You used to need two things to watch football: a couch and a cable box. That was it. The box was clunky, the remote always missing batteries, and the bill made you grumble. Nevertheless, flip on CBS, FOX, NBC, or ESPN and there was football waiting.
Problem was, you were at the mercy of the football gods for the game of the week in your area. Roll the dice. Could be a playoff-deciding Cowboys-Eagles matchup, could be a draft-positioning Saints-Falcons tilt—but at least it was simple.
Now? Football is everywhere and yet somehow harder to find. The NFL has carved up games across YouTube TV, Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix, Paramount+, and ESPN. College football is just as messy—ESPN, FOX, CBS, NBC, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, ACC Network, and their newly arrived streaming cousins. If you want every single game, you’ll need six apps, three passwords, and about $1,500. The upside? For the first time, you can actually see everything instead of just whatever your local affiliate fed you.
If you want every NFL and college football game, here’s what that looks like in today’s new ESPN-dominant, FOX-and-streaming, Prime-and-Paramount, insert-conference-network-here world.
The Cost for Football
For NFL coverage, you’ll need a base live-TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Hulu—around $85 a month—which gives you CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN for local and primetime games.
Add NFL Sunday Ticket for $276 per season to cover out-of-market games. Next, sprinkle in Prime Video ($8.99/mo) for Thursday Night Football, Peacock ($10.99/mo) for Sunday Night Football, Paramount+ ($7.99/mo) for CBS coverage, and Netflix ($7.99/mo) if you want a couple of Christmas Day games.
RedZone comes along with Sunday Ticket or is included in many live-TV bundles. It turns Sunday afternoons into a touchdown-filled adrenaline rush for gamblers and fantasy types alike.
College football is similarly splintered.
ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/mo) now carries almost everything ESPN-related, including ESPN+, the SEC Network, and ACC Network. Fox One ($19.99/mo) covers Big Noon Saturday games and Big Ten action. You can bundle it with ESPN Unlimited for about $40.
Peacock and Paramount+ give you NBC and CBS coverage for select matchups. Meanwhile, ESPN+ provides the college version of RedZone, perfect for the whip-around shows that keep you in all the games at once.
Got all that? There will be weekly quizzes when you’re trying to find your alma mater’s games, and “regional tax” charges that will have you scratching your head all season long.
Put it all together and the math adds up:
NFL coverage alone will run about $875 a year, college football around $600–700, and if you want both? You’re looking at $1,400–1,600 for the full buffet.
I hear DoorDash is hiring drivers in your area during the week so you can watch football on weekends.
Three Solutions To Consider
Never fear—I am not just a person who identifies problems; I am full of solutions, among other things. So here are three ways to get the most football for your buck this season:
“The All-In Simplicity Package” ($150/month)
This is your “don’t think, just watch” option: YouTube TV plus Sunday Ticket, ESPN + Fox One bundle, Peacock, Paramount+, and Prime Video. You’ll get every NFL and college game, RedZone, and college whip-around coverage. It’s the priciest at about $1,800 a year. However, it’s one-stop shopping for the diehards.
“The Savvy Cord-Cutter” ($102/month)
If you’re willing to juggle a few apps, an OTA antenna ($40 one-time) for CBS/FOX/NBC/ABC plus ESPN Unlimited, Fox One, Peacock, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Sunday Ticket gives you everything at a lower cost—about $1,200 a year. You save $600 versus the all-in package, but yes, there’s a lot of password hopping.
“The RedZone/Whip-Around Specialist” ($90/month)
Hulu ($82.99/mo) covers ESPN, SEC, ACC, Big Ten, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN+, and RedZone. Add Peacock ($10.99) for select exclusives. You’ll see 95% of games without juggling six apps—around $1,100/year. It’s the cleanest compromise for fans who want almost everything without the headache.
The question is: are you better off now?
Well, your football side is full, but your wallet is skimpy. Back then, you paid less, but you missed a ton. You saw the regional game, and if your team wasn’t good, tough luck. Now, you pay more, but you can see everything—every touchdown, every upset, every late-night after-dark thriller from Boulder to Honolulu.
It’s the classic deal with the devil: money for access.
If you’re happy with just your local team and a marquee matchup, a single streamer or antenna can do the trick. But if you’re a football junkie who treats Saturdays and Sundays like a 20-hour buffet, you’ll need the full spread. Maybe, you’ll need a second job to cover it. The cost for a full season of every game is about $1,500. That’s roughly the same as 10 stadium beers. Your wallet might cry—but at least you won’t miss kickoff.
The good news? Unlike the old days, you’ll never be stuck watching the Jaguars and Titans on a color-rush Sunday unless you want to.
And if you do? Well, that’s on you.
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With decades of experience behind the mic, John Lund is more than a sports commentator and weekly columnist for Barrett Media—he’s a storyteller, humorist, and true fan. He’s hosted shows in mid sized markets like Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City to larger cities like San Francisco, Detroit and Dallas. John has even hosted nationally on ESPN Radio. Known for his sharp wit and deep sports knowledge, John welcomes your feedback. Reach him on X @JohnLundRadio or by email at John@JohnLundRadio.com.
