While many streamers were excited to watch their favorite team this NFL preseason — last week some were greeted to a message that the game was “unavailable to stream” in their area. During the Regular Season, AFC teams mostly air on CBS, while NFC teams mostly air on FOX. It’s slightly different during the preseason where each team partners with a local affiliate to air their preseason games.
And whether they have secured the rights is quite random. There are affiliates owned by the same affiliate owner (e.g. Sinclair, Nexstar, etc.) that may not have the rights to stream preseason games. There are times where the same game may air in an affiliate in one market, but not another. For example, the Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills games streamed in WBKI in Louisville, but didn’t on WXIN in Indianapolis.
Thanks to our readers, we identified five teams that weren’t able to stream in their primary market.
- Indianapolis Colts (WXIN)
- Carolina Panthers (WSOC)
- Cincinnati Bengals (KCTV)
- Arizona Cardinals (KPNX)
- Kansas City Chiefs (WKRC)
Outside of their primary markets, some teams had their streams blacked out in secondary markets like the Buffalo Bills (WROC), Chicago Bears (WTVD), Green Bay Packers (KETV), Houston Texans (KFDM, KAGS), Los Angeles Chargers (KGMB), Kansas City Chiefs (KMOV, WIBW), New York Jets / New York Giants (WTIC), New England Patriots (WWLP), Tennessee Titans (WPMT), and Washington Redskins (WRLH, WYTV). A full list is below.
How to Watch NFL Pre-Season Online Without Cable
If you’re team isn’t blacked out in your local area, we’ve put together a detailed guide on how to stream your favorite NFL teams preseason games live even if you don’t have cable or satellite.
Local Affiliates With Blackouts Last Week
*mobile-only blackout