danica creahan
Streaming Editor
Football is back (sort of)! While the 2024 NFL preseason won't kick off until Aug. 1, the complete 18-week regular 2024 NFL season schedule is finally out, ushering in the unofficial start of the 2024-25 NFL season. Are you ready to watch some football? This season, NFL games will air across 10+ channels and streaming platforms. If you're worried about the challenge of following your favorite team through the upcoming season, from the NFL season opener to the 2025 Super Bowl, Yahoo Sports has you covered. Here's your playbook for how to watch the 2024-25 NFL season.
How to watch the 2024 NFL season:
YouTube TV
Best way to watch the 2024 NFL season
Dates: Sept. 4, 2024 - Feb. 9, 2025
TV channels: ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network
Streaming: Prime Video, Peaco*ck, ESPN+, Paramount+, NFL+
2024 NFL season opening week schedule:
Week 1 of the NFL season will open with the Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 8:20 p.m. ET, broadcast nationally on NBC and streaming live on Peaco*ck. The following day, the Eagles and Packers will play in Sao Paulo, Brazil in a Peaco*ck exclusive game. Here's the full Week 1 schedule for the 2024 NFL season:
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
Ravens vs. Chiefs: 8:20 p.m. (NBC, Peaco*ck)
Friday, Sept. 6, 2024
Eagles vs. Packers: 8:15 p.m. (Peaco*ck)
Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024
Steelers vs. Falcons: 1 p.m. (Fox)
Cardinals vs. Bills: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Titans vs. Bears: 1 p.m. (Fox)
Patriots vs. Bengals: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Texans vs. Colts: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Jaguars vs. Dolphins: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Panthers vs. Saints: 1 p.m. (Fox)
Vikings vs. Giants: 1 p.m. (Fox)
Raiders vs. Chargers: 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Broncos vs. Seahawks: 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Cowboys vs. Browns: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Commanders vs. Buccaneers: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
Rams vs. Lions: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
Jets vs. 49ers: 8:15 p.m. (ESPN, ABC)
How to watch NFL games in 2024:
Many NFL preseason games are broadcast on local channels, so if you're looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $5 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market-game local and primetime game in the season (and preseason) on your phone — but only a select few games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peaco*ck, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and select games will stream on ESPN+ this season. That's six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that's not counting your local RSN's for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is currently in talks to become the exclusive spot to watch the NFL's Christmas Day games this year.
Overwhelmed? You're not alone. Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2024 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV....
(Fubo)
Fubo TV
Best overall sports streamer
Fubo TV gives you access to ESPN, NFL Network, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and 100+ more live channels. At $80 per month, the live TV streaming service is definitely pricey (but certainly not the most expensive option on this list), but offers nearly every channel you'll need to watch both the NFL preseason and regular season, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage. The platform also offers a free trial period.
Pros
- Full package free trial available
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage
Cons
- Cost
$79.99/month at Fubo
YouTube TV gets you nearly every channel you'll need for the 2024 NFL season, including Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network. Plus, YouTube TV is the home of NFL Sunday Ticket this season! The Sunday Ticket package, while pricey on its own ($349/year), gets you ALL the Sunday out-of-market games (160+ games per season). If you bundle Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV, the cost for Sunday Ticket drops down to $179 for the year — or four monthly payments of $44.75, plus the price of YouTube TV (which you'll have to keep paying for for as long as you want to access your NFL Sunday Ticket package), which is currently available for $57.99/month for your first three months. The cost then hikes up to $72.99/month, and that's in addition to Sunday Ticket, for a grand total of $1,010 — which breaks down to be roughly $85/month.
One thing to note, YouTube TV livestreams have a tendency to run on a slight delay, which isn't great if you're trying to keep up with the game live down to the exact second.
Pros
- Offers NFL Sunday Ticket bundle
- Offers almost every channel you need for NFL games
Cons
- Cost
- Locked in for the entire year if you bundle Sunday Ticket
(DirecTV)
DirecTV Choice
Best free trial for football
DirecTV Stream is currently offering its Choice tier (typically $109/month) plus one free month of DirecTV Sports Pack ($14.99/month) bundled together for $98.99/month (plus tax) for your first month. DirecTV Stream's Choice tier gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. The Sports Pack add-on will get you ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty of local RSNs. The best part is, currently you can try all this out free for 5 days. So if you're interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren't ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.
You'll also get unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
Pros
- Full package free trial available
- Many local RSNs included
- Unlimited Cloud DVR
Cons
- Cost
$85/month at DirecTV
Amazon Prime Video
Stream NFL Thursday Night Football games
Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive home for the NFL's Thursday Night Football games. On top of Amazon Prime Video, an Amazon Prime subscription includes free shipping, exclusive deals, access to the Prime Day 2024 sale event, Amazon Music, a year of free GrubHub+ and more. A standard Amazon Prime subscription is $15 monthly or $139 annually, but discounts are available for students and those on qualified government assistance. You can try Amazon Prime free for 30 days.
Pros
- You probably already have access to Prime Video
Cons
- Only Thursday Night Football games
$15 at Amazon
(NFL)
NFL+
Stream live out-of-market games on mobile
A basic $6.99 per month (or $40 annually) NFL+ subscription will get you live local and primetime regular and preseason NFL games exclusively on your phone or tablet, plus live audio for every game of the season across supported devices and access to NFL Network. NFL+ Premium, while a little pricier at $14.99 per month (or $80 annually) also includes access to NFL RedZone, plus full and condensed replays of every game across supported devices. NFL+ also offers a 7-day free trial.
Pros
- Cost
Cons
- Can only watch MOST live games on your phone
$6.99/month at NFL
Channel Master
Channel Master Flatenna Ultra-Thin Indoor TV Antenna
Watch NFL games on local channels like Fox, CBS and NBC
Wait, a flat TV antenna? Aren't these things supposed to have long, telescoping metal rods (aka rabbit ears)? Nope, this new design (which you'll see in countless other brands) works just as well, and it's not meant to sit atop your TV. Rather, you mount it on a wall or window using included sticky pads, with either the black or white side facing in to better match your décor.
The aptly named Flatenna really is flat like a piece of paper. You just screw one end of the 12-foot cord into the bottom and the other end into your TV's coax input. (Yes, that does mean there's an ugly cord running down your wall; consider a raceway kit like this to help conceal it.)
Channel Master promises range of up to 35 miles, but of course that depends on a variety of factors. As noted above, optimal placement — as high and unobstructed as possible — makes all the difference.
The big news here is price: At just $29, the Flatenna is quite affordable and a good place to start your antenna journey — assuming you're OK with a black or white rectangle stuck to your wall or window.
$29 at Amazon
This year’s NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 4, 2024 with a match hosted by 2024 Super Bowl winners the Kansas City Chiefs. Immediately following the 2024 NFL kickoff game on Friday, Sept. 5, the Green Bay Packers will play the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo. Peaco*ck will be the exclusive streaming home for the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Brazil. The 2024-25 NFL season will also see international games in London and Munich.
Every way to watch NFL games this season:
To recap, here's all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2024.
Channel Master Flatenna Ultra-Thin Indoor TV Antenna
Watch NFL games on local channels like Fox, CBS and NBC
$29 at Amazon
Fubo TV
Watch ESPN, NFL Network, Fox, NBC and CBS
Try free at Fubo
DirecTV Choice
Watch ESPN, NFL Network, Fox, CBS and NBC
Try free at DirecTV
YouTube TV
Watch ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, NFL Network
Try free at YouTube
Hulu + Live TV
Watch ESPN, ESPN+, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, NFL Network
$76.99/month at Hulu
Sling TV Orange & Blue
Watch ESPN, Fox, ABC AND NBC
$30 for your first month at Sling
Amazon Prime Video
Stream NFL Thursday Night Football games
$15/month at Amazon
Peaco*ck
Stream NFL games on NBC
$5.99+/month at Peaco*ck
Paramount+ Premium
Stream NFL games on CBS
$11.99/month at Paramount+
ESPN+
Stream select NFL games on ESPN
$10.99/month at ESPN
NFL+
Stream out-of-market NFL games on mobile
$6.99+/month at NFL
