Football fans who want to watch every nationally televised NFL game this season will need to juggle and pay for at least five separate streaming services, with total costs reaching an estimated $450 to $500 — and as much as $800 if they also want local out-of-market games.
Thursday night’s Rams-49ers matchup in Australia airs exclusively on Netflix, one of five games the streamer will carry this season, including matchups on Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day and in Week 18. Because of that schedule, fans need a Netflix subscription in September, November, December and January — four of the season’s five months, skipping only October. A Netflix plan runs between $8.99 and $26.99 per month.
Amazon Prime is also required for five months, from Week 2 through the Wild Card Round, at $14.99 per month.
Fans with standard cable or satellite packages still get weekly games on Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN/ABC. But those without traditional TV face a maze of choices. YouTube now sells a Sports Plan for $64.99 per month that bundles local channels, ESPN, TNT, TBS, FS1, Big Ten Network and SEC Network, with new subscribers paying $49.99 per month for the first six months.
Alternatively, fans can piece together individual subscriptions: a Fox One and ESPN Unlimited bundle for $39.99 per month covers Fox, ESPN and ABC games, while Paramount+ adds CBS coverage for $8.99 per month and Peacock adds NBC games for $12.99 per month. That combination costs roughly the same as the YouTube Sports Plan — and still requires separate Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions on top.
Fans chasing games not broadcast nationally in their region need NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube, which costs $336 for the year, or $240 for new subscribers.
Add it all up, and the roughly $800 price tag fans have been joking about online isn’t far off.
A Product Getting More Expensive and More Diluted
The league has already pushed ticket prices for live games out of reach for many working families. Now the cost of watching from home is climbing right alongside it.
The NFL has also expanded its broadcast footprint into new days of the week, including Wednesday and Friday games, spreading the product thinner. That expansion has been tied to shorter rest periods between games, sloppier play on the field, and potentially more injuries.
None of this has slowed the league’s popularity yet. But charging fans more money for a product that’s arguably getting worse is not a strategy that holds up indefinitely. At some point, consumers tend to notice when they’re paying more for less — and start looking elsewhere for their entertainment dollar.
