NFL without cable: A cord cutter’s guide for the 2015/2016 season
Thanks to the NFL’s popularity and weekly schedule, the vast majority of games air on major broadcast networks, so you can watch them for free with an over-the-air antenna. And in recent years, watching other NFL games online has gotten easier, even without an expensive channel bundle.
With the NFL season just a couple weeks away, now’s a good time to run through all the ways* that cord cutters can watch or stream NFL games so you’ll be ready for kickoff:
The best way to watch NFL games for free is with an antenna, covering all day games on CBS and Fox, and all Sunday Night Football games on NBC. Cheap indoor antennas sell for as little as $15, while more expensive flat-panel designs from Mohu and Winegard can mount against a wall or window. All the major networks typically broadcast in high definition, so with a strong enough signal, the quality should be comparable to—or perhaps even better, since there’s less signal compression—than the set-top box you’d rent from a service provider. All you need besides the antenna is a coaxial input on your television; and with additional hardware, you can even add DVR capabilities to your antenna, or stream the video to other devices around the house over Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, the options get slimmer if you can’t pick up local broadcasts where you live. In that case, your best bet might be a basic cable bundle from your TV and Internet provider. These days, cable companies are so desperate for subscribers that many offer basic broadcast channels for nearly the same price as Internet alone. Again, all you need are CBS, Fox, and NBC to get the vast majority of NFL games.
Verizon Wireless subscribers have one more option: All shared data plans include access to in-market Sunday day games, along with all night games, through the NFL Mobile app. This is a smartphone-only solution, however, as the app explicitly blocks any attempts at sending the signal to a television.
Watching Monday Night Football used to be a major issue for cord cutters, but not anymore.
For $20 per month, you can now subscribe to Sling TV, a service that streams 20 live channels including ESPN. Apps are available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Roku, Fire TV, Android TV, and Xbox One.
As in previous years, pay-TV subscribers can also stream the game through the WatchESPN app for Android, iOS, Windows, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, and Xbox; and on the web at ESPN.com. But without a pay-TV subscription, you’ll need to mooch a login from a friend or family member to access games this way.
If Verizon FiOS operates in your area, you might also consider the company’s new Custom TV bundles, which offer a small number of basic channels, plus your choice of two add-on channel packs. ESPN is included with the “Sports” pack. Yes, you do get stuck with the same hidden fees and gotchas that come with most pay-TV subscriptions, but you still save about $20 per month over a standard channel bundle.
Again, Verizon Wireless customers can also watch Monday Night Football on their smartphones if all else fails.
Unlike previous years, Thursday Night Football is no longer an NFL Network exclusive, at least for part of the season. The first game, on September 10, will air on NBC, so you can pick it up with an antenna. You can also use an antenna to get all games in weeks two through eight on CBS.
For the remaining Thursday Night Football games, you’ll have to borrow a cable login to access the NFL’s live stream. Apps are available for viewing on Android tablets, iPads, Windows devices, Apple TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and NFL.com.
And as with other night games, Verizon Wireless customers can watch on their phones at no extra charge.
If you don’t mind waiting to watch until after the game is over, an NFL GamePass subscription is another option. For $100 per year, it offers every NFL game streaming “on-demand,” which is a nice way of saying “not live.” All Sunday day games become available after the 4 p.m. round of games conclude. All night games become available immediately after the live telecast is over. GamePass is accessible through the NFL’s apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Apple TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and you can also watch on NFL.com.
NFL RedZone is arguably the best way to watch football on Sundays—especially for Fantasy Football fanatics—but sadly it’s still hard to get without a cable subscription. If you know someone who gets RedZone through their pay-TV provider, and they’re willing to lend you their login details, you can watch the telecast through the NFL’s apps on Android tablets, iPad, Windows, Apple TV, Xbox One, and NFL.com.
Verizon Wireless subscribers can also watch RedZone on their phones, though an additional $1.99 per month fee applies.
*A couple omissions from this guide: Pirated sources, which can be unreliable and riddled with adware, and DirecTV’s streaming Sunday Ticket package, which is only available if you physically can’t put an antenna on your roof. (It’s outrageously expensive anyway.)