The NFL on Monday officially announced the launch of NFL+, a new streaming service that had been hinted at for months. The service comes in two tiers; the basic plan running $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and the other costing $9.99 monthly or $79.99 per year.
Some of the most diehard NFL fans may be familiar with NFL Game Pass, a previous service that NFL+ will now essentially replace. Game Pass offered many of the same features that the basic NFL+ tier now does, including streaming of pre-season games, live game audio, and extensive access to NFL Films archival material. The premium version of NFL+ will also carry forward such Game Pass features as game replays, all-22 angles, and coaches film.
What are the big differences between the two services?
For one thing, both versions of NFL+ cost less than Game Pass' price tag of $99.99 per year. It also appears that the NFL will be giving a much bigger push to NFL+ than it ever did for its predecessor.
Another big difference is that Game Pass was not restricted to mobile devices, while NFL+ only allows subscribers to watch live games on their phones and tablets. However, all of the game replays, all-22, and coaches film options will be available on connected and smart TVs.
Also, Game Pass had an international edition that worked similarly to NFL Sunday Ticket. NFL+ is only available in the U.S. and will not feature any regular season out-of-market games.
Pro Football Talk reported on Monday that with the launch of NFL+, Game Pass will no longer be available in the U.S. The NFL’s press release called NFL+ “the next evolution of the NFL’s direct-to-consumer offering, building upon what the league developed with NFL Game Pass.”
Related: How Does NFL+ Compare to NFL Sunday Ticket?
The NFL says on its FAQ site that Game Pass subscribers will automatically have their subscription rolled over into an NFL+ Premium subscription.
The NFL had previously offered free live streaming of local and prime-time telecasts, through a partnership with Verizon-owned Yahoo! Sports and the NFL mobile app, but that arrangement has expired and will be replaced by NFL+.
Next, the NFL will have to pick a new partner for Sunday Ticket, which is expected to land with either Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, or — as of this past weekend —YouTube. The league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, has hinted that a decision on the fate of Sunday Ticket will arrive this fall, possibly prior to the start of the NFL season.
NFL+
NFL+ allows fans to watch live local and primetime games on mobile and tablet devices. And with an NFL+ Premium subscription, you can watch replays of every single game without ads, condensed game replays, and coaches film. The service also allows fans to choose their audio stream (home, away, and national calls). The Premium plan also includes NFL RedZone on TV.