Want to watch your favorite team while you’re at work or out with friends without emptying your bank account? Dying to cheer on your team but don’t have a cable subscription?
If so, you’ve come to the right place because I’ve done extensive research to find the best and most affordable ways to catch all the action- and a few of them are actually free!
Depending on where and how you plan to watch, there are some great options available, so read on to find out how, where, and what you need to get your football on!
Free Options
Free is a rare thing, but there are some choices if you’re not too picky.
If you don’t need to watch every game or want to catch local games only then the Yahoo Sports App or the NFL App are good choices. You get all the local action, can watch on any device, and you won’t have to spend a dollar.
NBC Sports app is another option, but you only get Sunday Night Football and holiday games that air on the network. You do, however, get access to live games in other sports, such as golf. A cable subscription is required to sign in and access it.
FOX Sports Go APP also requires a cable subscription, but you get access to the YES network, which FOX owns a controlling interest in; if you’re a Yankee’s fan this is a nice bonus. As with NBC, you need to sign-in using a cable subscription.
Almost-Free Options
CBS All-Access This app is OK, but very limited because you only get the local games aired on CBS. So if your team is playing on FOX or Sunday night you’re out of luck.
You do get access to CBS’ full line-up of TV shows, which is a nice bonus if you watch a lot of their shows. You get a 1-week free trial and then have the option of paying $5.99 a month or $9.99 if you want to go commercial free. Requires a cable subscription to sign-in.
Cable Free Options
Hulu with Live TV This is my top pick for football fans because you can see almost every in-market game with it. Yes, the $39.99 monthly subscription isn’t cheap, but considering the thousands of current network shows you can watch, as well as older shows and movies it’s more than worth it. Plus, you get a 1-week free trial.
And this is the best package because you get NBC, Fox, and CBS, which covers all your local games, Sunday nights and Thursday night games. You also get ESPN which means your covered for Monday nights too.
All you’re missing is the NFL network, which means the only game you’ll miss after today is week 8’s game in London. Just check before signing up as some channels are not available in all areas.
Sling TV Sling is a solid option thanks to the NFL app, but the FOX and NBC games are only available in select areas which may limit some users.
ESPN is available through their Orange Package for $25 a month while the NFL network is available on their Blue package, which is also $25 a month; you can get a combo pack of Orange and Blue for $40 and for an added $10 you also get NFL Red Zone.
Finally, right now you can get a free Roku device when you sign up and pay for 2 months in advance.
Fubo TV For $45 a month you can watch all games shown on FOX, CBS, and NBC, along with NFL network games and Red zone; the only thing you’re missing is ESPN. You get a 1-week free trial when you sign-up.
YouTube TV For $40 a month, which seems to be the magic number, you get FOX, CBS, and ESPN as well as other channels like
Fox Sports, ESPN2, ESPNU,
CBS Sports, the SEC Network, and the Big Ten Network. A bit pricey for limited viewing.
All Access
For football fanatics looking to watch EVERY game, even those out of network DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket is the ultimate choice. It is now available online as a streaming service, with some heavy limitations.
Currently, you have to live in select areas and either be living in a home unable to get satellite, live in a multi-unit building (condo, apartment), or be a student.
If you qualify after all that you’ll get every game, and I mean every game, plus the NFL Red Zone. The basic package is $199 (which can be paid in 4 payments) and students get it for $99.
What do you think of all these great options? Do you have a tip for our readers or an app I missed? If so share it with us and be sure to this article with your family and friends.
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