The 2023 NFL season is finally here. And if you’re like us, you want to be able to have an eye on all the fascinating matchups throughout the entire year. However, finding what works for you and your budget can be a little complicated.
That’s why we’re here to help.
Below, you’ll find a complete, comprehensive list of all of the terrestrial, cable, and non-cable means you can use to watch NFL football in 2023. It’s a guide that will give you price points and direct you to the value and features that are most important to your oblong-shaped ball needs.
Let’s break down every way to watch NFL games this fall.
Terrestrial television
Your best bet to follow most of the 2023 NFL season will simply be following the big three terrestrial broadcasters: FOX, CBS, and NBC.
FOX carries a majority of local NFC games. CBS carries a majority of local AFC games. NBC has Sunday Night Football and other select pro football broadcasts. If you don’t already have an accompanying antenna for your television, now might be the time to invest that $20. Find one at literally any hardware store, retail store, or online.
Watching with cable
If you have basic cable, your TV provider (Comcast is one example) will likely include ESPN and NFL Network in your standard package. This is good news because having ESPN will give you access to every Monday Night Football matchup while NFL Network gets special telecasts and all four international games in 2023.
NFL RedZone
Unfortunately, you cannot buy NFL RedZone by itself. But any of your usual cable/streaming providers do offer the awesome service — which flips immediately to pivotal scoring and game-deciding moments constantly every Sunday. Some football fans consider it indispensable and THE way to watch pro football games these days.
It’s not full games, per se, but it is arguably the best and most exciting part of games.
YouTube TV (Sunday Ticket!)
If you want the best and most expansive football-watching experience this season, it’ll probably come from YouTube TV’s Sunday Ticket. New for YouTube TV this year, Sunday Ticket is an add-on subscription to YouTube Primetime Channels. Unfortunately, this will also be among the most expensive options.
At a cool $72.99 per month (or $349 for the full season!), you’ll get access to every out-of-market game on every channel that broadcasts NFL football and every primetime game on ESPN and NBC. (Of course, you’ll have to lean on other means for local in-market games, which are not included in the service.) Another $11 a month is necessary to have access to NFL RedZone.
If you are a student of any kind, you can opt into student plans under YouTube TV’s jurisdiction. Plans here start at $109 a year for basic and $119 a year if you want RedZone included.
Watching without cable/streaming (non-YouTube TV segment)
If you don’t have cable, have no fear. There’s a multitude of options at your disposal, including:
- NFL+ Premium will give you a measure of access to local games and primetime matchups on any device, in addition to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and other cool behind-the-scenes features. Plans start at $14.99 a month.
- Amazon Prime will let you watch every Thursday Night Football game this season. You need a subscription to Amazon Prime, starting at $14.99 a month. The service often offers a 30-day free trial for users depending on their history of usage.
- DirectTV stream (which has all four main terrestrial channels) for $99 a month and an additional $14 a month for the Sports Pack. Sports Pack will include NFL RedZone.
- SlingTV (on the Orange and Blue plan) for $60 a month. NFL RedZone is included for an additional $11 a month.
- Hulu Live TV for $69.99 a month with access to CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN. An additional $11 a month will give you NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
- Fubo for $70 a month on the Pro plan that gives you access to all local and primetime games, and yet another $11 a month for NFL Red Zone. Fubo is one of the few outlets to offer 4K TV viewing alongside YouTube TV. That costs an additional $9.99 a month. Fubo also has a free trial to test the service.
- Peacock will carry all Sunday Night Football games in the streaming sense and will feature one late regular season game along with an NFL Wild Card Game on January 13, 2024. Viewers must pay the $5.99 price for access.
- Paramount+ will allow football fans to watch games featured on their local CBS station. Plans start at $5.99 a month.
