Ready to watch NFL football? At The Streamable, we love helping people save money while staying connected to the sports and entertainment they love. Yes, it is possible to watch football without spending money. We’ll show you how.
Watch NFL Football with a Free Trial of a TV Streaming Service
Most live TV services offer a free trial. The length of the trial varies, depending on the service. Here’s an overview of the services that carry the most college games.
| Feature | DIRECTV STREAM | Hulu Live TV | Sling TV | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | 5 Days | 3 Days | No | 7 Days | Yes |
| Base Price | $86.99 | $82.99 | $40 | $94.99 | $72.99 |
| Base Channels | 220 | 105 | 49 | 197 | 121 |
| Max Channels | 283 | 142 | 143 | 226 | 171 |
| Local Channels | Yes | Yes | In select markets | Yes | Yes |
| Sports Channels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regional Sports Networks | 37 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 6 |
| DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 Hours (upgradable) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| On-Demand Services | No | Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ | No | No | No |
| Free channels | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Related: Ultimate Guide to Watching the NFL Season - All Streaming Options ►
DIRECTV STREAM: 5 Free Days
DIRECTV STREAM is perhaps the best live TV streamer and it has a 5-day free trial. The service includes an unlimited DVR, 20 simultaneous streams, and a huge channel lineup. Even on the most basic level, you’ll get 31 of the top 35 cable channels channels. If you max out your options, you can get as many as 283 channels.
New DIRECTV STREAM subscribers also get three free months of Cinemax, HBO, MGM+, Parmount+ with SHOWTIME, and Starz. That includes all the offshoot channels like HBO Comedy and Showtime Family Zone. We tried the service and loved what we saw.
Football Channels: ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone
Hulu Live TV: 3 Free Days
Our top option for football is Hulu Live TV. You can try it free for 3 days. Jump on Hulu now and you’ll get $30 off your first month! We’ve never seen a price that low.
In addition to 33 of the top 35 cable channels, you’ll also get the great on-demand libraries of Hulu, Disney+, and the live sports of ESPN+. That’s a fantastic value for 3 free days.
ESPN+ will simulcast many Monday Night Football games, and it’s also the home to one exclusive game in Week 7. Just be aware that the price of Hulu Live TV will go up in October.
Football Channels: ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone
Fubo: 7 Free Days
Fubo offers you a full week to try out its channels. Subscribers get 19 of the top 35 cable channels and immediate access to the hard-to-find Bally Sports networks.
As a bonus, you get the ability to watch four games at once with multiview on Apple TV. It’s a great choice to stream everything you need on Sundays and beyond.
Football Channels: ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone
ESPN+: 3 Free Days
While there is not standalone free trial for ESPN+, you can watch it for free as part of the Hulu Live TV 3-day trial. Having ESPN+ is a great option for NFL fans. It’s also the only way to watch Chargers vs. Cardinals in Week 7.
Paramount+: 7 Free Days
Paramount+ is a top-notch video streaming service, and it includes the NFL on CBS with any subscription. If you upgrade to the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME tier, you get your live, local CBS affiliate.
YouTube TV: 3 Weeks Free
YouTube TV is a live TV service that does everything well, but you get far more bang for your buck with Hulu Live TV.
Football Channels: ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone
Low-Cost College Football Options
After the free trials dry up, you still have options to save money. If you play your cards right, you don’t have to pay a lot to watch NFL games.
Sling TV
Sling is the king of saving money with live TV. Because you can scale your channel packages up or down, it offers more flexibility than any other TV option. Right now, you can get Sling’s top combination of sports channels for $50/month if you’re willing to sign up for a 4-month agreement. That makes it the cheapest way to see NFL RedZone while bundled with other channels.
It’s important to note that availability of NBC, FOX, and ABC will depend on where you live. Be sure to confirm your desired channels are offered in your area.
Also important: Sling does not offer CBS on any package. Sling subscribers should consider Paramount+ to get their CBS football fix.
Football Channels: ABC, ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone
Peacock
This streamer will give you games that air on NBC, which is great if you have Sling TV in an area where NBC may not be available. Peacock is inexpensive to start, and you’ll also get lots of great movies, sitcoms, and content for kids.
Prime Video
With Prime Video’s generous free trial, you get 30 days watch Thursday Night Football.
Get a Digital Antenna
Although this does require a one-time investment, you’ll get years of free viewing after that. An antenna will pull in anything that airs on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and The CW, assuming you’re close enough to the transmission towers.
You can also pair the antenna with something like a HDHomerun box so you can watch games on any Wi-Fi enabled device in your home.
If you do want to try an antenna, these are great choices:
Channel Master Flatenna Ultra-Thin Indoor TV Antenna
Up to 35 Mile Range
Winegard FlatWave Amped Digital HD Indoor Amplified TV Antenna
Up to 60 Mile Range