The National Football League does not make it easy to watch teams outside your region — but NFL Sunday Ticket can change the game for you. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this NFL viewing plan — including a much cheaper alternative!
In a hurry? Here are your two best options:
- Subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket to get access to the Sunday regular season day games that are outside of your market area. The cheapest way for non-students to get it is via YouTube or Youtube TV for $449 for the season, thanks to a $50 beginning of season discount.
- Or skip the Sunday Ticket subscription, and watch out-of-market NFL games with a VPN. Our top choice is ExpressVPN (Black Friday deal).
Unblock Your Favorite Events & Teams With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite events or teams because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequaled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
Table Of Contents
NFL Sunday Ticket Is For Out-of-Market Games
If you are a fan of your local team, the NFL has you covered. You’ll get to watch every game they play this season on a local station — either CBS or Fox. You don’t need NFL Sunday Ticket to watch your local team’s games.
But if you are a fan a team that’s not local — for example, in a different state — their games probably won’t appear on your local broadcasts unless that team is playing a local team. Games that aren’t aired locally are called out-of-market games.
TV Channels That Air In-Market Sunday Games
On a typical weekend during the NFL season, there are about a dozen games. But not all games played are televised in every location.
On Sundays, fans will have access to one or two early daytime games, one or two late daytime games, and 1 night game, for a total of four games each viewer can watch on CBS and Fox on Sunday. Early NFL games start at roughly and late games at roughly :
NFL Sunday afternoon, in-market (local team) games are broadcast on either CBS or Fox, depending on which conference your team is in:
| NFL Daytime Games | Time (ET) | AFC Games | NFC Games | Mixed Conference Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday early games | CBS | Fox | Away team’s conference channel | |
| Sunday late games | CBS | Fox | Away team’s conference channel |
The nationally-televised night games are also considered in-market games:
| NFL Night Games | Game Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday Night Football | NBC | |
| Monday Night Football | ESPN | |
| Thursday Night Football | Amazon Prime |
Because only 4 Sunday daytime games are aired locally, there will be roughly eight out-of-market NFL games that any given viewer will not be able to see because they are not shown in the local TV market.
How Can I Watch Sunday Out-of-Market Games?
NFL Sunday Ticket is the only way to guarantee access to all out-of-market games in the United States. (Outside of the US, you’ll want to consult our NFL Game Pass guide instead.)
As of 2023, Sunday Ticket is available to cord-cutters only through either YouTube or YouTube TV.
An NFL Sunday Ticket subscription includes all 200+ live Sunday afternoon games, plus some bonus features like exclusive NFL shows.
Because NFL Sunday Ticket is only an out-of-market service, it doesn’t include in-market games or primetime games played on Sunday, Monday, or Thursday night.
It also doesn’t include games that involve your local NFL team.
So you still need cable, a live TV streaming service, or a digital antenna to watch local games.
NFL Sunday Ticket Features
Before deciding on a plan, here’s a cheatsheet showing which games are covered by each plan:
| Games | Description | YouTube TV | YouTube TV + NFL Sunday Ticket | YouTube + NFL Sunday Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every out-of-market Sunday daytime game | Games starting – | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Local regular season games | Local & national Fox & CBS games | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| National regular season games | SNF on NBC, MNF on ESPN, some NFL Network & ABC games | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Preseason games | Local stations or NFL Network | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Postseason games | Playoffs + Conference & League Championships | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Thursday Amazon Prime games | Games airing on Thursday night | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
RedZone is a special channel that allows fans to effectively watch all the Sunday daytime games at once. For most NFL fans, it’s a credible alternative to Sunday Ticket itself. But for the fan who wants it all, the two go well together.
In addition to providing access to all out-of-market Sunday daytime NFL games, Sunday Ticket offers the following features:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Unlimited Screens | Allows you to stream on as many devices as you have at home (bandwidth permitting). You are limited to 2 screens when you are away from home. |
| Multiview | Watch up to 4 games at once on the same screen. |
| Shortcuts | 30-minute condensed replays, commercial-free, for all the Sunday daytime games. These are available on the Sunday Ticket app, Monday through Wednesday. |
| Stats, Scores, and Standings | From any Sunday Ticket channel, get the full game-day schedule; game, team, and player statistics and standings; and scoring plays summarized and broken down by quarter. |
| Player Tracker | Add your favorite players to instantly view stats and get alerts when one is involved in a highlight. |
| Record Games | Use the YouTube TV app as a DVR, even without the YouTube TV base plan. |
| Family Sharing | Use Google Families to create a group to share your plan with, subject to the number screens available, of course. |
Unblock Your Favorite Events & Teams With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite events or teams because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequaled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
Which NFL Games Are Included With Sunday Ticket?
Here is an overview of the games you get with NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube Primetime Channels and YouTube TV. Note that YouTube TV offers much more because you are paying an extra $72.99/mo for its live TV streaming service.
| Games | YouTube TV | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday Night Football | ❌ | ❌ |
| International Games | ✅‡ | ❌ |
| Sunday Daytime In-Market | ✅ | ❌ |
| Sunday Daytime Out-of-Market | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sunday Night Football | ✅ | ❌ |
| Monday Night Football | ✅ | ❌ |
What Is Multiview?
Multiview is a special feature with your YouTube TV subscription that allows you to watch up to 4 games on NFL Sunday Ticket at the same time. It is similar to the NFL RedZone Octobox except that you can watch the entire games. Doing so only counts as a single stream so if you are watching outside your home, you are covered.
NFL Sunday Ticket Prices and Plans
include student, family, etc.
NFL Sunday Ticket is available in four different ways — from YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels — either with or without NFL RedZone.
Here are the prices. Our discount price is good for your first 3 months for a limited time:
| Plan | Primetime Regular Price | Our Discount Price | Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | $449 | $399 | $99.75 |
| YouTube + RedZone | $489 | $439 | $109.95 |
| YouTube TV | $349 | $299 | $74.75 |
| YouTube TV + RedZone | $389 | $339 | $84.75 |
Note: To get NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV, you must sign-up for the base service, which is $72.99/mo. That adds an extra $291.96 to the price, but the base service includes over 100 live TV channels.
How to Get NFL Sunday Ticket
So what are your Sunday Ticket options? If you are already a YouTube TV subscriber, things are pretty simple. NFL Sunday Ticket $100 less expensive for such fans. And it means you will also have access to all the other local and primetime games except for Thursday Night Football, which is exclusive to Amazon Prime Video.
Alternatively, you can get NFL Sunday Ticket directly from YouTube. If you do so, you will be missing out on all the primetime games as well as all of the games that appear in your local market.
To get around this limitation, you can sign up with another live TV streaming service like Fubo or DIRECTV STREAM. Or, depending on where you live, you can set up a digital antenna. This is by far the cheapest way to go.
Whether to get RedZone is a matter of taste. It does allow you to stay up-to-date on all the games and then switch over to NFL Sunday Ticket to watch in full when the action dictates. But given that Sunday Ticket allows you to watch 4 games at once, RedZone seems like overkill.
We recommend getting either NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL RedZone but not both. However, for just $40 more per season, you may find it nice to supplement Sunday Ticket.
Is It Better To Get NFL Sunday Ticket From YouTube or YouTube TV?
It depends. NFL Sunday Ticket is more expensive ($449) if you get the standalone version from YouTube. But that is more than made up for by the fact that the YouTube TV base plan costs $72.99/mo. For the four months of the regular season, your total cost would be $640.96.
There is a ton of NFL that isn’t included in Sunday Ticket — local and primetime games. So generally, you would only get Sunday Ticket through YouTube if you are getting live TV from another provider like Fubo or DIRECTV STREAM.
Is There a Student Discount Plan for NFL Sunday Ticket?
Yes. Eligible students can save with a Student Plan for NFL Sunday Ticket. Here’s the student pricing:
| Student Plan | Student Price |
|---|---|
| NFL Sunday Ticket | $109 |
| NFL Sunday Ticket + NFL RedZone | $119 |
To get student status, verification is required to be eligible for purchase — like an official student ID.
There are some limitations to the NFL Sunday Ticket Student Plan:
- Access is limited to one device at a time.
- Family sharing is not included.
- Student Plans can only be purchased on YouTube Primetime channels — but once purchased, you can watch on either YouTube or YouTube TV.
These Student Plans are great deals. But you will still need to get access to your in-market or primetime games.
Superpower Your Sports Streaming With a VPN
For the sake of privacy, security, and access, you should be using a VPN. They are low-cost and easy to use. We’ve been using them for years and our top pick is ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
i Our VPN Buyer’s Guide provides a complete introduction and all you need to know to choose the best VPN for your needs.
Devices You Can Use to Live Stream NFL Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket runs on the YouTube and YouTube TV apps. These run on pretty much any device you can think of:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android Google Pixel
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- Galaxy Tab
- Google Nexus
- HTC Nexus
- iPad
- iPhone
- iPod Touch
- Kindle Fire
- LG Smart TVs
- OnePlus
- PlayStation
- Roku
- Samsung Galaxy
- Samsung Smart TVs
- Sony Xperia
- Web Browsers
- Windows 10 Tablets
- Xbox
Alternative to NFL Sunday Ticket: Use a VPN
There is no doubt that NFL Sunday Ticket is best way to watch out-of-market NFL games. But it is not the only way. For those who are balking at the cost of Sunday Ticket, you can consider this alternative: Use a VPN.
Cost Comparison: A VPN Can Be Cheaper Than Sunday Ticket
VPNs used to be intimidating to the average football fan. Now, though, they are as simple to use as choosing a city and pressing a button.
NFL Sunday Ticket costs between $350 and $500 for the entire 5-month season, depending on the plan. That’s $70 – $100 per month. On top of that, you’ll need a subscription to YouTube or YouTube TV. We’ll use YouTube since it’s the cheapest non-discounted, non-student plan at $449 per year.
Here’s the cost difference between using a VPN and buying an NFL Sunday Ticket (non-student) subscription:
| Service | Includes | Monthly Cost | Season Cost (5 months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Sunday Ticket + YouTube | NFL Sunday out-of-market games only | $89.80 | $449.00 |
| Fubo Pro + ExpressVPN | 150+ channels including 35+ sports channels | $83.31 | $416.55 |
Solution: ExpressVPN + Fubo Pro
Our recommendation for best VPN is ExpressVPN, which is just $8.32 per month if you sign-up for 12 months (with a 30-day money-back guarantee).
You’ll need to have a live TV service — like cable or Fubo — to watch in-market NFL games. Cable company costs vary widely, but Fubo’s Pro plan is $79.99/mo per month and it comes with more than 150 channels (35 of which are sports channels).
Caveat: Make Use of Free Trials
- Make sure your NFL favorite team’s home city watch is listed as an option on the VPN’s server list! For example, Dallas has an ExpressVPN server but Pittsburgh doesn’t. (You can ask the VPN’s support for a list of cities.)
- We’ve tested watching the NFL with a VPN + Fubo and it worked seamlessly. However, Sling TV didn’t recognize the location we picked with our VPN, so it didn’t work.
Bottom line: Make sure you try a VPN and streaming service that offer free trials so that you can test out your system before committing to their plans.
Find out more on our VPNs for out-of-market NFL games page.
Wrapping Up
For those who want NFL Sunday Ticket, 2023 is a good year. You can get it with YouTube TV or just YouTube alone. But it is pretty expensive and you may be better off with a service like Fubo instead.
FAQs
What are NFL blackouts?
Blackouts occur when an NFL game is not availablve via broadcast TV channels in the local TV market — usually because the stadium hosting the game didn’t sell out. The NFL has suspended blackouts since 2015 – with one exception: NFL Sunday Ticket. Games carried locally are blacked out with Sunday Ticket. So are Sunday daytime games on CBS, Fox, and night games, as well as international and holiday games are blacked out on Sunday Ticket.
Is NFL Sunday Ticket the same through YouTube Prime Channels and YouTube TV?
Yes, NFL Sunday Ticket is exactly the same whether you get it with YouTube TV or YouTube Prime Channels (except for the cost). However, since YouTube TV is a full cable replacement live TV streaming service, it also offers CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network, which all air many games not included with Sunday Ticket.
Can I watch preseason games with NFL Sunday Ticket?
No. NFL Sunday Ticket applies exclusively to the regular season so it does not allow you to watch any preseason games. This is a bit strange in that most of these games only air locally. However, you can watch all the out-of-market NFL preseason games with NFL+ for just $6.99/mo.
Does NFL Sunday Ticket allow me to watch the Super Bowl?
No, NFL Sunday Ticket doesn’t include NFL playoff games because they are broadcast nationally. It also doesn’t include the Super Bowl for the same reason. To watch the NFL playoffs, you will need a live TV streaming service. Our top choice is Fubo, but if you are signing up for Sunday Ticket, you may prefer to get it through YouTube TV.
How many NFL Sunday Ticket streams can I watch at the same time?
That depends on how many TVs you have. Whether you get it through YouTube Primetime Channels or YouTube TV, you can watch unlimited NFL Sunday Ticket streams at home. So if you want to set up 8 TVs in your living room, you can watch a different game on each one, assuming you have the bandwidth. You can also stream on up to 2 devices away from home but only for household members.
What is NFL Sunday Ticket Max?
When NFL Sunday Ticket was part of DIRECTV, the Max plan was a special bundle that included NFL RedZone and Fantasy Zone. Now that it’s under YouTube, you can get Sunday Ticket with or without RedZone. But they do have a product called NFL Sunday Ticket Max. It is also a bundle but the “Max” now refers to Max — previously known as HBO Max (Black Friday deal).
Can I cancel NFL Sunday Ticket?
Yes, but you won’t get a partial refund. NFL Sunday Ticket package is season-long so it cannot be canceled for a refund. You pay upfront and get access to it for the rest of the NFL season. If you get it through YouTube TV, you are also contractually obligated to continue your monthly subscription ($72.99/mo) throughout the season.
Can I get NFL Sunday Ticket with DIRECTV?
No. NFL Sunday Ticket was long available exclusively from the satellite service DIRECTV. It wasn’t even available through its streaming service DIRECTV STREAM. But DIRECTV exclusive contract ended with the 2022-23 season. As of 2023, NFL Sunday Ticket is available from YouTube and YouTube TV only.
What is NFLSundayTicket.TV?
NFLSundayTicket.TV used to be the streaming version of NFL Sunday Ticket. It was only available to people who couldn’t get DIRECTV Satellite. This generally meant people who live in apartment buildings that didn’t allow satellite dishes. And people who lived in locations with line-of-site issues. Few people qualified.
The old website now simply redirects to the DIRECTV website. But remember, DIRECTV no longer offers Sunday Ticket. You’ll have to go through YouTube now instead.
Does NFL Sunday Ticket include Game Mix?
Not anymore. When NFL Sunday Ticket was on DIRECTV, it included Game Mix (4-Game Mix on channel 701 or 8-Game Mix on channel 702), which allowed you to watch multiple games at once with score, time, and current quarter. However, now that Sunday Ticket is on YouTube, it doesn’t provide Game Mix. Instead, it has its own system for watching 4 games at once.
Does NFL Sunday Ticket include Fantasy Zone?
No. DIRECTV used to offer Fantasy Zone, a fantasy-focused companion to NFL RedZone, this channel provided real-time commentary, statistics, and player updates as well as expert analysis for fantasy football fans. It is not included with YouTube’s Sunday Ticket. Although it’s not exactly the same as the old Fantasy Zone channel, you can get NFL Fantasy Live via the NFL Network.
Are there any NFL shows on NFL Sunday Ticket?
No. Now that YouTube has taken over NFL Sunday Ticket, there are no football shows exclusive to Sunday Ticket. Prior to the 2023-2024 season, DIRECTV offered shows like Fantasy Zone and Game Mix along with Sunday Ticket. Since NFL Sunday Ticket subscription is now exclusively on YouTube and YouTube TV now, these shows no longer exist.
More NFL Resources
To find out more about watching the NFL without cable, check out our most popular guides:
Looking for information about your favorite team, including how to watch them when you’re out-of-market? We’ve created viewer’s guides for you:
Page Updates ▼▲
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