If you’re a football fan without cable, figuring out how to watch the NFL season online is important. Whether you want to watch Monday Night Football, the Thursday games, or the NFL Sunday ticket, we’ll cover your options for watching the NFL season on Apple TV without a cable subscription. We'll include how to watch NFL games online, on Amazon, with an over-the-air TV antenna, on Sling TV, and more.
Related: How to Watch the NBA Playoffs Online without Cable on Your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV
When & Where to Watch NFL without Cable
NFL games are broadcast Monday nights, Thursday nights, Sunday afternoons, and Sunday nights on different networks: CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network. This can make it hard to see every NFL game you want to without a cable subscription. Fortunately, there are a lot of options for watching the NFL season without cable. For more great Apple device tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day.
Over-the-Air TV Antenna
OTA stands for over the air; in other words, an antenna! Yes, it's true; you can legally pick up locally broadcasted channels and stream them to your TV with an antenna. While you might be envisioning the old-fashioned version that looks like a laundry rack attached to your roof or a clothes hanger balanced on your TV, there are now lots of OTA options that are sleek and unobtrusive. Some can boost signals, as well, which is really helpful if you live in a rural area. Some OTA options include AirTV, HD HomeRun, and Mohu, but there are lots more out there!
NFL+
Amazon Prime NFL Games
Amazon bought the rights to stream the NFL's Thursday night games online. You used to still be able to watch Thursday Night Football on network TV, but now the games stream exclusively on Amazon, so if you want to keep up with Thursday's NFL games, you will want to sign up for Amazon Prime (or find a good sports bar, if you don't want to give money to Amazon directly).
ESPN & NFL Network on Sling TV
Sling TV offers three packages: Blue, Orange, and Orange and Blue together. But since Sling Blue offers the NFL Network and Sling Orange offers ESPN, Fox, and NBC, serious NFL fans will probably want to sign up for the combined Orange and Blue package and possibly add the RedZone channel for an additional cost per month. At that point, the cost is equal to some cable packages. In addition, neither package offers CBS, and not all channels are available in every market. See which local channels are available in your area here.
DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket
Compatible Devices: Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and Chromecast
Cost: From $69.99/month to $139.99/month
Pros: Can watch every out-of-market Sunday game live.
Cons: May not offer all Monday and Thursday night games.
DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket is included with the Choice Package, but only offers Sunday NFL games; subscribers will need to find another option for watching Monday and Thursday night NFL games. This option really only makes sense for college students who want to watch NFL games online; they can get the service at a big discount. It's also had some outages early in the 2022 season that have upset current subscribers.
NFL Game Pass
Those who live in the U.S. and want to watch the NFL games without cable will only be able to watch replays of the NFL games once they are finished; NFL Game Pass does not allow domestic users to live stream games. In fact, this has been a source of frustration for many cord-cutters. Since Game Pass subscribers who live outside the U.S. are able to watch live games, some subscribers have resorted to the questionable practice of using a VPN to create an out-of-country IP address. Buying a UK subscription is most frequently recommended. Note that you will need to set up your out-of-country IP address before subscribing to Game Pass.
fuboTV
Compatible Devices: Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad
Cost: Seven-day free trial, then from $64.99/month to $84.99/month
Pros: Includes NFL Network, RedZone, ESPN, and broadcast networks
Cons: Costs as much as some cable packages
fuboTV broadcasts live TV over the internet. It offers over 100 channels, including the NFL Network, RedZone, ESPN, CBS, FOX, and NBC, so most of your NFL needs will be covered. fuboTV uses your location to determine which local affiliates to serve you, so, unless you use a VPN, you'll see the same games you would if you were watching your local network stations.
Hulu + Live TV
Compatible Devices: Apple TV, Xbox, iPhone & iPad, Mac, PlayStation, and Chromecast
Cost: $70/month with ads or $76/month without ads
Pros: Includes FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, and NFL Network
Cons: No longer offers Thursday night games.
With Hulu + Live TV, you can keep track of your favorite NFL football teams, record games, and watch live TV broadcasts aired on your local broadcasting channels.
Top image credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com
