The NFL preseason is an exciting time of year, as teams return to the field to prepare for the regular season. We’ll also get to see the next crop of NFL rookies, hidden training camp gems, and players who may have missed last season due to injury. Fans looking to watch these games with cost efficiency in mind are in luck — they have a few options available to them.
How Can You Watch NFL Preseason Games for Free?
Option 1: Live TV Streaming Service Trial
Many live TV streaming services offer free trials for new users to try their service before they sign up. Usually, these trials last only about a week, but if you’re looking to only watch one week’s worth of games, it’s perfect for you. But which trial should you choose? We have two options for you:
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NFL Network | + $15 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
The four national networks showing NFL pre-season games are NFL Network, CBS, FOX, and ESPN. You can watch them on DIRECTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV. Of these, only DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and YouTube TV offer free trials. Fubo and YouTube TV offer seven-day trials, while DirecTV Stream offers a five-day trial.
Should you ultimately choose to sign up for a live TV streaming service, we recommend DirecTV Stream due to its selection of sports channels. But there’s a problem with DIRECTV STREAM — it's currently in the midst of a carriage dispute with a large local affiliate owner, which could affect your access to some channels. So, if your team’s pre-season games are on Nexstar-owned channels, you might want to try another streaming service.
Sling doesn’t have CBS on either plan, but you can get it through the Paramount+ app. Remember, to watch ESPN, FOX, and NFL Network, you’ll need to subscribe to both Sling’s Blue and Orange plans.
Best Streaming TV Choices for Watching 2023 NFL Preseason Games
Our Top Choice for Watching 2023 NFL Preseason Games: DIRECTV STREAM
- Five-day free trial
- Largest selection of top cable and sports channels
- $10 off the first month for a limited time
Our Recommendation for Sports Fans to Watch 2023 NFL Preseason Games and More: Fubo
- Seven-day free trial
- Wide array of national and regional sports networks
- Fubo Sports Network shows exclusive live sports and studio content
Option 2:
Related to a live TV streaming service would be to sign up for one of the video-on-demand (VOD) streaming services that offer NFL preseason games. Prime Video offers a 30-day trial and will let you stream the Aug. 24 preseason game between the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.
Paramount+ offers a 30-day free trial and will let you stream your local CBS affiliate. If your local CBS affiliate is airing a preseason game, you will be able to watch it. If not, you will at least be able to watch the Friday, Aug. 25 game between the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, which will air nationally on CBS.
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Amazon Prime Video
Amazon 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 Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
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Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Option 3: Watch Games Over the Air
If you have an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, you can watch local and national preseason games without any cost. However, you will have had to have purchased the antenna device unless you’ve acquired one previously. If you want to give the old-school option a try, we suggest these two models.
Mohu Leaf 30
Up to 30 Mile Range
Mohu Leaf 50
Up to 60 Mile Range