How to watch Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns ‘Thursday Night Football’
One of the most heated rivalries in the NFL kicks off Week 4 of the season as the Steelers visit the Browns.
“Thursday Night Football” will play host to one of the NFL’s oldest and most bitter rivalries on Thursday, Oct. 1, as the Cleveland Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on the shores of Lake Erie. All four teams in the AFC North are currently tied at 2-1, so new head coaches Todd Monken and Mike McCarthy will look to take an early lead in the division with a rivalry win on Thursday. The teams split last year’s series with each winning at home, so the Browns will try to make that trend hold up while Pittsburgh looks to grab an important road win in the division. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET and will air on Prime Video. Fans in Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be able to watch on their respective local ABC affiliates with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV.
How to watch Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV: Nationally on Prime Video, in Cleveland on WEWS and in Pittsburgh on WTAE.
- Stream: Watch with a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and on mobile on NFL+.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about Browns vs. Steelers
Why do we recommend watching Browns vs. Steelers on Prime Video?
Prime Video is once again the exclusive host of “Thursday Night Football” in 2026. If you don’t live in the home market of either of the teams playing, the only way to watch Browns vs. Steelers on Thursday evening is with a Prime Video subscription. You can watch NFL football and other sports available in your area on Prime Video at no extra cost, and the lineup will also include NBA regular-season games for the second season in a row.
You also get to try Prime Video free if you’re a new Prime customer, and you can watch for as little as $9 per month if you don’t mind ads during playback.
Related: How to watch every game of the 2026-27 NFL season
Can you watch Browns vs. Steelers for free?
If you have never signed up for Amazon Prime before, yes. Prime comes with a 30-day free trial for all new customers, and Prime Video is one of the key benefits of a Prime subscription. If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to watch a great game free with Prime Video before signing up, this Browns vs. Steelers matchup is the perfect opportunity.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
Watch a preview of Browns vs. Steelers
Which local channels will carry Browns vs. Steelers?
In the greater Cleveland area, you can watch on WEWS. If you are in the Pittsburgh market, the game will be on WTAE. We recommend watching the game locally with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV.
What are all of the streamers carrying Browns vs. Steelers?
Aside from Prime Video, which will air the game in every market across the country, you can also stream the matchup with NFL+, but there is a catch. NFL+ lets subscribers watch every live regular-season and playoff game that is being televised in their local market, along with all nationally televised and primetime games. However, live local and primetime coverage is limited to phones and tablets.
That means if an ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC is carrying a game where you are, NFL+ will also make that game available live on a mobile device. Additionally, live mobile games generally cannot be cast to a TV.
Beyond that, NFL+ Premium adds features such as NFL RedZone and full, condensed, and All-22 game replays on supported devices, all of which can be viewed on smart TVs, but it does not eliminate the mobile-device restriction for live local and primetime games.
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.
How to watch Browns vs. Steelers with a VPN
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Prime Video in order to stream the game with a VPN.

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