital platforms offering varying amounts of NFL content, while cheap or even free methods will cover a lot of ground for casual observers.
Here’s Sportico’s official guide to what fans need to watch the NFL in 2025—and how much it will cost.
If You Just Want to Watch Your Local Team…
NFL games still air on broadcast television within their home media markets, even for Thursday and Monday night affairs. A pair of rabbit-ear antennas (the current models all seem to be more like flat squares for some reason) could be enough for you. But you won’t get marquee out-of-market contests or the ability to watch on the go.
If You Want to Stream Every Game Directly…
You now can, thanks to the launch of ESPN and Fox direct-to-consumer services. For a pretty penny, mind you.
This month, you’ll need ESPN ($30/month), Fox One ($20), Paramount Plus ($8), Peacock ($11) and Amazon’s Prime Video ($15), for a total of $84. In October, things get a little better, with ESPN and Fox bundling their services for $40 combined, lowering the total for that month and November to $74. Come December, Netflix joins the party, with plans starting at $8. You’ll also need two months of NFL+ ($7/month) to catch all of this year’s international games. Altogether that puts the regular season total at $328.
Out-of-market games on YouTube’s Sunday Ticket service add up to another $522 for returning users who also want the RedZone whip-around show, though there have been many discounts made available. That product is now also available monthly for the first time, with prices ranging from $85 to $155/month.
And don’t forget the playoffs! Games are spread across all the season-long streaming providers in January, while NBC and Peacock will have the Super Bowl in February for another $11, assuming the service’s price hasn’t increased before then.
A few caveats before we get to the grand total.
- Almost every NFL fan is already paying for some of the above services and using them for reasons beyond football.
- Sunday Ticket users would be wise to pay for the $83/month YouTube TV base plan rather than for ESPN/Fox/Paramount Plus/Peacock, because Google’s bundle would cost $752 for the regular season (for returning users interested in RedZone), saving you roughly $50 plus the headache of app-hopping.
- No one needs to watch this much football
But since you were curious, the highest possible all-in, direct-to-consumer price to watch every NFL game this season comes out to … $935.
If You Just Care About the Touchdowns (or Fantasy Football)…
Ok, back to reality. Rather than paying for Fox One and Paramount Plus, fans can stay abreast of Sunday afternoon action with NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson (new ads and all) through the league’s NFL+ Premium tier.
The NFL+ Premium tier costs $15/month but can be bought along with ESPN for $40/month. The service also comes with access to NFL Network and game replays. If you already have access to Amazon Prime (which 180 million consumers paid for as of 2024), a subscription to the NFL/ESPN bundle plus Peacock for Sunday Night Football would cover almost all of the scoring action.
Then there are the so-called sports-focused “skinny” bundles, which are cable alternatives pitched at the fan market. DirecTV’s MySports package includes local channels, ESPN, and NFL Network for $70/month (currently $60 for fans’ first two months). That’s slightly more than buying the various streamers separately but comes with other channels (such as TBS for the MLB playoffs) and an easier-to-use interface. Fubo recently introduced its Sports bundle, which includes CBS, Fox, ESPN and NFL Network for $56 per month ($10 off for the first month). Those plans will get you a lot of NFL football, all in one place. And adding Peacock to Fubo isn’t that painful, considering NBC’s games don’t overlap with other contests.
If You Want to Stream NFL Games for Free…
Good luck. Media companies and authorities have increasingly cracked down on unauthorized streaming sites, especially now that rightsholders are offering legal avenues to buy access online. Of course, the internet still often finds a way.
For those looking to stay on the right side of legal gray areas, at least one game is fully free to stream around the world: YouTube’s broadcast of Chiefs vs. Chargers from Brazil on Friday.
Otherwise, there’s always highlights on social media, mixed in with political misinformation and complaints about the challenges of watching sports online in 2025.
(This story, initially published on Sept. 4, 2024, was updated for the 2025 season on Sept. 5, 2025.)
