How much does it cost to be an NFL fan in streaming era? Via Liam McGuire.

Being an NFL fan in the streaming era was already expensive enough.

And that was before the news that Netflix is likely to host two of the league’s Christmas Day games.

With that, you will now need access to no fewer than four streaming services — in addition to a basic cable package — to have access to the NFL’s full primetime schedule. And that’s before factoring in add-ons like Sunday Ticket and RedZone, which may be necessities depending on your rooting interests.

Just how much does it cost to be an NFL fan in the streaming era? We added it all up based on the most affordable options for each service.

Basic cable

Games: Monday Night Football (ESPN), Sunday Night Football (NBC), regular-season games, Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championship Games, Super Bowl (CBS and Fox)

Cost: $72.99 per month (YouTube TV)

There are multiple options consumers could go here and depending on your internet provider, you can likely find a cheaper option. But since this is a story about streaming and YouTube TV has the rights to Sunday Ticket and RedZone, it makes sense to use the Google service as the baseline for a basic cable package.

As an NFL fan, there is no more important piece of your streaming bundle than basic cable, or a stand-in like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. Not only does it gives you access to the most regular-season games including the top two primetime games each week, but it also contains most of the playoffs, including the Super Bowl.

As an NFL fan, you’ll need access to such a package for all four months of the regular season plus two months of the playoffs.

Prime Video

Games: Thursday Night Football, Wild Card round game

Price: $8.99 per month

Prime Video has been a must-have for NFL fans since 2022, when the Amazon streaming service became the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football. Next season, the streamer will expand its relationship with the league, as it is set to host a playoff game in the Wild Card round.

If you already have Amazon Prime, Prime Video can be bundled in for a total cost of $14.99 per month (or $139 annually). Without it, the video service is $8.99 per month. Either way, you’ll need Prime Video for all four months of the regular season, plus January.

Peacock

Games: Week 1 season-opener Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers (São Paulo, Brazil)

Price: $5.99 per month

Peacock won’t host another playoff game next season, but the NBC streamer will maintain a high profile presence as the exclusive home of the league’s season-opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 6. While Peacock gives you access to Sunday Night Football, that’s already covered in your basic cable package (or an over-the-air antenna), meaning you’ll only need this service for the first month of the season.

ESPN+

Games: International series (yet to be announced)

Price: $10.99 per month

The NFL’s first venture into streaming-exclusives began on ESPN+, with the Disney-owned streamer airing one of the league’s international games in 2022 and again in 2023. While we likely won’t know whether that trend will continue for a third straight season until the league’s schedule is announced next week, it seems like a safe bet that NFL fans will need access to ESPN+ for at least one month this season (and beyond).

Netflix

Games: Christmas Day (yet to be announced)

Price: $6.99 per month

While it’s yet to be made official, there’s been enough buzz in recent days to make it reasonable to expect that Netflix will have some sort of presence in the NFL’s 2024 schedule. Like Peacock and ESPN+, you’ll only need it for one month, but it appears it will be a necessity if you want to enjoy the the league’s new tradition of dominating Christmas Day.

Total

Six months of YouTube TV, five months of Prime Video and one month each of Peacock, ESPN+ and Netflix comes out to a grand total of $506.86, before taxes. And for fans who root for an out-of-market team or simply want access to the league’s entire slate of regular-season games, that will mean an additional $349 (so long as you’re a YouTube TV subscriber) for the Sunday Ticket package, bringing an NFL fan’s season total cost to at least $855.86 per season.

Yikes.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.