The NFL has long been America’s favorite sport and shows no signs of budging from that top spot. Over the 18 weeks of the 2022/23 season, over 185 million fans in the US tuned in to watch at some point. Part of the reason that the NFL is so popular in America is that almost everyone feels a personal connection to the sport. Whether they played themselves in high school, used to watch games in college, or are simply from a city known for its deep love of football, almost every fan has a reason for their deep-rooted fandom. Fantasy football has also brought in fans, with a study showing that the hobby increases viewership for live games.
With it being so popular, every fan wants to be able to watch it wherever, whenever. This is why in recent times, it has become available to stream on many different apps, with the league itself even signing exclusive deals for the right to do so. Millions of fans are now able to pull up their phone or open their laptop and get access to the biggest and best games that the league has to offer. Let’s take a look at the best streaming apps for the NFL.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video has been streaming NFL games since 2017, when they acquired non-exclusive streaming rights to 10 Thursday Night Football broadcast television games for the 2017 season. Fast forward to now, and they have recently become the exclusive broadcaster for TNF from the beginning of the 2022 season in a deal that will last through to the end of 2033. One of the biggest perks of Amazon signing this deal is that they will also broadcast TNF games for free live on their Twitch channel after purchasing the streaming service in 2014. You can also switch to alternate broadcasts with commentary available in various languages. The deal also includes pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows, plus in-game highlights and original NFL programming.
YouTube TV
In 2020, YouTube added the NFL Network to its programming after announcing the launch of its Sports Plus add-on package. Two years later, they announced they had become the exclusive provider of the NFL Sunday ticket, taking over from DirecTV starting in 2023.
This means they can broadcast games that are not available on local affiliates. Some of the best features of YouTube TV include their 4K streaming, DVR features, and the fact that they allow up to three concurrent streams per account. YouTube TV is essentially a Cable TV replacement, so nothing will feel out of place when sitting back on a Sunday afternoon to watch your game of choice.
Peacock
Over the last couple of years, Peacock has gained an incredibly strong foothold in the world of Live Streaming. Live sports streaming has played a massive part in this, and their coverage of the NFL specifically has made them extremely popular. It is also one of the most affordable services on this list, with its base package a mere $4.99 a month, which includes live sport. They even include select sports in their free tier.
Hulu
Hulu recently added the NFL Network to their platform, and their Hulu+ subscription service now includes live NFL games. You can watch Monday Night Football and Sunday Football coverage using Hulu+. They have DVR capabilities meaning you can record games that you may miss with up to 200 hours of space. You can even bundle your subscription together with Disney+ and ESPN+, which also includes select NFL games.
FUBO
FUBO has been the go-to for sports fans for a long time, with its sports streaming lineup one of the best of all services. They have BTN, CBS Sports Network, FS1, FS2, fubo Sports Network, NBA TV, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, and The Golf Channel as well as national and local programming through broadcast affiliates like ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.
They have 4K content, DVR capabilities and allow up to 10 concurrent streams. You can watch all nationally available games with FUBO, and they are certainly one of the most impressive services for sports fans.
NFL+
Formerly known as NFL Game Pass, NFL+ is the league’s very own streaming service. One of the best things about NFL+ is that you can watch replays of every single game after it has finished, whereas most other services only offer the chance to do this on 6 or 7 games a week. You can also of course, watch live in-market games, as well as any that are broadcast nationally, on your phone or laptop. NFL+ supports streams up to 1080p and has no limits on simultaneous streaming, meaning you can share with your friends and family. It is only right that the league itself has its own streaming service, and they have done a good job in doing so.
