If you’re wondering how to catch all the NFL action from Week 1 to the Super Bowl on TV or streaming online, the options are more plentiful than ever.
It has become common for the league to change programming options each season. NFL TV carriers for 2023 include your traditional landing spots, plus more games exclusive to streaming services (both the regular season and playoffs) and a new home for NFL Sunday Ticket.
Here are details of where you can find all NFL games:
Sunday afternoon
Weeks: 1-18
Where to watch: CBS (Weeks 1-18), Fox (Weeks 1-18), NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV (Weeks 1-18), ESPN+ (Week 4), NFL Network (Weeks 5-6, 9-10)
Among the major changes to the broadcast schedule this year: The traditional AFC/NFC split between CBS and Fox has been disrupted. Reports that the teams no longer “belong” to the networks in question have created some confusion as to which broadcaster holds the rights to the games. But you can still expect to see a heavy dose of AFC teams on CBS and NFC teams on Fox.
That means you’ll still see, for example, more Dallas Cowboys games on Fox and more Kansas City Chiefs games on CBS because those networks will want to protect as many of those games as possible. But there will be more crossover than we’ve seen in the past.
After nearly 30 years on DirecTV, the NFL Sunday Ticket package — which gives fans access to out-of-market regional Fox and CBS games — is moving to YouTube TV. Cost: $349 per year for Sunday Ticket alone, or $249 if you also sign up for YouTube TV. Add an additional $40 to either package to throw them into NFL RedZone.
There are five international games on Sundays this year, four of which are shown on NFL Network. The other matchup — the Week 4 Atlanta Falcons taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London — is exclusive to ESPN’s paid streaming service, ESPN+.
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Sunday nights
Weeks: 1-18
Where to watch: NBC (Weeks 1-15, 17-18), NFL Network (Week 16)
There are almost no changes here, as NBC will continue to air “Sunday Night Football,” as well as the season’s kickoff game on the Thursday night before Week 1 and a Thanksgiving night game in prime time, under its 11-year extension. 2021. Traditional flexible scheduling continues: May be used twice between Week 5 and Week 10 and at the NFL’s discretion thereafter.
NFL Network will broadcast the New England Patriots’ Week 16 matchup with the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve.
Monday
Weeks: 1-17
Where to watch: ESPN (Weeks 1-16), ABC (Weeks 2-3, 14, 16; simulcast with ESPN Weeks 1, 11), Fox (Week 16), CBS/Nickelodeon (Week 16)
ESPN/ABC continues to offer “Monday Night Football,” but will have an additional double-game night this year. Another big change: Starting this year, Sunday games can now be extended to Monday nights in Weeks 12-17 at the league’s discretion with 12 days’ notice.
ESPN opens the year with a big event on Monday, September 11: the Buffalo Bills at the Jets in Aaron Rodgers’ home debut in New York.
The doubleheader weeks this year are Week 2 (New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers at 7:15 PM ET on ESPN; Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 PM ET on ABC), and Week 3 (Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers ). 7:15 PM ET on ABC; and Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN) and Week 14 (Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins on ESPN and Green Bay Packers at New York Giants on ABC, both at 8:15 PM ET and both subject to flexibility).
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Christmas falls on Monday of Week 16 this year, and the NFL does not take that day off. The league has a three-game slate that looks similar to Thanksgiving, starting with the Las Vegas Raiders at the Kansas City Chiefs at 1pm ET on CBS/Nickelodeon. The Giants vs. Eagles game follows at 4:30 PM on Fox. The Monday night slot, as of now, includes the Baltimore Ravens at the San Francisco 49ers at 8:15 PM ET on ABC.
The College Football Playoff semifinals are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 1, which is Week 17 in the NFL and typically the final “Monday Night Football” broadcast of the year, but the NFL will continue its normal routine by leaving the CFP alone. This week’s ESPN/ABC game is Lions at Cowboys on Saturday, December 30 at 8:15 PM ET. There are no NFL games scheduled on New Year’s Day.
Thursday
Weeks: 1-17
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video (Weeks 2-11, 13-17), CBS (Thanksgiving), Fox (Thanksgiving), NBC (Week 1, Thanksgiving)
The main broadcast of “Thursday Night Football” begins in Week 2 and, like last year, will require an Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription to view. You might see your team play here more often in 2023: after previously allowing teams to play only one game on Thursdays in the weeks they played the previous Sunday, the NFL is now expanding that limit to twice a year.
In addition, flexible scheduling for TNF can be done in Weeks 13-17 with 28 days’ notice.
On Thanksgiving Day, CBS and Fox will split the afternoon games – Fox takes on the Packers at the Lions at 12:30 PM ET, CBS takes on the Washington Commanders at the Cowboys at 4:30 PM – and NBC takes on game time peak. 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m.). The season opener on Thursday — The Lions at the Chiefs on Sept. 7 — is also on NBC.
Black Friday
week: 12
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
For the first time ever, the NFL will play a game the day after Thanksgiving. The league announced Wednesday that the Dolphins will take on the Rodgers’ Jets at 3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video. This game will be free, regardless of whether you have an Amazon Prime subscription or not.
Saturdays
Weeks: 15-18
Where to watch: NFL Network (Weeks 15), ESPN/ABC (Weeks 17-18), NBC (Weeks 16), Peacock (Weeks 16)
We certainly know of two games on Saturday, one each in Weeks 16 and 17. One is Bills at the Los Angeles Chargers at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 23, which will be exclusive to Peacock, NBC’s pay-streaming service. As mentioned earlier, ESPN/ABC has the Lions-Cowboys the following Saturday.
There are five matches currently unscheduled for Week 15, some of which will end on Saturday. All three games played on Saturday of Week 15 last year were broadcast on NFL Network. The full Week 18 slate would not be scheduled until the final week of the season, when two games were scheduled to be moved to ESPN/ABC for a Saturday game under the “Monday Night Football” branding – both games moved to this slot are intended to have playoff implications.
Playoffs
Where to watch: CBS, Fox, ESPN/ABC, NBC, Peacock
The six-card and four-game divisional games will be shared between the four networks, with ESPN/ABC picking up a divisional game for the first time this year. Peacock will stream one Wild Card game, which will mark the first time the streaming service has exclusively carried an NFL postseason game.
Fox and CBS, respectively, will continue as broadcasters of the NFC Championship and AFC on January 28, 2024. Super Bowl LVIII will take place on February 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, on CBS/Nickelodeon (an alternate simulcast for the first time).
The other anecdotes
NFL RedZone is now accessible via subscription for the first time across multiple platforms: Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Fios by Verizon, Fubo TV, Hulu, Optimum, Sling, Spectrum, Xfinity and YouTube TV. You can also subscribe to the NFL Network and NFL RedZone with NFL+.
NFL+ will live stream local regular season, primetime and postseason games (phone and tablet only) and live local and national audio for every game.
NFL games are also available for Spanish-language fans on Fox Deportes, Telemundo Deportes, Universo, and ESPN Deportes. On radio, NFL games are broadcast on Westwood One, SiriusXM, and Entravision (in Spanish).
Other useful programming links
(Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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