How much will it cost you to watch the NFL this season? $484

When the NFL launched Week 1 games on YouTube last season, it highlighted the league’s desire to go where viewers are.

That game was free to watch (assuming you have internet access) and maybe it’s a sign that YouTube isn’t on schedule this year for a special game. Instead, Netflix has expanded its footprint with a (hugely successful) Christmas Day doubleheader to include Thanksgiving Eve, Week 18 and, this week, the NFL’s first game in Australia.

That means you’ll need a Netflix subscription if you want to watch the Australian game (except in the two markets competing in the game – Los Angeles and San Francisco – where the game is available locally on over-the-air TV).

OK, add that $8.99 to your bill for NFL consumption. What will be the total cost to watch the fans this season?

The answer largely depends on your appetite. Want to see all possible games on the schedule? That’s a bit harsh for most fans (but die for Sunday Ticket!).

For most fans, it will end with some “my local team’s games” (thanks to the fact that many teams are displacing fans trying to catch games outside their home markets) and “nationally televised” games – like primetime weekly games, international games and holiday games.

So, this is the mode I’m in when I’m trying to figure out how much it will cost to watch the NFL this season.

Here are the eight networks you’ll need access to in order to accomplish the goal:

Distribution: CBS, Fox, NBC
“rope”; ESPN, NFL Network
Stream Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Peacock

Let’s break it down.

• CBS And Fox Play all 18 weeks of Sunday afternoon games, plus select play-off games

• NBC It will air “Sunday Night Football” every 18 weeks, as well as select playoff games

• ESPN It will air “Monday Night Football” in 17 weeks, and select playoff games (including the Super Bowl).

• NFL Network Five international games (4-7 and 9 weeks) + 17th week

• Amazon Prime Video It airs “Thursday Night Football” in 16 weeks (weeks 2-17) and 1 wild-card playoff game.

• Netflix 5 games will be broadcast: Week 1 (Sept. 10), Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day (two games), Week 18 (Jan. 9).

• Peacock Only one game will be broadcast in Week 17 (Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET).

(Note: For games on streams such as Prime Video, Netflix and Peacock, fans based in a local market will receive free, “over-the-air” access to the game for participating teams.)

Two pricing caveats:

• I just counted the months you need to watch the NFL. If you have a cable or multi-channel streaming platform like YouTube TV or Fubo, you can subscribe year-round anyway. Same with Netflix. If you have Amazon Prime (as many fans do), Amazon Prime Video has been added. All of the pay networks have tons of live sports from other leagues, adding value to what you pay for. That said, I’m guessing you’re signing up just to watch NFL games.

• I will start our subscriptions on Wednesday (the first regular-season game of the season) and end our subscriptions on February 15, 2027, the day after the Super Bowl. (If a platform only has a few games, I only pay for the months the game is streamed. Unsubscribing and re-subscribing is a pain, but that’s the world we live in.)

• I add listed monthly rates to simple dollar figures per cent, both for easy math and prices ending in “.99” are gimmicks.

Method 1: “All-in-one” Platform + Streams

Accept a monthly subscription to a basic cable and/or multi-channel streaming service (ie, YouTube TV, Hulu+Live or Fubo).

From the list of required networks above, this will get you Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.

Your actual monthly bill for such a multi-channel platform may vary (especially if you bundle your TV service with things like Internet access).

For simplicity, we’ll go with YouTube TV (which I personally have) and the “Sports” plan, which includes the channels listed above and any channels that don’t show the NFL. (We don’t want to pay for those.) This plan is $65 per month. From September to February (six months), we charge a total of $390.

You still need standalone subscriptions for:

Amazon Prime Video: $45
$9 per month x 5 months (September to January)

(Did you know you can watch every Amazon-owned “Thursday Night Football” game for free on Twitch? We’ll ignore that convenient solution, but know it’s there. Also, cancel your subscription after Prime Video delivers its wild-card playoff game.)

Netflix: $36
$9 per month x 4 months (September, November-January)

(Remember to cancel in October, restart your subscription in November, and then cancel after the 18th week.)

Peacock: $13
$13 per month x 1 month (January)

(Peacock offers a $9-a-month option, but it doesn’t include sports. Don’t choose that, and don’t forget to cancel your subscription when the game ends. Let’s be honest: That’s a lot to pay for an NFL game you don’t want to watch or watch. But we’re committed to the small.)

Total: $484

Method 2: “A la Carte” — streaming options of individual networks

You are a true cord cutter: no cables and multi-channel streaming option. Subscribe to each network’s personal services (and you’ll actually save a couple of bucks on Route 1. Although I don’t envy you trying to conveniently flip from one game to another on a Sunday afternoon).

Paramount+ (CBS Access): $54
$9 per month x 6 months

Peacock (NBC): $78
$13 per month x 6 months

ESPN Unlimited (ESPN + NFL Network) + Fox One (Fox) Bundle Option: $240
$40 per month x 6 months

(Fox 1 costs $20 a month for the stand-alone service and ESPN Unlimited costs $32 a month for the stand-alone service, but if you use them with ESPN Unlimited it’s $40 for both. That’s a total of $240, saving you just $72 each over six months. We’re going with that option.)

Amazon Prime Video: $45
$9 per month x 5 months

Netflix: $36
$9 per month x 4 months (September, November-January)

Total: $453

Method 3: Aerial antenna + Stream

A cheap over-the-air antenna (around $20, one-time cost) will get you Sunday games on Fox, CBS and NBC. You still need ESPN Unlimited for “Monday Night Football” and NFL Network games ($160). Netflix ($36); Amazon Prime Video ($45) and Peacock ($13). However, if you live in a market with teams playing games on those networks, your over-the-air antenna will get you the game. If you do not live in a participating group market, you will need individual subscriptions. I plug the above a The map expenses.

Total: $274

Optional extras:

NFL RedZone

Personally, it’s my single favorite sports media product ever created, and it’s the perfect way to watch those “seven hours” of the N.L. on Sunday afternoons. I see it as a must-have on one of the three tracks listed above.

Cable, multi-channel streaming platforms like YouTube TV or Fubo and standalone ESPN Unlimited service let you buy RedZone. For cable or broadcast platforms, you’ll need to upgrade to a special add-on sports tier that costs extra per month to get RedZone.

Depending on how many sports add-ons you pay for, cable will cost you between $5 and $15 a month. YouTube TV Plus sports tier with RedZone costs $11 per month. If you don’t have cable or YouTube TV, ESPN Unlimited costs an extra $10 a month to bundle RedZone as part of the “NFL+” package.

Let’s average all these and call it. $50 for RedZone for the seasonPlus or minus a couple bucks depending on your delivery platform.

NFL Sunday Ticket

This package is perfect for the away fan and/or those wanting to watch any Sunday afternoon game.

I’ve made this more than “normal”, but if you’re interested (and if you’re a die-hard fan who wants to watch your team’s entire games live every week, this will be important). You can pay First-time Sunday ticket subscribers $240 for the season (Or if you’re a loyal long-time Sunday Ticket subscriber, they’ll feel comfortable holding the price. 378 dollars If you are a YouTube TV subscriber; If not $480.)

If you’re a first-time Sunday Ticket subscriber and not a YouTube TV subscriber, YouTube offers a discount on its monthly sports plan, which costs $45 a month from $65.

(Saves you $120 on an “all-in-one” multi-channel package that gives you access to NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network over six months.)

Your final numbers are:

• Multi-channel + streams: $484
• Everything: $453
• Aerial antenna + streams: $274
• RedZone: $50 (when bundled with other services)
• Sunday ticket: $240-$480