Figuring out how to watch the entire 2026 NFL season can be complicated, especially if you live outside your favorite team’s broadcast region. Watching out-of-market sports games is rarely straightforward, but NFL coverage can be particularly frustrating—and expensive.
Before signing up for a pay-TV provider or streaming service, check which games are considered in-market and out-of-market in your area. You do not want to spend $90 on an annual Paramount+ plan or $199 on an annual Fox One subscription only to discover that the games you want to watch are blacked out.
What are in-market and out-of-market NFL games?
In-market games are typically broadcasts featuring your local team or games involving teams geographically closest to you. These games are usually available on CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoons.
Out-of-market games are broadcasts unavailable within your designated local market. Unless they are nationally televised, these games are generally blacked out in favor of in-market games.
For example, I am a Baltimore Ravens fan living in Nashville, Tenn. The Tennessee Titans are my local team, so their Sunday games are in-market for me. If the Titans and Ravens both play at 1 p.m. on Sunday, I will only be able to watch the Titans. The Ravens game will be blacked out because it is considered out-of-market.
To find out which games are in your local market each week, visit 506sports.com.
How to watch out-of-market NFL games
If you live in a different region from the team or teams you want to watch, the standard services that broadcast NFL games—including ESPN, Paramount+, and YouTube TV—will not be enough. Those subscriptions generally provide access to in-market teams and nationally televised games.
For out-of-market games, the only legal option is NFL Sunday Ticket. Although bootleg broadcasts are available online, they are unreliable and not a legitimate alternative.
NFL Sunday Ticket is the league’s premium sports package for regular-season NFL games unavailable on your local channels. It carries regional Sunday afternoon games shown on Fox and CBS. You can purchase NFL Sunday Ticket as an individual channel on YouTube or add it to a YouTube TV subscription.
How much does NFL Sunday Ticket cost?
NFL Sunday Ticket is extremely expensive unless you are a new subscriber. Through Oct. 29, new customers can get NFL Sunday Ticket as an individual YouTube channel or as a YouTube TV add-on for $240 for the regular season, paid in eight installments of $30. That is $36 more than last year’s new-subscriber offer.
Returning customers pay $480 for the individual channel, divided into eight payments of $60, or $378 as a YouTube TV add-on, divided into eight payments of $47.25.
Students, military personnel, first responders, medical professionals, and teachers can qualify for discounted rates.
A season pass provides access to NFL Sunday Ticket from the first Sunday regular-season game on Sept. 13 through the final Sunday regular-season game in January. Month-to-month plans will also be available beginning in September. Pricing has not yet been listed, but it will likely be similar to last season’s rates: New users paid $85 per month, while returning customers paid $115 per month for the YouTube TV add-on or $145 per month for the individual channel.
NFL Sunday Ticket season-pass pricing
- $240 for new users ($30 per month)
- $378 for returning users bundled with YouTube TV
- $480 for returning users without YouTube TV
- $119 for students who can verify their eligibility
- $198 for military members and veterans, first responders, medical professionals, and teachers
NFL Sunday Ticket month-to-month pricing
- $85 per month for new users
- $115 per month for returning users bundled with YouTube TV
- $145 per month for returning users without YouTube TV
How to sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket
To sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket, visit YouTube.com/NFL. A sign-up prompt should appear with the available options. If it does not, click “get NFL Sunday Ticket” to the right of the NFL logo.
You will see options for YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL Sunday Ticket by itself, and the Student Plan. Customers seeking the military, first responder, medical professional, or teacher discount must complete verification through ID.me.
Is NFL Sunday Ticket worth it?
If you are tired of having your favorite NFL team’s games blacked out in your region, NFL Sunday Ticket may be worth the cost. It is not affordable, particularly for returning customers, but for dedicated fans, it is one of the only legitimate ways to watch live out-of-market games.
Read the fine print before spending hundreds of dollars on an NFL Sunday Ticket plan. The service only includes out-of-market regular-season Sunday afternoon games. It does not include in-market games, preseason games, postseason games, digital-exclusive games, locally televised games, or nationally televised games.
If you want to watch the NFL season as a whole, you will need to combine multiple streaming services and look for the cheapest ways to subscribe. There are also options involving VPNs and geo-restrictions for watching live NFL games. You have plenty of choices, but every option comes with a cost.
Source: mashable.com
