The NFL live streams are back for real this week! The preseason is over and Week 1 officially kicks off this Thursday with the upstart Detroit Lions visiting the defending Super Bowl Champions — the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Next game: Detroit Lions vs Kansas City Chiefs
• US channels: NBC, Peacock, and NFL Plus
• UK channels: Sky Sports NFL
• Canada channels: TSN, CTV2 and DAZN
• Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free
But while Thursday night's matchup may signal the start of the 2023 NFL regular season. Week 1 features all 32 teams in action, including some fierce division rivalry games between playoff contenders like the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Cleveland Browns.
And thanks to multiple streaming options, there's a wide array of ways to watch NFL games this season. For those in the U.S., NFL Sunday Ticket will get you just about everything, though for an eyewatering price. For those who just want the highlights, there's NFL RedZone. And if you only want local games on your phone, well, NFL Plus may be of interest.
But if you're looking to stream a specific game, we've got everything you need to stream this NFL season from a phone, laptop, set-top box or anything in between. And with so many games to choose from, we even highlight a few that we think are particularly worth watching. Here are the best ways to live stream NFL games from anywhere.
Note: The methods for watching NFL games change often as the league signs new contracts and streaming services change their policies, so we're always updating this guide with the latest broadcast info, as well as the current week's schedule.
How to watch NFL live streams with a VPN
Football fans, if for some reason you've had to go out of town — or you've been hit by a dreaded local blackout — and you can't watch the NFL live streams you want, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your hometown (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access NFL live streams.
Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sling, Fubo or another website and watch the game.
NFL live streams by country
NFL live streams in the US
Looking at the NFL 2023-24 schedule, you'll see that games air on a wide range of services and channels. Most of these are familiar sights, including ESPN, NFL Network and your local FOX, NBC and CBS affiliates. Just like last season, on Sundays, CBS and Fox will show games on Sunday afternoons. CBS will also simulcast NFL games on Paramount Plus, though you need a Paramount Plus with Showtime subscription to access games through your local CBS station on Paramount Plus.
Based on where you are located, one of these two networks will show two games and the other will only show one. Also, typically CBS shows AFC games and FOX shows NFC games, but there are exceptions to that rule.
Then in primetime, NBC will return for another season of Sunday Night Football, with Peacock also providing simulcast coverage. Then on Monday nights, ESPN will be bringing you Monday Night Football to round out the NFL week. Some Monday Night Football games will be shown on your local ABC affiliate either instead of or in addition to ESPN, though this is rare. Similarly, some Monday Night Football games will be shown on ESPN Plus, though again, this is rare.
Here's where things really change though. This year, NBC gets the Week 1 Thursday Night Football game. Amazon Prime Video then will show the remaining slate of Thursday Night Football games in Weeks 2 through 17. Amazon Prime also is getting a new special Black Friday game as well. Previously, NFL Network had aired some of the Thursday Night Football games.
But the NFL Network is still going to be airing some games despite losing Thursday Night Football. This year, all Sunday morning NFL International Series games will air on NFL Network. The first one of these comes in Week 4 when the Atlanta Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 1.
NFL live streams in US via cable alternatives
If you've cut the cord and are looking to watch NFL live streams this season, you're in luck. While the Amazon Prime Video games will require using the Prime Video app, many of the other NFL live streams can be watched via one of our best cable TV alternatives.
But the clear winner is YouTube TV. YouTube TV has ESPN and NFL Network, as well as local CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC affiliates, starting at just $64.99 a month for the first three months and then $72.99 a month after that.
And if you want just about every NFL game — even the out-of-market ones — you can even add an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for $299, which is $50 off. That price goes up to $349 on September 19.
NFL live streams in US via streaming services
Aside from these options, there are a couple of other ways to catch NFL live streams in the U.S. First, there's NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives you access to every out-of-market regular season Sunday afternoon (ET) game. If you want to learn more, check out our guide on how to get NFL Sunday Ticket online.
Then there is NFL Plus, the official streaming service from the NFL. This service gives you access to live local and primetime games in both the regular season and the postseason. The catch is you can only watch on your phone or tablet. NFL Plus starts at $6.99 a month and also offers a Premium tier with access to NFL RedZone on your TV.
Aside from these two NFL-centric options, some of our favorite streaming services also offer some NFL live streams.
Paramount Plus shows select CBS Sunday afternoon games through both an NFL on CBS channel and your local CBS channel, though you need a Paramount Plus with Showtime subscription to access games through your local CBS station on Paramount Plus. Similarly, Peacock offers all the Sunday Night Football games from NBC and ESPN Plus offers select Monday Night Football games from ESPN.
The only streaming service you need to subscribe to is Amazon Prime Video. Prime Video is the home to Thursday Night Football during Weeks 2 to 17 and is also showing a Black Friday game that is new to this season. Even if you pass on the other streaming service, you may not want to skip Prime Video if you need some weekday football.
NFL live streams for free in US via TV antenna
With one of our best TV antenna picks you can watch select NFL live streams over the air for free. Or, you could make your own stream, with a service such as Channel Master or Tablo, connected to your antenna and a DVR box. This allows you to broadcast the stream — either live or recorded — to a set-top box, mobile device or computer just about anywhere in the world.
The cost varies depending on the HD antenna you get and the service you use, but the local channels themselves are free, and you wonꞌt have to jump through any NFL-sponsored hoops.
NFL live streams in the UK
Sky Sports is one of the official homes of NFL live streams in the U.K. The Sky Sports NFL channel and Sky Sports Main Event are the primary destinations for your viewing pleasure, though occasionally other channels get a game. It also gets all NFL playoff games.
Sky Sports NFL will pack a lot of content. Specifically, expect at least 5 live games per week and every Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night Football game. It's also getting NFL RedZone, and NFL Network programming, including Good Morning Football and Total Access.
To get access to Sky Sports NFL, you'll need to sign up for a Sky Stream subscription for £26 per month with an 18-month contract or £29 per month as a 31-day rolling subscription that can be canceled with a month’s notice.
Another option for U.K. NFL fans is to opt for NFL Game Pass on DAZN. This gives you access to more than 200 regular and postseason games, Super Bowl coverage, NFL Network, NFL RedZone, the 2024 NFL Draft, and more. NFL Game Pass costs It costs £151 per year — payable in four installments of £37.75.
NFL live streams in Canada
In Canada, you can either watch games via streaming or via a television broadcast. Select games, including the Week 1 NFL Kickoff matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs, are available through Bell Media networks TSN, CTV and RDS (French language).
But for streaming, you'll want DAZN to watch the NFL 2023-24 season. A monthly DAZN subscription costs $24.99 and includes regular season games and the Super Bowl in addition to other sports. If you want to save some money, you can save 50% with a $199.99 annual subscription. To get the most games possible, add NFL Game Pass to your existing DAZN subscription.
NFL games in Australia
Aussies will find NFL live streams in a couple of different locations. Kayo Sports or Foxtel will give you ESPN coverage of a few games a week. You'll also be able to watch selected NFL games for free on the 7 Network, which will broadcast games on TV on 7mate and stream them on 7Plus.
Alternatively, those living in Australia can also access NFL Game Pass service through DAZN. This offers the most comprehensive NFL streaming package available in Australia and is priced at AU$280 for the full season, or AU$29 a week.
NFL weekly schedule
2023 NFL live streams schedule
All games in Eastern Time.
Thursday, September 7
- NFL Kickoff Game: Detroit Lions vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Sunday, September 10
- Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons @ 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens @ 1 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns @ 1 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts @ 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Minnesota Vikings @ 1 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Tennessee Titans vs New Orleans Saints @ 1 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- San Francisco 49ers vs Pittsburgh Steelers @ 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Arizona Cardinals vs Washington Commanders @ 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears @ 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos @ 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Miami Dolphins vs Los Angeles Chargers @ 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots @ 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount Plus)
- Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Sunday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants @ 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Monday, September 11
- Monday Night Football: Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets @ 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN/ESPN Plus)
