Watch NFL Live

Watch NFL Live

To watch NFL live, check which day your team plays: each night of the week belongs to a different network, and that tells you which channel or app to open. The table below shows the full week.

Last checked: October 2026.

Every NFL window, where it airs and what it costs

What to pay for, by the kind of fan you are

You follow your local team. An antenna covers most of the season. Local CBS, FOX and NBC stations carry the Sunday games, and when your team plays on ESPN or Prime Video, a local station in the team's home market airs that game too.

You follow a team from another city. Sunday afternoon is the problem: your local stations show other games. NFL Sunday Ticket is the only full answer for a TV. NFL+ does not solve it, because it shows the same games your local stations do.

You watch primetime only. Three nights, three services: NBC or Peacock on Sunday, ESPN on Monday, Prime Video on Thursday. Sunday night costs nothing with an antenna.

The week, one window at a time

Sunday afternoon: CBS and FOX

Most games are played here, at 1:00 and around 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Each local CBS and FOX station shows the games chosen for its area. An antenna gets both with no monthly bill. Without one, Paramount+ carries the CBS game and FOX One, $19.99 a month, carries the FOX game.

How to use it

1. Check on the NFL schedule whether your game is on CBS or FOX.
2. Check station coverage for your address on the FCC reception map.
3. With an antenna, run a channel scan and tune to the station.
4. Without one, open Paramount+ for CBS or FOX One for FOX.
5. Confirm the app shows your local station before paying.

You get the game assigned to your area, not the one you choose. For help with the antenna itself, see how to pick one that works at your address.

Sunday night: NBC and Peacock

One game, nationwide, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern on NBC. An antenna picks it up. Peacock, $12.99 a month, streams the same game and holds one late-season game for itself.

How to use it

1. Try your local NBC station with the antenna first.
2. If you can't get it, subscribe on the Peacock site.
3. Open the Sports tab before kickoff.
4. Select Sunday Night Football.
5. Note the renewal date.

Monday night: ESPN and ABC

Monday Night Football is on ESPN. Some weeks it also airs on ABC, and those weeks an antenna is enough. For the ESPN-only weeks, the direct subscription is ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 a month, which also includes NFL Network games.

How to use it

1. Check the schedule for "ABC" next to the Monday game.
2. If ABC is listed, use the antenna.
3. If it's ESPN only, open the ESPN app.
4. Sign in with a TV provider, or subscribe to ESPN Unlimited.
5. Find the game under the Watch tab.

This is the most expensive single night. If your team plays on Monday once this season, one month is all you need.

Thursday night: Prime Video

Amazon has Thursday Night Football and the Black Friday game. Prime is $14.99 a month, and new members usually start with a 30-day trial that converts to the monthly price.

How to use it

1. Open Prime Video on your TV and sign in with an Amazon account.
2. Go to the Sports tab.
3. Select the Thursday game.
4. If you started a trial, note the day it ends.
5. Keep or cancel under Account before that date.

Netflix dates

Netflix has five games this season: the Week 1 game from Australia, Thanksgiving Eve, two on Christmas Day and one on the final Saturday. Any paid Netflix plan includes them.

How to use it

1. Check whether your team plays on one of those dates.
2. If you already have Netflix, there's nothing to add.
3. If not, subscribe for that month.
4. Search "NFL" in the app on game day.
5. Cancel afterward if you only wanted the game.

NFL Sunday Ticket

Sunday Ticket carries the Sunday afternoon games your local stations don't show. It is sold through YouTube at $480 a season on its own, or $378 with a YouTube TV subscription. New subscribers often see a lower price.

How to use it

1. Confirm your team is outside your local area. If it's local, you don't need this.
2. Compare the standalone and YouTube TV prices.
3. Check for a monthly payment option at checkout.
4. Open YouTube on your TV on Sunday.
5. Select your game from the Sunday Ticket row.

It doesn't include primetime games or the games already on your local stations.

NFL+ on a phone

NFL+ is the league's own subscription, about $7 to $8 a month. It shows local and primetime games live on phones and tablets only. It can't be cast to a TV.

How to use it

1. Install the NFL app.
2. Check current plans on the NFL+ page.
3. Sign in and allow location access, which decides your local games.
4. Open the live game from the home screen.
5. Use it for games away from home, not as a TV replacement.

The honest part: what decides which games you can watch NFL live

Two things: who bought the night, and where you live.

The league sells each window to a different company, and no service is allowed to carry all of them. That part is the same for everyone in the country.

The second part is local. On Sunday afternoon, the league assigns games to each area, and your CBS and FOX stations show only those. Apps follow the same map. Paramount+, FOX One and NFL+ show your area's games, not every game.

That leaves three honest categories:

• No monthly bill — games on your local CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC stations, with an antenna. The Super Bowl is always in this group.
• Subscription — ESPN-only Mondays, Thursdays on Prime Video, the Netflix dates, Peacock's exclusive game.
• Separate purchase — out-of-area Sunday games, through Sunday Ticket.

A VPN doesn't change this. Services block them, and it gives no right to the broadcast. Sites offering every game with no account are not rights holders, and what they deliver is pop-ups and fake play buttons.

Before kickoff

• Look up the day and network for your team's next game first.
• Check whether your team is local to your area. It changes everything about Sunday.
• Scan antenna channels on a weekday.
• Check what your phone, internet or shopping membership already includes. Peacock and Paramount+ are common extras.
• Start a trial on the day of the game, not a week early.
• Write down every renewal date.
• Confirm the app runs on your TV model.
• For a one-time game on a service you don't have, one month is cheaper than any bundle.

What it really costs

Local team, antenna. $20 to $40 once. Most of the season, plus most playoff games and the Super Bowl.

Primetime without cable. Prime at $14.99 and ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 a month, with Sunday night on the antenna: about $47 a month, less in months you skip ESPN.

Every game on a TV. A live TV bundle at $60 to $90 a month, plus Sunday Ticket, Prime Video, Netflix and Peacock. Over a five-month season that passes $800.

Prices were checked in October 2026. They change often, and the checkout screen is the final word.

FAQ

What channel is the NFL game on tonight?

Thursday is Prime Video, Sunday night is NBC, Monday is ESPN. The exact game is on this week's games.

Can I watch the NFL without cable?

Yes. An antenna covers CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC, and each cable or streaming night has its own app.

Why isn't my team's game on in my area?

On Sunday afternoon each area gets assigned games. If your team is from elsewhere, its game may not be one of them.

Does NFL+ work on a TV?

Not for live games. Those play on phones and tablets only.

Do I need Sunday Ticket?

Only if you follow a team from outside your area and want its Sunday afternoon games on a TV.

Which app has the most games?

None has all of them. Our app-by-app comparison shows what each one carries.

Wrap-up

The cheapest way to watch NFL live is usually the one already in the house: a TV with an antenna input. Which night does your team play this week? The standings show which games matter, and the full football schedule covers Friday and Saturday as well.

Links

• NFL schedule
• NFL+ plans
• FCC broadcast reception map
• FOX One
• Peacock
• Paramount+
• Prime Video
• Netflix

Updated October 2026