The 2024-2025 NFL live streams have officially begun and we're already almost through the preseason. It's now just two weeks until the season kicks off in earnest on Sept. 5 with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.
• Next game: Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs — tonight (Aug. 22) @ 8:20 p.m. ET
• US channels: Watch on NFL Network via Sling or Fubo
• UK channels: Watch on NFL Game Pass
• Canada channels: Watch on DAZN
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
But until then, we have 16 preseason games remaining this week, starting with Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals on Prime Video and Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs on NFL Network. There's technically a 20-minute difference in kickoff times, but they both kick off around 8 p.m. ET, so you'll probably need to pick which one to watch.
My vote? Bears vs. Chiefs. Even without Caleb Williams, it's worth watching to see if this Bears team has what it takes to make waves this year as a potential upstart team.
If you want to watch this week's games — and every other game this year — we'll tell you how to watch every single second of NFL football in this guide to NFL live streams.
Thanks to multiple streaming options, there's a wide array of ways to watch NFL games this season. For those in the U.S., Sunday Ticket will get you just about everything, though it doesn't offer out-of-market or primetime games. For those who just want the highlights, there's NFL RedZone, which shows all the biggest plays from the Sunday day games.
If you're content with only local games on your phone, NFL Plus may be of interest. It'll also give you access to all out-of-market preseason games.
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 a dreaded local blackout has hit you (thankfully, this hasn't happened since 2014) — 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 and access NFL live streams.
We've tested many different VPN services and our favorite is NordVPN; it offers superb speeds, excellent customer service and a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out first to see if it's right for you. But you've got other VPN options too, so check out our full list of the best VPN services.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.K. and want to view a U.S. 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 2024-25 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. Typically CBS shows AFC games and FOX shows NFC games, but this is no longer a hard and fast rule.
Then in primetime, NBC will return for another season of Sunday Night Football, with Peacock also providing simulcast coverage. NBC also gets a Saturday game in Week 16 and Peacock is the exclusive home of the NFL's first game ever in Brazil in Week 1 of the regular season.
Like last year, NBC also 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, except the Thanksgiving night game. That week, Prime Video gets an exclusive Black Friday game to make up for losing Thursday night.
On Monday nights, ESPN is once again the home of Monday Night Football to round out the NFL week. But while this seems simple, it's not. Most weeks Monday Night Football will air on ESPN, but some Monday Night Football games will be shown on your local ABC affiliate instead of ESPN, though these games will also be available on ESPN Plus. Week 7's matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals is exclusive to ESPN Plus, further complicating things.
Remember NFL Network? It still exists and will still air several games. This year, all the Sunday morning NFL International Series games in Europe will air on NFL Network. NFL Network also has the majority of the nationally broadcast preseason games, though Fox gets a Sunday night game in preseason Week 2 and Prime Video, CBS and NBC all get games in preseason Week 3.
Finally, we have one new entrant into the NFL live stream landscape this year. Netflix — yes, Netflix — is the exclusive home of two new Christmas Day games in Week 17.
That means you'll need yet another streaming service to watch every NFL game in the U.S. in the 2024-2025 NFL season. However, local markets as always are required to simulcast games on a local broadcast network, and the Netflix games should be no exception to this rule.
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 some games will require one of the best streaming services, many of the other NFL live streams can be watched via one of our best cable TV alternatives.
One option is YouTube TV. YouTube TV has ESPN and NFL Network, as well as local CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC affiliates. It currently starts at just $52.99 a month for the first four months and then is full-priced at $72.99 a month.
If you want just about every NFL game — even the out-of-market ones — you can even add an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription starting at $379* for the entire 2024-2025 NFL regular season.
Or, if you don't care about NFL Sunday Ticket, consider Fubo. This cable TV alternative is great for cord-cutters who love all things sports, and Fubo has all the broadcast channels, plus ESPN and NFL Network.
*$50 discount currently available for select subscribers
If you're okay with missing out on CBS games, Sling is a great option that's a little friendlier on your wallet. With Sling Blue, you can get access to NFL Network, in addition to local network affiliates from ABC, FOX and NBC (availability varies by market). Sling Orange doesn't have these channels, but it does give you ESPN and ESPN 2. Both start at $40 a month separately, but you can combine them for as little $55 a month. Usually, there is a discount on your first month, often as much as 50% off!
NFL live streams in US via streaming services
Aside from these cable alternatives, there are a couple of other ways to catch NFL live streams in the U.S.
First, there are two NFL-centric options. As previously mentioned, NFL Sunday Ticket gives you access to every out-of-market regular season Sunday afternoon (ET) game and you can get it directly from YouTube instead of through YouTube TV. 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.
But increasingly, many of our favorite streaming services also offer NFL live streams, often ones that are exclusive to the streaming platform.
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.
Peacock offers all the Sunday Night Football games from NBC as a simulcast. But this year, it's also getting exclusive rights to the NFL's first game in Brazil, which will feature the Green Bay Packers versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo in Week 1 of the regular season.
Want access to Thursday Night Football? You'll need. Amazon Prime Video. Prime Video is the home to Thursday Night Football during Weeks 2 to 17 (excluding Thanksgiving) and is also the exclusive home of the NFL Black Friday game. It's also getting one Wild Card round game this postseason. Even if you pass on the other streaming services, you may not want to skip Prime Video if you need some weekday football.
ESPN Plus may actually be a must-have streaming service for NFL fans this year. Not only does ESPN's streaming service offer simulcasts of many of this season's Monday Night Football games, it even gets an exclusive Week 7 matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.
Finally, you will need a Netflix subscription to access this year's Christmas Day games. Once the NBA's territory, the NFL will offer two games on Xmas during Week 17 of the regular season. If you're in Kansas City or Pittsburgh, you should get the 1 p.m. ET game through a broadcast network — the same goes for residents of Baltimore and Houston for the 4:30 p.m. ET game. But for everyone else, you're going to need to sign up for Netflix this Christmas.
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 £22 per month with an 18-month contract or £25 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 £150.99 per year — payable in four installments of £37.75 — or £14.99 a week for those with commitment issues.
NFL live streams in Canada
In Canada, you can either watch games via streaming or via a television broadcast. Select games, including the Hall of Fame Game between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears, are available through Bell Media networks TSN, CTV and RDS (French language).
But for streaming, you'll want DAZN to watch the NFL 2024-25 season. A monthly DAZN subscription costs CA$29.99 per month and includes regular season games and the Super Bowl in addition to other sports. If you want to save some money, you can save serious cash with a CA$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$279.99 for the full season — payable in four installments of AU$70 — or AU$28.99 a week.
NFL weekly schedule
2024-25 NFL live streams preseason Week 3 schedule
All games in Eastern Time.
Thursday, August 22
- Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals @ 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:20 p.m. (NFL Network)
Friday, August 23
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons @ 7 p.m. (NFL Network)
- Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 7:30 p.m. (NFL Plus)
- San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network)
Saturday, August 24
- Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills @ 1 p.m. (NFL Plus)
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions @ 1 p.m. (NFL Network)
- Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers @ 1 p.m. (NFL Plus)
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles @ 1 p.m. (NFL Plus)
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Houston Texans @ 1 p.m. (NFL Plus)
- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys @ 4 p.m. (NFL Network)
- New York Giants vs. New York Jets @ 7:30 p.m. (NFL Network)
- Cleveland Browns vs. Seattle Seahawks @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network)
Sunday, August 25
- Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints @ 2 p.m. (NFL Network)
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos @ 4:30 p.m. (CBS)
- New England Patriots vs. Washington Commanders @ 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
