The NFL is the undisputed king of pro sports, far and away the most popular sport in the country. Whatever the game (Jags vs. Raiders?) or wherever it is (London), the viewing public just can’t get enough of the NFL. But where exactly can the league’s rabid audience go to get their fix of weekly NFL action? Let’s check out the various ways and media with which NFL fans can watch all the games, all the time.
And for all the best betting coverage of the NFL season, don’t forget to check out our NFL news section all year long for coverage of every story, highlight, and previews of every single game.
[sc:Football ]Where to Watch the NFL This Season – Online and On TV
On TV
Network TV
[sc:NFL240banner ]The normal red-blooded American can (and often does) still get his/her fix of NFL football live and for free on good ol’ broadcast television. Thursday Night Football gets the action going in prime time for the first eight weeks of each season, and in 2014 CBS has a special Week 16, Saturday night double-header.
On Sundays, FOX and CBS deliver the early games starting at 1:00 PM ET. The games broadcast on those networks will be dependent on your region of the country. And as always, blackout rules (which can bar the broadcast of a specific game in your market if the tickets to the actual game are not sold out) also apply. And on prime time, head on over to NBC for Sunday Night Football.
Cable/Satellite
Basic cable isn’t enough for the average NFL fan, however, and the league knows it. For more football, a cable/satellite subscription will be necessary, which provides more comprehensive NFL content. ESPN is a must-have for sports fans and it’s also a must-have to watch Monday Night Football, which is broadcast on the World Wide Leader.
Similarly, services like the NFL RedZone and Sunday Ticket are must-haves for serious NFL fans. NFL RedZone, which is available through several cable and satellite providers (Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon Fios, DirecTV), gives viewers access to continuous highlights of the games’ most exciting plays (touchdowns!), commercial-free and for seven hours straight every Sunday.
And for those that want to catch every single Sunday afternoon out-of-market game, the NFL Sunday Ticket is your dream come true. Exclusively provided by satellite provider DirecTV, Sunday Ticket allows subscribers to view up to eight games all at once with the Mix Channel feature, as well as some other perks like Player Tracker, which lets you keep an eye on up to 20 players.
Online/Mobile Streaming
Even non-DirecTV subscribers can avail of the Sunday Ticket feature through their computers, tablets and smartphones, but restrictions apply. You have to live in a place where DirecTV isn’t available—an apartment, a college dorm, or in metropolitan New York, San Francisco, or Philadelphia. Subscribers of the Sunday Ticket Max Package can also stream games on their mobile devices.
Similarly, non-cable subscribers can view Monday Night Football through the watchESPN app, but this feature is restricted to internet subscribers of Comcast, Time Warner, Cox or AT&T.
Verizon internet subscribers, however, can watch all the prime time Sunday, Monday and Thursday night games, as well as live Sunday afternoon in-market (i.e., regional) NFL games, and a whole lot more using their mobile devices if they happen to subscribe to their MORE Everything Plan.
Finally, if you missed any of the live action on Thursday, Sunday or Monday, NFL.com’s Game Rewind allows fans to watch full replays of every regular season NFL game on demand, online, and commercial-free. There is also a Condensed Game feature which limits games to roughly 30 minute watches, as well as Coaches Film camera angles. A great way to catch up on anything you may have missed from your favorite team or division.
Illegal Streaming
Of course, all the options listed above cost money, which not everyone may necessarily have. But those unfortunate individuals can often resort to more “cost-effective” means of watching the NFL. With a little patience and effective Google searching skills, anyone can come across a host of sites that offer free streaming of NFL games over the internet.
Viewer beware, however. These illegal sites come with tons–like, tons–of pesky ads, spam, and browser tricks that ruin the viewing experience and, if you’re not careful, can lead to some nasty adware. Whether that is enough to hinder you from actually paying for better service is entirely up to you.
Regardless of how you get to watching the NFL, there’s no time like the present. The year is now a full-year sport, with intrigue coming from the actual season and playoffs through the star-studded draft and free agency periods. This league never sleeps, to its fans benefit.
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