2017 NFL Guide to Cord Cutting

Updates (see corresponding symbols below)
*12/16/17 (5@)
-Added information about the new Verizon deal with the NFL which will allow streaming on all mobile device, regardless of carrier, in both the "Verizon Wireless NFL Mobile" section under STREAMING SERVICES and the "Verizon Mobile Exclusivity" section under THINGS TO KNOW.

*12/10/17
-Updated both the AFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART & NFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART pdf files to reflect new local affiliates on DTVNOW, FuboTV, and Hulu Live.

*10/10/17 (4@)
-Updated the AFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART & NFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART pdf files to reflect new local affiliates on DTVNOW: Boston (FOX), Detroit (NBC), Green Bay (NBC); also added notes regarding several FOX affiliates on YouTubeTV not carrying NFL games on FOX even where live FOX programming is available
-Updated information re: the availability of watching the games streamed by Amazon on mobile devices under THINGS TO KNOW
-Updated information re: Sunday Night Football requiring authentication to watch via the NBC Sports App and website under THINGS TO KNOW
-Updated the NFL CHANNEL INPUT SPREADSHEET links to updated Excel files

*9/06/17 (3@)
-Added info about FuboTV now carrying NFLN & NFLN RZ under STREAMING SERVICES and updated both the BROADCAST WINDOW VIEWING OPTIONS CHART and the NFL CHANNEL & APP STREAMING CHART to reflect this.
-Added info about YouTubeTV expanding to 12 more markets as of 8/31/17 under STREAMING SERVICES
-Updated the AFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART pdf file to reflect the new markets YouTubeTV expanded to: Cleveland, Kansas City and Indianapolis

*8/17/17 (2@)

-Added info about YouTubeTV expanding to additional markets under STREAMING SERVICES and added links to all available YouTubeTV locations & local channels under SOURCES & REFERENCES

-Added links to a spreadsheet I created that allows you to enter in the channels you want and returns all services that carry those channels including the cheapest option in a new section "NFL CHANNEL INPUT SPREADSHEET" before the BROADCAST WINDOW VIEWING OPTIONS CHART
-Updated info in the AFC & NFC LOCAL CHANNEL CHARTS for new markets added to YouTubeTV and for some local CBS & FOX channels added to Vue

*8/08/17
-Updated info in the AFC & NFC LOCAL CHANNEL CHARTS for the CBS owned & operated stations that will be carried on DTVNOW

*8/07/17 (1@)
-Added info: re: DTVNOW reaching an agreement to carry CBS under STREAMING SERVICES
-Updated both the BROADCAST WINDOW VIEWING OPTIONS CHART and the NFL CHANNEL & APP STREAMING CHART to reflect that DTVNOW will carry CBS (in certain markets only)

I love watching the NFL three days a week in the fall, but I *hate* having to maintain an expensive cable or satellite subscription for an entire year just to be able to watch those games.  Well, now I’m in luck because there are plenty of nationwide streaming services available that allow me to you watch as much pro football as I want.  Every single NFL game is available to watch either via broadcast networks (local games only) or a streaming service.  Although these services are adding more local stations every day, you may still need an antenna to pick up some games if local channels aren’t offered in your market.  So read below for the various options that exist to get your pro football fix for as cheap as possible.

DISCLAIMER: This work was put together using data from various sources.  As such, if you come across something that is inaccurate, please feel free to reach out to me to correct it via email realcordcutters@outlook.com or Twitter: @RealCordCutters or by leaving a comment below.  My goal is to make a comprehensive and accurate guide that can help people quickly & easily decide how to watch as much college football as they want for the cheapest possible method.  Unlike other cord cutting websites, we welcome and encourage reader feedback, both positive and negative. 

First, I’m going to give a brief overview of the various options that currently exist regarding NFL broadcasts including defining some terms.  If you’re already familiar with these terms, services, etc. please feel free to jump down below to the “THINGS TO KNOW” section.  Please also keep the following in mind: this guide is primarily geared towards those who want to watch NLF games in general (i.e. not a specific team every week) and/or live in the market of one (or more) of the 32 NFL teams and want to watch that specific team(s) every week.  In other words, if you are out of market for the specific team you want to watch (i.e. Miami Dolphins fan living in Omaha, Nebraska), the only way to guarantee you are able to watch every single Sunday afternoon game for your preferred team is to purchase NFL Sunday Ticket, which currently requires either a qualifying DirecTV subscription, or to purchase NFL Sunday Ticket.TV, an online streaming-only version of Sunday Ticket, which is only available to those who meet certain criteria.  For more information on NFL Sunday Ticket.TV, please see below.  Thus, the local channel guides I’ve included are only constructed for the markets of the 32 NFL teams, so if you live outside of those markets you’ll have to check each service to see which local channels, if any, they receive in your market. You can do this by going to the website for each of the services, using the links provided in the Resources section below, or checking out this local channel comparison guide compiled by CNET (Note: in my research I have found several errors with the CNET guide showing channels available that aren’t, according to the provider’s website and vice versa, so please keep that in mind).

KEY TERMS TO KNOW

Designated Market Area (DMA) – a geographic region, defined by Nielsen Media Research that receives the same (or similar) television stations.  The DMA that you are located in determines which local broadcast stations you receive, although cable companies are free to carry channels from outside the DMA without any type of waiver.  To see a map of all US DMAs from 2015-16, click here.

Regional & National Broadcasts – NFL games can either be a local or national broadcast.  A national broadcast shows one game over the entire country on a given channel while a regional broadcast will have different games showing on a given channel in different parts of the country.  The most common example of a regional broadcast are the 1:00 PM ET and 4:05/4:25 PM Sunday broadcast windows where different cities get different games depending upon geography, importance of game, and other rules.  An example of a national broadcast is Monday Night Football which shows one game at 8:30 PM ET to the entire country. 

Broadcast Windows – NFL games are generally broadcast during one of the following broadcast windows

·       Thursday 8:25 PM ET

·       Sunday 1:00 PM ET, 4:05 PM ET, 4:25 PM ET, 8:30 PM ET

·       Monday 8:30 PM ET

Additionally, there are other one-off broadcast windows which happen infrequently due to a holiday schedule (i.e. Christmas) or games played in London. A greater explanation of the broadcast windows and the channels attached to each will be done later in the “BROADCAST WINDOWS” section.

TV CHANNELS

ESPN – ESPN airs Monday Night Football every Monday night at 8:30 PM ET.  Each week there is one game aired except for the first week of the season when a doubleheader is aired at 7:10 PM ET & 10:20 PM ET.

CBS – CBS airs regional coverage each Sunday in either a singleheader, one game at 1:00 PM ET or 4:05 PM ET, or a doubleheader, one game at 1:00 PM ET and another game at 4:25 PM ET.  CBS owns the rights to the AFC package and typically airs games where an AFC team is the away team. In addition, CBS will air 5 Thursday night games throughout this season at 8:25 PM ET.

FOX –FOX airs regional coverage each Sunday in either a singleheader, one game at 1:00 PM ET or 4:05 PM ET, or a doubleheader, one game at 1:00 PM ET and another game at 4:25 PM ET.  FOX owns the rights to the NFC package and typically airs games where an NFC team is the away team.

NBC– NBC airs Sunday Night Football, which is a national broadcast airing every Sunday night at 8:30 PM ET.  NBC will also air seven Thursday night games throughout the season with five as regular Thursday night broadcasts (8:25 PM ET), one being the Thanksgiving night broadcast (8:30 PM ET) and the opening game of the season on the first Thursday (8:30 PM ET).  Additionally, one Saturday night broadcast (8:30 PM ET) and one Monday night broadcast (4:30 PM ET), due to Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday, will also be aired on NBC.

NFL Network – NFL Network (NFLN) airs every Thursday night football game (8:25 PM ET), except for the opening game of the season and the Thanksgiving night game, which are both exclusively on NBC.  In addition, it will air several games on Saturdays in late December (4:30 PM ET & 8:25 PM ET) and one Monday night broadcast (4:30 PM ET) which is technically a Thursday Night Football game moved to Monday December 25^th.   Of the 18 games NFL Network is scheduled to air for 2017, only 7 are exclusive to NFLN; the other 11 games are aired on either CBS or NBC in addition to NFLN.

NFL Network RedZone – NFLN RedZone (NFLN RZ) is a highlight channel that jumps between live games and usually airs on Sundays from 1:00 PM ET to 8:00 PM ET.  It highlights important plays as they happen and shows replays of plays that just occurred.  Please note that there is another channel called “Red Zone Channel” which is only available to DirecTV customers that subscribe to the NFL Sunday Ticket Max package.  These are two completely different channels although their setup is very similar.

TV Everywhere Apps – Many cable channels now have a live stream of their channel available to watch online for authenticated subscribers.  ESPN makes all its programming available via the WATCHESPN and ESPN apps while FOX uses the FOX Sports Go app to watch FOX sporting events. CBS streams its football games through the CBS All-Access service (more on that below in “STREAMING SERVICES”) which can be purchased via a separate subscription.  NBC streams its games through the NBC Sports App while NFLN streams its content through the Watch NFL Network app.

STREAMING SERVICES

Sling TV – Sling TV (Sling) is a streaming service owned by Dish with 2 different base packages, Orange ($20/month) & Blue ($25/month).  The Orange package includes ESPN + other channels while the Blue package includes FOX & NBC (depending on market) + NFLN + other channels.  Both packages together are $40/month ($5/month savings).  NFLN RZ is available in the Blue Sports Extra pack which costs $10/month but requires a subscription to the Blue package.  The Orange package is limited to 1 simultaneous stream and the Blue package is limited to 3 simultaneous streams.  Sling does not have any location restrictions and can be accessed anywhere in the US.  It’s available on nearly all streaming devices and is setup to authenticate on most TV Everywhere apps, although not the NBC Sports app.

PlayStation Vue – PlayStation Vue (Vue) is a streaming service owned by Sony with 4 different packages: Access Slim, Core Slim, Elite Slim & Ultra Slim.  Access starts at $29.99/month and contains ESPN + CBS/NBC/FOX broadcast (depending on market). Core, at $34.99/month, contains all the channels in Access + NFLN.  Sony announced on July 25^th, that NFLN RZ will be available this year as part of the Sports Pack for $10/month to subscribers of Core & above, which also has other sports related channels including some regional sports networks.  Elite ($44.99/month) & Ultra ($64.99/month) contain all the channels in Core plus additional channels.  Vue is limited to 5 simultaneous streams although there are some limitations such as a maximum of one PlayStation 3 console stream, 1 PlayStation 4 console stream, and 3 simultaneous streams on any mobile or web based devices (i.e. computer browsers).   Most importantly, Vue is restricted to a subscriber’s “home location” only, in that its content can only be streamed at the location determined by the subscribers billing zip code & IP address when the service is first setup.  In other words, if you try to access Vue while on vacation in a different part of the country, you will receive an error, although some Vue channels can be viewed outside of your home location either via a mobile app or in a desktop browser.  For more information, please see here (Supported Devices -> PlayStation Vue Mobile).  Additionally, you can also use a VPN to access your router remotely which will show your current location as your home location.  Please note that you DO NOT need a PlayStation in order to setup or use Vue.  Similar to Sling, it’s available on nearly all streaming devices and is setup to authenticate on most TV Everywhere apps.

DIRECTV NOW – DIRECTV NOW (DTVNOW) is a streaming service owned by AT&T with 4 different packages: Live a Little ($35/month), Just Right ($50/month), Go Big ($60/month) and Gotta Have it ($70/month).  Live a Little includes NBC/FOX (depending on market) + ESPN + other channels.  Just Right includes all channels in Live a Little plus other channels while Go Big includes all the channels in Just Right + additional channel and Gotta Have It features all the channels in Go Big + other channels.  (1@) DTVNOW announced on 8/7/17 that it reached a deal with CBS to carry CBS, originally in owned & operated markets only.  It is not clear when the channels will be available though.(1@)  DTVNOW is limited to 2 simultaneous streams and is available on most streaming devices.  It does not carry CBS in any markets or NFLN or NFLN RZ.  There are also some restrictions when it comes to streaming local channels on a mobile device.  It does not have any location restrictions and does have authentication available on most of the common TV everywhere apps now.

FuboTV – FuboTV is an independent streaming service which announced its official launch in April 2017. Its main package, Fubo Premier, is currently listed at a discounted introductory rate of $34.99/month (regular price supposedly $49.99/month) and includes CBS & FOX & NBC in certain markets.  It does not include ESPN (3@) NFLN or NFLN RZ though.  FuboTV added NFLN & NFLN RZ starting 9/5/17.  NFLN is part of the Premier package while NFLN RZ requires an additional subscription to the Sports Plus add-on which is $8.99/month.(3@)   FuboTV is restricted to a maximum of 2 simultaneous streams and is available on most of the common streaming devices.  It does not appear to have any location viewing (i.e. out of area) restrictions and is listed as an authenticated provider for both FOX Sports Go and the  NBC Sports app.

Hulu Live –Hulu Live is a streaming service, owned by Hulu that officially launched in May 2017.  There is one package that costs $39.99/month and offers about 50 channels including ESPN + CBS & FOX & NBC (in applicable markets) + other channels.  It does not carry NFLN or NFLN RZ.  The package is limited to 2 simultaneous streams but offers an Unlimited Screens option for $14.99/month which allows unlimited streams at home and 3 simultaneous screens outside of the home.  There are no location viewing restrictions but it currently is not available on Roku or online via browser.  It offers authentication with most TV everywhere apps, including CBS All-Access, but not for the NBC Sports app.

YouTube TV – YouTube TV is a newer streaming service that is currently only available in fifteen select markets (2@) 29 markets after 14 were added on 8/17/17 and will soon be adding 17 additional markets soon after to bring it to a total of 46 available DMAs (2@).  (3@) As of 8/31/17, 12 of the 17 additional markets were available for service.(3@)  It has one package that costs $35/month ($39.99/month if you sign up via iTunes) and includes CBS, FOX, and NBC in all markets.  For cable channels, it has ESPN + other channels, but does not carry NFL or NFLN RZ.  It allows a maximum of 3 simultaneous streams, but is not available on any of the common streaming devices (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, etc.) except for Chromecast. It does not have any location viewing restrictions; however, you must be physically located in one of the select markets to sign up and create an account.

CBS All-Access – CBS All-Access is a streaming service which provides a live feed of some, but not all, local CBS stations in addition to on demand episodes of CBS programs. Last December, it was announced that CBS All-Access would include all NFL on CBS games including Sunday afternoon NFL games (in the subscribers home market only) and its five Thursday Night Football games,  Additionally, that announcement states that both CBS All-Access subscribers and “eligible pay TV subscribers” would be able to stream NFL on CBS games starting in 2017, although Hulu Live is the only provider that currently authenticates with it.  The service costs $5.99/month and has a $9.99/month option which does not feature any advertisements, although it does have local advertisements on the live stream of local stations. It is available on nearly all of the common streaming devices. 

Amazon Prime – Amazon won the rights to stream 11 Thursday Night Football games this year and presumably will make them available to Amazon Prime members.  Twitter previously had the rights to stream eight Thursday Night Football games in 2016.  So far there have been minimal details though about how exactly the streaming will work such as devices, apps, etc. The 11 games will be the same 10 games that NBC (five) & CBS (five) televise on Thursday nights plus an additional game aired on Christmas Day (Monday) by NBC.  The Amazon Prime Video app is available on most streaming devices although not Apple TV yet; it was announced in June that it would be available later this year.

Verizon Wireless NFL Mobile – (5@) Verizon announced a new deal with the NFL on 12/11/2017 which will allow it to stream all in-market & national games, including the playoffs & Super Bowl, starting in January 2018, to all mobile devices with no carrier restrictions.  For more specific details see the ‘Verizon Mobile Exclusivity’ section below under “THINGS TO KNOW”(5@).  Verizon Wireless offers an NFL mobile service on its mobile phones to qualifying subscribers of postpaid plans which allows you to view all national Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Sunday afternoon CBS & FOX games (games available in your local market only).  A live stream of NFLN is also included in this package at no charge and there is the option to purchase a stream of NFLN RZ for $1.99/month.   The streams can only be viewed on the phone in the NFL mobile app though. Additionally, as of Sept 2016, Verizon does not count data used to watch games in the NFL Mobile app against any data limits.

NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV – NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV is an online streaming version of NFL SUNDAYTICKET, which airs all out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games.  Thus, local in-market games, Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and any other games (Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning—London, etc.) are not included.  It is only available to people who are unable to receive DirecTV service (due to either living in an apartment, condo, etc. or living in a residence that cannot physically receive service due to obstructions) or are verified college students. Meeting either of these criteria allows you to sign up for the NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV streaming service without subscribing to DirecTV.  It is available on nearly all of the common streaming devices including mobile devices and via browser.  The student package costs $99.96, 4 monthly payments of $24.99 each, while the regular version (for non-students who are unable to receive DirecTV satellite service), costs $279.96, 4 monthly payments of $69.99 each.

BROADCAST WINDOWS
The following information will cover in further detail the various regular season broadcast windows and types of coverage that exist including days, times, channels, and more.  For information on playoff games, see “Other Broadcast Windows” at the end of this section.

Sunday Afternoon Regional Coverage

·       Every Sunday CBS and FOX air different games in each regional market starting at 1:00 PM ET.  One network will have a doubleheader and will air a second game at 4:25 PM ET while the other network, with a singleheader, will also air games at 4:05 PM ET, but only to those markets that did not have a game air at 1 PM ET.  This is true for every week except the final week, week 17, when both CBS and FOX air doubleheaders.

·       The individual stations have a right to request a specific game for each window but ultimately the networks determine which game each station must air.

·       Occasionally, in the event of a game which is not close, the network will move certain regions to a different, more competitive game (see more in the “THINGS TO KNOW” section below).

·       Even when one network is scheduled to air a doubleheader, your local station may only end up showing one game because of blackout rules, specifically the “no opposing home team’s market” provision (see more in the “THINGS TO KNOW” section below).

Monday Night Football

·       Every Monday night at 8:30 PM ET, ESPN airs a game nationally to the entire country, Monday Night Football (MNF), except for Week 1 when they air two games, starting at 7:10 PM ET & 10:20 PM ET.   The only exception would be if the game does not meet the minimum ticket sale requirements; in that case, it is blacked out in the market of the home team----although the league suspended the local blackout policy for the last 2 years, nothing has officially been announced for 2017 yet (see more on Blackouts in the “THINGS TO KNOW” section below).

·       MNF is also aired concurrently on an over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channel in the markets of both the home and away teams.  The specific channel varies by team.  For more information, see this thread from 506sports.com forums (Note: you must register there to view it) which lists all the local broadcast stations in each market for MNF.

Thursday Night Football

·       Thursday Night Football (TNF) is a package of 13 Thursday night games that start at 8:25 PM beginning with Week 2 of the season.  All games are aired on NFLN while five games each are also aired on NBC and CBS, leaving three games exclusively aired on NFLN (Editor’s Note:  NBC will air two additional games on Thursday nights but these are not part of the Thursday Night Football package.  For more information, see “Sunday Night Football” below). 

·       TNF games aired exclusively on NFLN are also aired concurrently on OTA broadcast channel in the markets of both the home and away team.  The specific channel varies by team.  For more information, see this thread from 506sports.com forums (Note: you must register there to view it) which lists all the local broadcast stations in each market for TNF games on NFLN. Please note this does not apply to TNF games also aired by CBS or NBC.

Sunday Night Football

·       Sunday Night Football (SNF) is a package of 15 Sunday night games, 2 Thursday night games, and 1 Saturday night game aired exclusively by NBC at 8:30 PM ET.  The Thursday night games are the opening game of the regular season (hosted by the defending Super Bowl Champion each year) and the Thanksgiving night game.  The Saturday night game is being aired on December 23^rd because Christmas Eve (December 24^th) is a Sunday this year.  There is no SNF game the final week of the season.

Other Broadcast Windows

·       There will be several games aired on Saturdays in 2017 and one game aired on a Monday that is not part of MNF.  NFLN will air 2 games on Saturday December 16^th and one game on Saturday December 23^rd, while NBC and NFLN, will air a game on Monday December 25^th that Amazon will also stream.  The Saturday game windows are regular occurrences, but the Monday afternoon game is again due to the schedule of Christmas (Monday) this year.

·       London Games

o   The NFL will play four games in London this fall with three of them set to start at 9:30 AM ET; the fourth game will start at 1:00 PM ET.  Two of these games will air nationally on Fox, one will air nationally on NFLN and the fourth game will be streamed by Verizon across its video platforms, although it will be aired on local broadcast networks in the home markets of Baltimore and Jacksonville.

·       Playoff Games

o   There are 4 different rounds of postseason games culminating with the Super Bowl.

§  Wild Card Round – Four total games with two aired on Saturday afternoon and evening and the other two on Sunday afternoon. One game is aired by ESPN & ABC, one game is aired by NBC, one AFC game is aired by CBS and the remaining NFC game is aired by FOX.

§  Divisional Round - Four total games with two aired on Saturday afternoon and evening and the other two on Sunday afternoon. One is aired by NBC and the remaining three are aired by CBS & FOX.  Essentially each network (CBS & FOX) has the two games for their respective conferences but NBC ends up getting to air one of them because it lost one wildcard game to ESPN/ABC.  Thus, in 2016, NBC & CBS each aired one AFC divisional game while FOX aired both NFC divisional games. In 2017, it should reverse with CBS airing both AFC divisional games and NBC & FOX each airing one NFC divisional game.

§  Conference Championship Round – Each network airs the conference championship game of their respective conference, the AFC on CBS and the NFC on FOX. Both games are aired on Sunday afternoon with the times alternating each year.  In other words, in 2016 the NFC Championship game started at 3:00 PM ET with the AFC Championship following at 6:30PM ET; in 2017, those times will reverse with the AFC Championship game airing first.

§  Super Bowl – The Super Bowl rotates between CBS, FOX, and NBC each year. FOX televised the game in 2017 (2016 season) and NBC is scheduled to air the game in 2018 (2017 season).  Last year FOX streamed the game for free on Fox Sports Go without any authentication required.  NBC has not announced any streaming plans yet but the game should be available via the NBC Sports app for free.

THINGS TO KNOW

There are a lot of nuances and caveats regarding some of these services and channels so please read the following items before you decide to purchase anything.

Antennas

·       The Broadcast networks (CBS, FOX, NBC) can all be picked up with an antenna if you live within a reasonable distance of the TV towers although this will also be dependent upon the strength of the various channels and/or the location of your antenna.  Thus, if you can receive all three of these channels, you will be able to watch every local & national NFL game in your area except for MNF on ESPN and the seven games exclusively aired on NFLN.  Keep in mind, as mentioned above, that MNF games & NFLN games are aired on a local affiliate in the markets of both participating teams. Thus, if you live in the DMA of one of the 32 NFL teams, you might be able to watch any MNF & NFLN games featuring that team(s), although it could be aired on a different broadcast station which you may or may not receive via an antenna.

Verizon Mobile Exclusivity

·       (5@) On 12/11/17, it was announced that Verizon reached a new agreement with the NFL where it will stream all Sunday in-market and Thursday Night/Sunday Night/Monday Night games, in addition to all playoff games, via their mobile apps regardless of phone carrier.  The agreement will start in January 2018 with the playoff games and the apps include the Yahoo app, the Yahoo Sports app, Verizon’s go90 app and the NFL mobile app.  Although there will no longer be any carrier/provider restrictions, the aforementioned apps will be the only place to watch these games on mobile devices except for existing cable or satellite subscribers, who will be able to watch these games via their provider’s mobile app.  Thus, you will still not be able to watch these games via the Fox Sports Go app, Sling TV mobile app, PlayStation Vue app, the WACHESPN app, etc.  It has also been reported that users will not be able to view the games on a TV via casting to a Google Chromecast or airplay to an Apple TV.  To see a summary of the announcement, you can view articles from Yahoo, The Verge, Fortune, Tech Hive or the official Verizon announcement here (5@.

·       Verizon has an exclusive deal with the NFL that gives Verizon the exclusive streaming rights to all NFL games on all mobile devices, i.e. phones, except for subscribers of NFL Sunday Ticket/NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV (4@) and the 11 games streamed by Amazon.(4@)  Thus, you cannot watch Monday Night Football via the WATCHESPN app on a cell phone, unless it has an active Verizon Wireless subscription.  The same rules apply to Thursday Night and Sunday Night Football broadcasts as well in addition any Sunday afternoon games, (4@) except for the 11 games that are being streamed by Amazon which are able to be watched on all mobile devices.  It has been confirmed that what was first reported back in August by Awful Announcing here, is indeed true.(4@)  The only exception to this rule is NFL Sunday Ticket/NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV; subscribers to NFL Sunday Ticket/NFL SUNDAYTICKET.TV can stream games via the NFL Sunday Ticket App on mobile phones.

Streaming Rights

·       FOX Sports Go & NBC Sports App

o   There are many DMA’s which do have the local FOX and/or NBC channel included in some or all of the available streaming services.  Will you be able to watch Sunday afternoon FOX games on Fox Sports Go or SNF games on the NBC Sports App instead?  The answer isn’t clear.  Some users have reported that they have seen a stream for a local FOX Sunday game in the Fox Sports Go app while others have reported that they have not (even in some cases where they do receive the local FOX channel).  The Fox Sports Go FAQ has a question that reads “Can I watch NFL on FOX games? and includes this note *You need to receive these channels in your TV channel line-up in order to watch them in FOX Sports GO. Note that some channels may not yet be available for every TV provider^ or on every platform.  The NBC Sports FAQ page doesn’t have any items which specifically address this situation. Thus, if you subscribe to a streaming service that does not offer FOX or NBC in your DMA, it’s possible you will not be able to watch any games which air on those channels unless you use an antenna to receive them.  (4@)Additionally, while the first SNF game of the season was available to stream without any authentication, all subsequent weeks have required an authenticated subscription in order to view the entire game (it offers an initial 45 minute preview).  Unfortunately, the list of available providers does not include any of the streaming services, both in the app itself and on their website.  So while most of the streaming services do authenticate with the NBC Sports App/website, they are not authenticated to air SNF content.  I have updated the NFL CHANNEL & APP STREAMING CHART below to reflect this.(4@)

·       Thursday Night Football

o   Amazon owns the streaming rights to 11 Thursday Night Football Games of which 5 are airing on CBS and 6 are airing on NBC (one of those 6 actually airs on a Monday, Christmas).  CBS has announced that it has the rights to stream its 5 TNF games on CBS All-Access; however, for the other 6 games, Amazon is the sole streaming provider.  This means that the only way to watch those 6 games online will be through the Amazon Video app (Verizon Wireless NFL Mobile users will have be able to stream them as well) as an Amazon Prime member.  You will not able to watch them on NFLN as part of a streaming service or through its app.  You will also not be able to watch them through the NBC Sports App. 

Blackouts – The following blackout rules apply

·       Home Game non-sellout blackouts

o   There is a rule which states that any game where the home team has not sold at least 85 percent of its available seats, 72 hours prior to the kickoff time, must be blacked out in the home team’s local market.  The local market is generally defined as the area within a 75-mile radius of the home team’s stadium, although there are some exceptions that extend it further out.  However, this rule was suspended for both 2015 & 2016.  The last time a game was blacked out in a home team’s market was 2013 when there were two.

·       No opposing games in home team’s market

o   Whenever a station is airing the game of a home team for Sunday Regional Coverage, in that team’s market (i.e. DMA), the other station is prohibited from airing a game at the same time.  For example, in Week 1 Pittsburgh is playing at Cleveland at 1:00 PM ET on CBS.  In the Cleveland DMA, FOX is prohibited from also airing a game at 1:00 PM ET.  Thus, if FOX is scheduled to air a doubleheader that week, the Cleveland market will only see one game from FOX at 4:25 PM ET.  If FOX is scheduled to air a single game, then it will have to air a game that starts at 4:05 PM ET.  Please note that this rule only applies to the DMA of the home team (the away team’s DMA is unaffected) and that other secondary DMA’s are not affected.  In the example above, the Youngstown, Toledo, Columbus and Wheeling-Steubenville DMA’s would all be allowed to air a game on FOX at 1:00 PM ET.

Flexible Scheduling

·       Flexible scheduling allows the NFL to change the times for some games on Sundays including SNF

o   Eleven years ago, the NFL instituted a policy that allows it to change the announced start time of Sunday afternoon games to highlight more competitive matchups in prime time for SNF.  This policy is in effect starting with Week 5 through Week 17 and basically works as follows.  If it chooses, the NFL will announce that the currently scheduled SNF game will be moved to a Sunday afternoon time slot and will be replaced by a game that was previously scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  There may additional games that switch times because of this schedule change, i.e. a third game may have its original time changed from 1:00 PM ET to 4:25 PM ET or vice versa.  It is usually done later in the season when the game that is scheduled for SNF has very little or no playoff implications and is subject to the following rules.

§  Between Weeks 5-10, only two games total may be flexed to SNF

§  It does not affect games scheduled for Thursdays, Saturdays or Mondays

§  Any announcements regarding the flexing of games to Sunday night will be made at least 12 days in advance

·       “Cross-flex” scheduling allows the NFL to air FOX controlled regional games on CBS and CBS controlled regional games on FOX

o   This policy started in 2014 as a result of the flexible scheduling policy above because due to multiple games being moved around, it could happen that CBS or FOX might not have a game in a team’s primary market.  Thus, there will sometimes be games on CBS which feature two NFC teams and also games on FOX featuring two AFC teams.  The former is more common since CBS also airs some TNF games which are not conference designated.

·       These two ideas are important because there may be games that you expect to watch on a certain channel at a certain time which end up being shown a different channel that you do not receive and/or at a different time.

Non-competitive Games

·       Occasionally, when there is a non-competitive regional game, CBS or FOX will switch most out of area markets carrying the game to a different game that is much more competitive.  They generally do not do this to the markets of the home or away teams.  To see more information regarding this including the specific criteria that exist, please see this post from last year on the 506sports.com forum.

SUMMARY OF STREAMING OPTIONS TO WATCH NFL GAMES

Below are several charts to help you decide which streaming service is the right choice to help you get your NFL fix.  The first chart shows the various NFL broadcast windows and all the options that exist to watch those games. The second chart shows which channels each service carries and the compatibility with the respective channels TV Everywhere apps.  After that are two charts, one for AFC teams and one for NFC teams, which show the availability of the local channels in every market for the NFL’s 32 teams. If you’re not in the DMA of an NFL team, then, as mentioned above, you’ll need to look up the channels offered on each service’s website or you can use this local channel comparison guide compiled by CNET, but keep in mind (as mentioned above) I’ve found a few instances where it has channels listed as not available which are available according to the services websites and vice versa.

(2@)NFL CHANNEL INPUT SPREADSHEET

As of 8/17/17, my NFL channel input spreadsheet is now available for download and use.  Basically this is an Excel spreadsheet that will allow you to input up to 6 channels and will return all streaming service options which carry that group of channels, including highlighting the cheapest available option.  Please read the instructions (located on the 2nd tab in the file) before using but it is fairly straightforward.  You simply enter in the name of each channel (it has to match the name I've assigned to it in the Channel Key in the file) and the spreadsheet will automatically update.  

(3@) The files below have been updated as of 9/05/17 to reflect FuboTV now carrying NFLN & NFLN RZ (3@)
(4@) The files below have been updated as of 9/13/17 to reflect that the CenturyLink Stream Ultimate + Sports Pack costs $60 total, not $55 total.(4@)
To see a view-only copy of the spreadsheet, click here.

To download a copy of it (it's a zip file which you must save & unzip to access the Excel file), click here.(2@)

**TO VIEW A PDF FILE OF ALL THE CHARTS LISTED BELOW, CLICK HERE**(updated 12/10/17)

BROADCAST WINDOW VIEWING OPTIONS CHART (updated 10/10/17)

	Sun Afternoon Regional	Sun Night Football	Thurs Night Football	Mon Night Football	Sat Afternoon & Evening	Sun AM (London)
Channels	CBS, FOX	NBC	NBC/CBS/NFLN	ESPN	NFLN	FOX/NFLN/Verizon
Option 1	Antenna	Antenna	Antenna	Antenna**	Antenna**	Antenna
Option 2	Verizon NFL Mobile	Verizon NFL Mobile	Verizon NFL Mobile	Verizon NFL Mobile	Verizon NFL Mobile	Verizon NFL Mobile
Option 2	Streaming Service* FOX All CBS 1. Vue 2. FuboTV 3. Hulu Live 4. YouTube TV 5. (1@)DIRECTV NOW(1@)	Streaming Service* (ALL)	Streaming Service* NBC All CBS 1. Vue 2. FuboTV 3. Hulu Live 4. YouTube TV 5. (1@)DIRECTV NOW(1@) NFLN 1. Sling 2. Vue 3. FuboTV	Streaming Service 1. Sling 2. Vue 3. DIRECTV NOW 4. Hulu Live 5. YouTube TV	Streaming Service 1. Sling 2. Vue	Streaming Service FOX All NFLN 1. Sling 2. Vue 3. FuboTV
Option 3	CBS All-Access (CBS only)	-----------	Amazon Prime***	-----------	-----------	-----------

*Availability varies by market

**Applies to the DMA of the participating teams in each game only

***Only for 10 Thursday night games + 1 Monday afternoon (12/25) game

NFL CHANNEL & APP STREAMING CHART (updated 10/10/17)

	Sling TV	PlayStation Vue	DIRECTV NOW	FuboTV	Hulu Live	YouTube TV
CBS	NO	YES*	(1@)YES*(1@)	YES*	YES*	YES
FOX	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES
NBC	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES*	YES
ESPN	YES (Orange)	YES (Access or higher)	YES (Live a Little or higher)	NO	YES	YES
NFL Network	YES (Blue)	YES (Core or higher)	NO	YES	NO	-----
NFL Network RedZone	YES (Blue)**	YES*** (Core or higher)	NO	YES****	NO	-----
WATCHESPN	YES	YES	YES	-----	YES	YES
FOX SPORTS GO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
NBC Sports App	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Watch NFL Network	YES	YES	-----	-----	-----	-----
CBS All-Access	-----	NO	(1@)NO(1@)	NO	YES	NO

*Only available in certain markets

**Requires a subscription to Sling Blue + Sports Extra package ($10/month)

***Requires a subscription to Core or higher + Sports Pack Add-on ($10/month)

***Requires Premier Package + Sports Plus Add-on package ($8.99/month)

AFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART (updated 12/10/17) – Please click here to view a PDF of the local channels offered in the DMA for each AFC team

NFC TEAM LOCAL CHANNEL CHART (updated 12/10/17) – Please click here to view a PDF of the local channels offered in the DMA for each NFC team

SOURCES & REFERENCES:

The information in the chart above and this entire post came from a variety of sources.  Other websites that are very useful for TV listings are 506sports.com and FBSCHEDULES.com.  506sports.com is particularly useful because JP Kirby (the owner) creates channel maps each week which show which games each area of the country will be receiving on CBS & FOX for the Sunday Afternoon Regional broadcasts.

Sling TV

SlingTV – Local Channel Lookup by Zip Code

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue – Local Channel Lookup (enter zip code)

DIRECTV NOW

DIRECTVNOW – Local Channel Lookup by Zip Code

FuboTV

FuboTV – List of Broadcast Channels

FuboTV – List of CBS Channels added (June 2017)

Hulu Live

Hulu Live – List of CBS channels added (July 2017)

YouTube TV

(2@)YouTube TV – List of all available markets
YouTube TV – List of all markets which do not have all local channels(2@)

MISC

Nielsen DMA Map (2015-16)