Staggering cost to watch every NFL game next season with 10 subscriptions needed

[milestogo]

Football fans around the world can watch all NFL games on one app with just one subscription. However, those in the United States do not have that luxury, with a record 10 subscriptions now required to do so. Several different platforms now have exclusive rights in the United States, including Netflix, Paramount, and YouTube, alongside regular broadcasters such as FOX, CBS, NBC, and ESPN.

In recent years, we have seen these media giant companies pay big bucks to bring in the likes of Tom Brady (FOX) to call plays, with Tony Romo (NBC) signing a huge deal to color commentate. And the NFL's continued growth has seen the sport become even more expensive to watch for fans in the United States.

To watch all NFL games this season, fans will need subscriptions for Netflix, Prime Video, NFL Network, NBC, FOX, CBS, ESPN+, Paramount+, YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. For fans to subscribe to all 10 of those streaming services, you'll have to fork out between $800 and $1,200 for a full-year subscription.

As well as the NFL now being shown on a record 10 platforms, the league will play games on four continents for the first time. While the league will return to Mexico and Brazil in 2026, we will also see games in four different countries in Europe. The NFL has found a home in London, where three games are held each year: the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts two games, and Wembley Stadium hosts the other.

https://www.themirror.com/sport/american-football/nfl-subscriptions-10-price-cost-1781033

Blame Roger Goodell.

[RockRaven]

1. I implore everyone: watch as few games through the paid routes as you can stand.

I get it, it is one small pleasure in an otherwise rough existence, yada yada. The service is already paid for for other reasons, so might as well watch. But if everyone just goes along it will only get worse.

Regulators/courts will not be putting a stop to this. Only loss of viewership can even begin to slow it down.

[True Dough]

2. I think we can all agree:

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Good grief. Time to move on and away from football and other sports that charge ultra-high prices

for their events. It's time to move on in the public sports arena to different sports that don't demand such premium prices for viewers. Public TV, restore our faith!

[milestogo]

5. I think the Fantasy Football craze has developed the appetite to watch games

that are out of one's home area. Most fans start out watching their home team, and hopefully those will still be free to watch. But if you are gambling or even if you just really love the game of football you want more. I have a few subscriptions but I will not be buying any more to watch games.

[surfered]

4. I use to enjoy watching the replay of the Masters each evening after work.

This year the replays have been only streaming on Prime and Paramount. We get Prime for free, but it kept freezing then disconnect. I would reconnect, but when I chose Resume, it started from the beginning. After two times, I gave up.

The next night it was only streaming on Paramount, which wanted me to pay. Forget it!

I miss the old days. Life was simpler and cheaper. The commercials were sometimes funnier than the show

[milestogo]

6. I think Monday night, Thursday night, and Sunday night football should still be free on regular tv.

But as far as I can tell those will all be on streaming channels in the future.

[surfered]

17. Thanks Trump!

[Wiz Imp]

23. Thursday night games have been exclusively on Prime for several years now.

Sunday afternoon games are still available for free over regular broadcast TV (FOX & CBS) as are Sunday night (NBC) and Monday night games (ESPN - I guess that is technically cable but most of those games are also broadcast on ABC). That may change in the future, but hasn't yet.

[sop]

7. That's what sports bars are for.

[milestogo]

14. True.

I saw a post on reddit looking for a sports bar where they could watch an out-of-town team. The questioner was referred to a gay bar.

[genxlib]

8. To add injury to insult

The experience on streaming is miserable versus the slightly old fashioned way.

I have gotten too impatient with the bullshit so I like to DVR sports and fast forward through the BS. Between commercials, time outs, reviews, huddles and halftimes, I can watch a 3.5 hour game in about an hour an half.

On streaming, that becomes a slog fest of jumps and spinning icons while the stream catches up. It is so miserable, it is almost worse than just watching through the time wasters.

I hate it. And that is even before you talk about the cost.

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. Even my husband, a lifelong Commanders fan

says football has now turned into "one play between two or more commercials". That's why we prefer RedZone and ManningCast. At least you get some meaty stuff there.

[Henry203]

10. Even though I have a number of these streaming services

I refuse to watch the NFL on them.

[Dan]

11. Actually for the past couple of years, I have cut football

Out of my diet, and discovered that I just didn’t need that artificial high. And then I discovered that ‘I just didn’t care’ about the NFL.

[rurallib]

13. I quit watching pro sports (except the WNBA) in the 90s

can't say I miss any of it. Looking like it won't be long and college football will be out of my diet

[Wiz Imp]

22. ALL college sports are now Professional sports as college athletes in all sports can receive NIL money.

Superstar Football and BasketBall players can earn upwards of a million dollars a year to play in college. But NIL money may be paid (mostly in much smaller amounts) for other less popular sports - particularly for star players in those sports.

[synni]

12. I began boycotting the NFL decades ago

I won't mention his name, but a relative of mine was a rather well-known NFL player in the 1970s. He was one of many who died of brain trauma related injuries, due to the nature of the sport and the lack of warnings about how certain types of impact could have life-altering consequences.

The NFL may pay high salaries, faking benevolence, but they treat their players like garbage. Players' literal lives are expendable, and it's all for profit.

[milestogo]

16. I'm so sorry.

In the 70s they didn't know about CTE. But now they know and people still play.

[Pisces]

15. Ludicrous!!

[IbogaProject]

18. Sail the High Seas

FMHY.NET is a resource to find free streams. Billionaires shouldn't hold sports coverage hostage football used yo be free on network tv.

[Rebl2]

19. Whenever

my hometown team plays in my area, it’s always on a local channel. I don’t have to get any streaming service to watch the game. Isn’t it that way everywhere?

[Wiz Imp]

21. Mostly true, but some areas are primary markets for more than one team

For example, where I live in PA, Baltimore is the closest market, but Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have significantly more fans. All three teams get priority broadcast rights under different circumstances.

Erie PA is similar as it is about an equal distance from Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Cleveland - and has significant numbers of fans of all 3 teams living there.

[milestogo]

24. My Senator sponsored a bill regarding this issue in 2022:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today re-introduced the Go Pack Go Act to make sure all Wisconsinites, no matter where they live across the state, can watch Green Bay Packers game broadcasts. Currently, Green Bay Packers fans in 13 Wisconsin counties are assigned to an out-of-state local TV market, in either Minnesota or Michigan, which means these Wisconsin households could get Minnesota Vikings or Detroit Lions games, not Packers games, when those teams are playing at the same time.

“Every Packers fan across our state should be able to watch Packers games,” said Senator Baldwin. “My Go Pack Go Act would give Packers fans in every Wisconsin county the opportunity to watch Packers games and cheer on our beloved green and gold.” While most people live in a local television market that is centered in their home state, some counties, particularly in border areas, have been placed in an out-of-state market and their residents receive out-of-state TV broadcasts. In Wisconsin, nearly 415,000 people live in 13 counties that have been assigned to an out-of-state market, in either Minnesota or Michigan.

Senator Baldwin’s Go Pack Go Act would require cable, satellite and other video providers to provide their Wisconsin subscribers with access to programming from the broadcast television stations in a Wisconsin media market. The legislation ensures that every Wisconsin cable or satellite subscriber who lives in these 13 counties has the choice of receiving an in-state broadcast for every major network, so they would always have access to Wisconsin based news, information and sports, including Packers games.

Packers fans in the following Wisconsin counties would benefit from Senator Baldwin’s Go Pack Go Act: Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron and Sawyer Counties in the Duluth-Superior media market; Burnett, Washburn, Polk, Barron, St. Croix, Dunn and Pierce Counties in the Twin Cities media market; and Florence County in the Marquette, Michigan media market.

https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/us-senator-tammy-baldwins-go-pack-go-act-makes-sure-all-wisconsinites-can-watch-packers-game-broadcasts

[Wiz Imp]

25. It's ridiculous that the NFL mandates who sees what games.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans outnumber Baltimore Ravens fans here by a huge margin. Despite that, the NFL mandates the local TV station air the Ravens games when there is a conflict and the Ravens are on the road. The local CBS station even petitioned the NFL to allow them to show the Steelers games because the ratings for Steelers games far exceed the ratings for Ravens games locally, but the NFL refused. The local TV affilates know very well which games their viewers want to see.

[milestogo]

26. Its ridiculous that it takes an act of Congress to fix things.

[Wiz Imp]

27. Yep.

[Wiz Imp]

20. Extremely misleading article

I can watch games on NFL Network, NBC, FOX, CBS & ESPN+ all with a single streaming subscription to Direct TV. I do need Prime Video to see the Thursday night games. From the best I can tell, that will cover all nationally broadcast games and all games broadcast to my local market except for maybe 5.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/youtube-netflix-fox-play-special-162458013.html
YouTube, Netflix, Fox are in play for special five-game 2026 package

As the NFL embarks on an effort to renegotiate its various full-season TV packages, the league continues to shop a five-game package of games to be televised during the 2026 season.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, YouTube, Netflix, and Fox are in play for the five-game mini-slate.

As we understand it, the NFL has presented a menu consisting of more than five potential games, with the bidders having the ability to pick the five specific games they want.

The options are believed to include the Week 1 game in Australia, a Thanksgiving eve game (which is not official but apparently inevitable), a second Black Friday game, and a Christmas Eve game, among others.

I would only need Netflix or YouTube if they get the rights to the 5 game package. Games streamed on Paramount+ can be seen on local CBS affiliates. Sunday Ticket is needed only if you want to see absolutely every Sunday afternoon game and has been needed to do that ever since it was created. Most people are satisfied with seeing the local broadcasts.

[-misanthroptimist]

28. I gave up the NFL about ten years ago

Between all the BS listed elsewhere in this thread and the malleable rules (reviews), I'd had enough.

I enjoyed "three yards and a cloud of dust" football. I enjoyed pass defense. I liked it when scoring 30 was the exception not the rule. All of that is gone.

[johnnyfins]

29. Fuck the NFL

I will listen to my team's games on terrestrial radio.

I'm not a gambler so I dont need to watch every game.