The Best Ways To Stream NFL Games in 2024

The NFL kicked off its 2023 season on Thursday, Sept. 7, so it’s time to pull on your team’s jersey and fire up the smart TV to settle in for some football.

There are approximately ten gajillion ways to watch NFL games in 2024, but you can get almost all of the action from two streaming services: Paramount+ and YouTube TV. See our guide for the best ways to stream all the gridiron glory. We also have deals on NFL Sunday Ticket and networking tips to make sure your Wi-Fi is fast enough to catch every trick play.

What’s the best streaming service for NFL games?

Paramount+ and YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket are the two best options for streaming NFL games. These two platforms give you the lion’s share of broadcasts, including kickoffs in your local market, hundreds of Sunday-afternoon NFL matchups, and  Super Bowl LVIII, of course.

Since NFL games are broadcast over multiple networks, you unfortunately can’t get one streaming option to cover every single game happening over the entire season. But other streamers can get you special games and broadcasts, including Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and ESPN+.

You can also tune in with a cable TV plan, which may be more reliable if you don’t have the best internet connection. (See our tips below for Wi-Fi speed recommendations and ways to optimize your streaming for live sports.)

Best for streaming in-market games and Super Bowl LVIII: Paramount+ gets you access to games in your local market, which are streamed live on CBS. You can also use the platform to watch CBS’s Super Bowl broadcast in February 2024.

Best for streaming out-of-market games: YouTube TV holds exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, an add-on that gets you most of the NFL’s out-of-market games for your lazy Sunday afternoons. You also get the major channels that broadcast football, including NBC, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network.

Best for streaming everything else:

• Amazon Prime Video is the home to Thursday Night Football, showing 16 matches that include the NFL’s Black Friday game.
• Peacock, the streaming service of NBC, gets you the NFL season’s 18 Sunday Night Football The lineup includes a Peacock-exclusive match in Week 16 and a Thanksgiving throwdown.
• ESPN+ lets you watch Monday Night Football, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling 22 games. Peyton and Eli Manning will be on deck for 10 alternate “ManningCasts” too.

Best for streaming games free: The NFL’s mobile app gives you free access to live local and prime-time games. You can also watch highlights and breaking news, and you can sign into NFL Sunday Ticket through the app for out-of-market matches.

TV channels with NFL:

• CBS
• ESPN
• FOX
• NBC
• NFL Network
• NFL RedZone

Football season means hot deals from internet providers to reduce the cost of your NFL needs. See the best NFL deal below, and find more in our Best Internet Deals guide.

Frontier customers can get $50 off NFL Sunday Ticket: Sign up for a Frontier internet plan, order YouTube TV by September 19, and add NFL Sunday Ticket to your YouTube TV plan. You can redeem the $50 offer after confirming your YouTube TV subscription.

You need speeds of at least 100Mbps to comfortably watch NFL games—and ideally more if you share your Wi-Fi with a lot of people.

Streaming takes up a lot of bandwidth, and it’s extra important to have sufficient speeds if you want to keep up with the fast pacing of live sports. The Super Bowl typically broadcasts in 4K, an ultra high-def resolution that demands a fast and reliable connection.

Take a speed test to see if you’re getting ample bandwidth for your football fix. Try running the speed test at different times throughout the day, and during the usual kickoff times to see how your Wi-Fi holds up.

You need a smart TV and a set-top box like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV, which support the streaming platforms that broadcast live NFL games. Of course, you also need an active subscription to your preferred streamer or a cable TV plan that gives you channels like CBS and ESPN.

If you’re looking forward to a big game, the last thing you want is a spotty Wi-Fi connection buffering two seconds before a touchdown or lagging behind your neighbor’s stream. You don’t want their cheers next door to spoil the surprise of a big play, and you need a reliable connection to keep up with CBS broadcaster dynamic duo Charles Davis and Ian Eagle too.

Here are some troubleshooting measures you can take to ensure your Wi-Fi doesn’t make a fumble.

Update your router

An out-of-date router means slow speeds and occasional restarts. Vamp up your equipment with a router featuring the Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E standard. See our best routers guide for recommendations.

Move your router

If your router’s shoved into a back closet or cabinet, the signal is going to have trouble making a connection with your TV. Put the router in a centralized place, such as your living room or wherever you’ll plan to watch the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Test your speeds

A speed test is the stethoscope of your Wi-Fi network, letting you know whether you’re getting the bandwidth you’re paying for from your internet provider. Run speed tests regularly (and download our speed test app!) to make sure your Wi-Fi isn’t under the weather by game time.

Download our free, easy-to-use speed test app for quick and reliable results.

Limit other devices

Sorry kids, you don’t need to watch Frozen II for the 15th time if it means the parents might risk missing Justin Tucker kicking a game-clinching field goal. When an important game is coming up, politely ask your children or roommates to cool it on excess app and browser usage—or kick everyone off the Wi-Fi using your router’s admin settings.