You can spend hundreds of dollars on Sunday Ticket but for most fans, NFL RedZone is better — and way less expensive. Read on to learn why!
In a hurry? If you already know all about NFL RedZone, but just aren’t sure how to get it, check out these streaming services. All offer great overall NFL coverage with NFL RedZone as an add-on:
- Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Hulu + Live TV: This total entertainment streaming service provides a great on-demand selection and all the essential live TV channels.
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Table Of Contents
If you’re a fan of a team that’s based far from where you live, you know how frustrating it can be to simply watch your team play live. But if your out-of-market NFL game problem is more that you don’t want to be limited to the same teams playing all the time, you may have more options than you think.
The NFL provides two live pay TV channels for football fans. First is NFL Network, which airs preseason games, a handful of regular season games, and general coverage of the NFL. Second is NFL RedZone, which is often regarded as a fantasy football resource (and it certainly can be that) but it’s much more.
If you’re not super hung-up on watching an entire game from start to finish, as long as you don’t miss a single touchdown, then read on to find out how RedZone could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
NFL Out-of-Market Problem
Because most of the weekly NFL games take place on Sunday afternoon, many games are not shown on TV. These out-of-market games represent a problem for some fans — especially those who root for a team far from where they live.
If you’re a fan of the New York Jets who happens to live in Arizona, you are out of luck when it comes to the majority of Jets games. There are three ways for you to see a live-televised Jets game:
- If the Jets are playing in one of the three nationally-televised games each normal week of the NFL season
- If they are playing the Cardinals on a Sunday afternoon
- If you luck out and they just happen to be playing in one of the regionally broadcast games.
The same goes for all fans who want to see games outside their local area. Unless the team is really popular nationwide (the Cowboys, say, or the Packers), you just won’t see their games on your local networks that much.
If you happen to live outside the United States, you are in luck, however. See our article about NFL Game Pass International. It allows you to watch whatever games you want live.
Some Possible Solutions
Your options, as mentioned, are few:
- NFL+ Premium: Only provides replays of out-of-market games. It does allow you to watch NFL games live that are on primetime and in-market but only on mobile devices through the NFL app. (NFL+ review)
- NFL Sunday Ticket: Provides access to all out-of-market games. Available from YouTube and YouTube TV. Costs from $350 (plus YouTube TV subscription price) to $500 per season.
- NFL Game Pass: Provides access to every game. But it is only offered outside the US, Canada, and China. (NFL Game Pass review)
Get NFL Game Pass International!
The Solution: NFL RedZone
And then there’s NFL RedZone.
Let’s be up-front: NFL RedZone isn’t a perfect solution either. If you’re the kind of fan who likes to plunk down in front of a game and watch it from kickoff to final play, then RedZone isn’t for you.
But if you’re like many fans who don’t mind skipping the endless time-outs, clock stoppages, penalty checks, and commercial breaks of regular network broadcast games, then you should definitely keep reading.
What is NFL RedZone?
NFL RedZone is a channel owned and run by the NFL. It airs for seven hours on Sunday afternoons, hosted by Scott Hanson from to . Instead of showing a single game, RedZone features “whip-around” coverage of all the games going on at any given time on a regular season Sunday.
How RedZone Solves the Out-of-Market Problem
Its slogan is, “every touchdown of every game,” and it lives up to it. Hanson guides you through all of it, jumping from one game to another, reassuring you that you’re not missing anything from other games that are in a commercial break, halftime, or a timeout.
If there’s action in multiple games, the screen is simply split, up to the signature Octobox showing eight games at once. And the rare times all the games are in a commercial break or halftime, the channel cuts back to the studio for analysis and discussion.
Your biggest issue may well be finding a bit of downtime for a bathroom break or to refill your chip bowl.
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Streaming Services for NFL RedZone
NFL RedZone is offered by most of the major live TV streaming services. DIRECTV STREAM is the major exception. Here are the top streaming services that give you access to NFL RedZone:
- Fubo: One of the best streaming services when it comes to football. On top of the 150+ channels in the Pro plan ($74.99/mo), it gives you access to all the channels you need to watch the games live and much more with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and NFL Network. With the Sports Plus add-on package ($10.99), you get NFL RedZone and 34 other sports channels, including NBA TV, MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone, and NHL Network. You also get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 10 devices at the same time. (FuboTV review)
- DIRECTV STREAM: The base plan is $74.99/mo but to get NFL RedZone you need to get either the Sports Pack add-on ($14.99/mo) or the Premier plan ($154.99/mo). All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and unlimited simultaneous device usage. (DIRECTV STREAM review).
- Sling TV: Sling TV is the most affordable way to catch up with football games. Sling Blue ($40.00/mo) offers you three of the channels you need to watch the NFL games: Fox and NBC (select markets) as well as NFL Network. (You will need to combine it with the Orange plan for $15/mo more to get the ESPN channels. And CBS is not included but with the money you save, you could get Paramount+.) To watch NFL RedZone, you will need the Sports Extra add-on ($11.00/mo), which provides 10 other channels. (Sling TV review and RedZone guide)
- Hulu + Live TV: Its $69.99/mo plan has 85+ live channels including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network. It also includes ESPN+ and Disney+ with the base plan. The Sports add-on is $9.99 and includes NFL RedZone and 5 others. You get all this, unlimited cloud DVR (9-month storage) and streaming on two devices concurrently. (Hulu + Live TV review)
- Vidgo: Vidgo’s Premium plan ($84.99/mo) has 150+ channels with an impressive selection of sports. It gives you access to ABC and Fox in select markets NFL Network, and NFL RedZone. It also provides a great selection of the ESPN channels. The main limitation of Vidgo is that it does not offer CBS — a major problem for AFC fans. (Vidgo review)
- YouTube TV: Offers a channel lineup similar to Hulu + Live TV for $72.99/mo and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network. NFL RedZone is in its Sports plus package but you can also get it as part of the NFL Sunday Ticket add-on.
Here’s a handy comparison table:
| Streaming Service (Plan) | Cost (per month) | Add-on Name | Add-on cost | Total cost (per month) |
| Fubo (Pro) | $74.99 | Sports Plus | $10.99 | $85.98 |
| Sling TV (Blue + Orange) | $40 + $15 (combo) | Sports Extra | $11.00 | $66.00 |
| Hulu + Live TV (Base) | $69.99 | Sports | $9.99 | $79.98 |
| DIRECTV STREAM (Base) | $74.99 | Sports Pack | $14.99 | $89.98 |
| Vidgo (Premium) | $84.99 | N/A | N/A | $84.99 |
| YouTube TV (Base) | $72.99 | Sports Plus | $10.99 | $82.98 |
Streaming Devices for NFL RedZone
To watch NFL RedZone, you’ll need a compatible streaming device. All the streaming services support the following devices:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android mobile
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS (iPhone)
- Roku
- Web browser
The streaming services besides Vidgo provide support for many others including Samsung smart TVs and Xbox gaming systems. Hulu and YouTube support PlayStation units.
Wrapping Up
So if you’re an Eastern Pennsylvanian who longs to break out of the tyranny of Eagles Country, be sure to give NFL RedZone a try. It’s like a live stream of the “good parts” of Sunday afternoon football. No blackouts. No exclusions. Just exciting play after turnover after long drive after touchdown.
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to watch RedZone?
NFL+ Premium is the cheapest way to get NFL RedZone. It costs $14.99/mo. If you want it with live TV, the cheapest option is Sling Blue + Sports Extra. Sling’s base package is $40.00/mo, the Sports Extra is $11, so you’re paying a grand total of $51 (or $56 if you get ABC with Sling Blue).
Can I watch NFL RedZone on Amazon Prime Video?
No, NFL RedZone is not available on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can watch Thursday Night Football games on Amazon Prime. In fact, it is the only way to watch TNF on your big-screen TV so most NFL fans have to get live TV as well as an Amazon Prime subscription to watch all the action.
Why is NFL RedZone not working?
NFL RedZone is an amazing channel but you won’t notice that if you check at random times. The channel only operates 7 hours per week. That’s Sundays from to — Eastern Time. So if you are checking outside of that time, you won’t see anything happening. For the rest of the week, you can check out NFL Network for news and analysis.
Does NFL+ include NFL RedZone?
The base NFL+ plan for $6.99/mo does not include NFL RedZone. But NFL+ Premium for $14.99/mo does now include NFL RedZone. You will still be limited to watching live games on your mobile device. But this is a good deal if you just want RedZone — especially if you get local channels with an antenna.
More Info on NFL Without Cable
If you still have questions, these resources should help:
Page Updates ▼▲
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Added DIRECTV STREAM
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Added FAQs and made other improvements.
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Updated for 2023 season.
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Changed some content in main section. Updated one section. Updated some sub-sections.
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Added new section. Added streaming info. Mentioned channel info. Reworked one section. Changes to formatting.
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