Watching the NFL – Guide and Alternatives

The NFL is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. So, as a football fan, you wouldn’t want to miss out on this year’s games. For 17 weeks, commencing from early September and ending in December, 32 teams willa measure their forces through a total of 256 matches. Unfortunately, despite its popularity, for some people, accessing the regular season can get quite intricate. You need to know precisely what and where to watch if you don’t want to miss a match.

NFL’s regular season is televised four times per week. The Monday, Thursday and Sunday Night Football games are nationally broadcasted. However, there is another match called the ‘’Sunday Football’’ which is regionally aired. The first three are broadcasted at the same time all over the U.S., while the Sunday Football differs depending on the location. With so many games happening at the same time, this is the best way for viewers to get the best out of this season.

This year, CBS holds the rights over AFC games, while the NFC games are in the hands of Fox. Other networks such as ESPN, and various streaming services, are trying to bring fans the best NFL experience. Additionally, the official NFL Network has been available to cable subscribers all over the United States, since 2015.

So, it is possible to watch every single match this season? If yes, what are your best choices?   

Cable TV – NFL Network, Fox & CBS

Of course, cable is the best and the usual choice for watching the games. If you are a subscriber to cable TV, chances are you already have all of the programs that hold the rights over the NFL games, including the NFL Network, Fox, and CBS. The only thing that’s left is to adjust to the time that these games are broadcasted at and choose which ones to watch and when. Overall, sport’s fans get a reliable, high-quality service. The official NFL Website updates the schedule of all the games throughout the week.

However, the problem with cable TV is that users are starting to think of other, cheaper alternatives. For many people, cable TV is an unnecessary expense, considering that they can access many programs in a different way. One of them is streaming. And although there are still many households that use cable as a prime source of entertainment and information, some are already looking into the alternate ways of accessing their favorite content. In this case, the NFL games.

Streaming – DirecTV, FuboTV & Sling

Streaming has become a popular solution to watching sports live. Over time, sports fans have transferred to the emerging streaming platforms as a cheaper and more accessible way of watching their favorite games.

The thing with streaming platforms is that you have too many options, which means that some of them will not be worth the effort of watching. The best ones are those that give you many channels without any hidden costs. For example, if you want to catch all the games as if you had cable TV, you can go with DirecTV Now, a streaming service that offers every NFL broadcasting channel including the NFL Network. To get all the channels, you will need to pay just over $50 per month. Plus, you will be able to watch the games no matter which device you use. The NFL matches can be streamed on iOS and Android, on your Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation, Roku or Google Chromecast.

For approximately the same price, with FuboTV you will get the main channels – CBS, Fox, and the NFL Network. Plus, you will be able to get NFL RedZone (via Sports Plus add-on). For more dedicated fans, RedZone airs the highlight of the games each Sunday.

SlingTV can be a slightly cheaper alternative. The streaming service offers different packages. You can choose between the orange and the blue one. However, the combination of the two (for $40 per month) will provide you with ESPN, Fox, and NBC.  Unfortunately, with Sling, you won’t be able to catch Sunday’s AFC games, as it doesn’t offer CBS.

You can also consider streaming with Yahoo Sports, YouTube TV and through Hulu with a Live TV subscription.

NFL Game Pass

The NFL Game Pass is an excellent choice for users all over the world that simply want to be a part of the games, without having to pay additional and unwanted costs. With this service, sports fans can get a unique experience and witness everything that has to do with the matches, as well as replay them as much as they want. And it’s fairly priced as well. Users get to choose between subscription plans, which vary in features depending on the price. There is even a free option in which you get the NFL Network.

However, there is one drawback. While the NFL Game Pass is excellent for worldwide fans, it’s also Geo-blocked in different parts of the world.  If you happen to get a pop-up message saying that there is a problem with your location, then you will need another alternative.

Even if you are a U.S. citizen and already have an account, you won’t be able to access it from other locations if you happen to be traveling abroad.  

To resolve this issue and watch the NFL abroad, you can use a VPN provider, as the best alternative to unlocking Geo-restricted content. It can help with both NFL Game Pass and Geo-blocked streaming services.

Overall, a true fan would never miss the biggest American football event. Luckily for you, the solution is now simplified and accessible. All you need to do is catch on to the games and enjoy the remaining weeks and matches, while supporting your favorite team.