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How To Watch Football: Top NFL and NCAA Football Coverage on TV

  Whether you care only about the Super Bowl, or you’re a football fanatic who wants access to all the games at any given time, you have plenty of options for watching games via cable or streaming services. We know football fans mean business, so we did some research on the best ways to watch football this season, whether it be college, NFL or your local hometown high school game.

  Our guide on the best TV packages will help you decide which services are right for you.

  Cable Options

  Dish Network TV

  DirecTV

  AT&T U-Verse TV

  Spectrum TV

  Streaming Options

  Sling TV

  Playstation Vue

  Amazon Prime

  CBS All Access

  Cable Options:

  Dish Network

  Dish TV has a great selection of TV packages, but which one should you choose so you never miss a game?

  Best Option: America’s Top 190+ — with the Multi-Sport Pack included

  America’s Top 190+ is one of Dish’s most popular packages and is the most cost-effective if you want to add all-inclusive sports coverage to your subscription. This is the cheapest package with eligibility to add Dish TV’s Multi-Sport Pack, the essential add-on for all your football needs. And with bonus access to DISH Anywhere?, you can watch sports on any device when you’re away from home.

  Multi-Sport Pack?

  This sports package from Dish TV is definitely the best bang for your buck if you are a sports lover, with access to more than 35 of the top sports networks, including NFL RedZone, NFL Network and more than 20 regional sports networks. The Multi-Sport Pack even includes more exclusive football networks like Longhorn Network and SEC Network. You’ll also have live look-ins via ESPN Goal Line for in-depth coverage and access to college conferences like the Big Ten and the Pac-12. In addition to football, the Multi-Sport Pack has more than 35 sports networks from MLB, NBA, NHL and more. If you like all kinds of sports, the Multi-Sport pack is for you. The Multi-Sport Pack is included in the America’s Top 190+ package, which grants you access to more than 190 channels and bonus perks like free HD quality, DISH Anywhere and free professional installation. You can read about the entire package here.

  Cost breakdown:

  America’s Top 190+ — with the Multi-Sport Pack

  Price: $92.99/month

  All Dish TV offers require credit qualification and a 2-year commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay.

  DirecTV

  DirecTV is another provider with competitive options for the football fanatic, but which package is right for you?

  Best Option: CHOICE TV Package – plus Sports Pack Add-on

  DirecTV’s CHOICE Package will be your best bet in terms of cost effectiveness for football coverage. This package includes 185+ channels and automatically gives you access to the NFL Sunday Ticket at no extra cost. The CHOICE Package costs $45 per month cost for months 1-12, and then the package price rises. So make sure you are keeping tabs on your monthly bill.

  NFL Sunday Ticket

  The NFL Sunday ticket is exclusively available through DirecTV and lets you access every live out-of-market game every Sunday. You can catch all the action on your TV, laptop, tablet, phone or game console. Plus, you can get the 2018 season at no extra cost when you subscribe today, including the exclusive FANTASY ZONE and the RedZone Channel.

  Subscribers will also get access to goodies like a Game Tracker with stats and the pre-game shows. You get the NFL Sunday Ticket free with your first base package purchase, but keep in mind, the NFL Sunday Ticket renews automatically each season at the prevailing rate (currently $293.94/season) unless you call to cancel prior to the start of season. Therefore, it’s smart to purchase Sunday Ticket at the beginning of football season .

  If you don’t want to commit to a subscription, you may be able to get the NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV subscription if you live in an area not served or in a building where a dish cannot be installed. Check your availability and view all supported devices at nflsundayticket.tv and nflsundayticket.tv/U for packages starting at $24.99/month.

  DirecTV’s Sports Pack

  To gain access to coverage of all your favorite football teams, you need to add DirecTV’s Sports Pack to your Choice package, for $13.99 more per month. The Sports Pack gives you access to 30 regional sports networks, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN College Extra and networks with international and specialty sports. To get full access on football game day, the Sports Pack is a must.

  Cost breakdown:

  CHOICE TV Package

  Price: $45/month (for first 12 months) *

  Regional Sports Fee: $8.49/month **

  DirecTV Sports Pack: $13.99/month

  NFL Sunday Ticket – $0/month (for first 12 months)

  All DirecTV offers require 24-month agreement, with an early termination fee of $20/month.

  AT&T U-Verse TV

  Many of AT&T’s U-Verse packages come with the option to add phone and internet bills, but what’s the best choice for the football fan?

  Best Option: U200 Package

  The U200 Package is the best price with access to football coverage and includes more than 360 channels with access to football channels like ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network and ESPNU. And for hometown games, all your local channels are included with all base packages. You can read how to watch NFL and other football games on U-verse TV here.

  Cost breakdown:

  AT&T U-verse TV U200 All Included

  Price: $55/month (for first 12 months)*

  Spectrum TV

  Spectrum TV, formerly Time Warner Cable, has a selection of TV packages to meet your football viewing expectations. With Spectrum you will see the most savings with their bundled packages, but if you’re looking to just get a TV package Silver plan is the best choice for sports fans. You will get access to 175+ channels in free HD, and the ability to watch NFL Network and more of your favorite networks live anywhere in your home with the Spectrum TV App.

  The Spectrum TV Silver packages includes channels like CBS Sports Network, ESPN, NFL Network and more. To catch all the football action, upgrade to Spectrum TV Gold for $20 more a month, with access to NFL RedZone, the PAC-10 networks, and more.

  Cost breakdown:

  Spectrum TV Silver

  Price: $119.97/month

  1 HD Box: $5.99 one time fee

  Other Options:

  Sling TV

  Sling TV is billed as the No. 1 live TV streaming service out there, but which package is best for football games?

  Best Option: Sling Orange + Blue — plus Sports Extra Add-on

  Sling TV is a great option for those wanting to save on cable TV, without the added commitment many large providers require. You can try the ‘a la carte’ TV service free for 7 days before making your final purchasing decision. If you do decide to stay with Sling, the football fan’s best option is to get the Sling Orange + Blue with the Sports Extra add-on to make sure you have access to all the football networks. This package includes 50 channels with essential football providers like Fox Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN, and with Sling you can watch on multiple devices at the same time.

  Sports Extra

  The Sling Sports Extra add-on is $5/month and includes NFL RedZone, Golf Channel, ESPNU, SEC Network, SEC Network+, ESPNEWS, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, NBA TV, Pac-12 Network, NHL Network, beIN SPORTS, Stadium, Outside Television, Motorsport TV and Univision Deportes, with the added bonus of being able to customize your channel lineup so all your favorite games are first priority.

  Click here to see which Sling package is right for you.

  Cost breakdown:

  Sling Orange + Blue – plus Sports Extra Add-on

  Price:$50/month

  Sports Extra: $10/month

  Keep in mind, Sling TV does warn that some games may be blacked out by the NFL or college leagues due to rights restrictions or technical difficulties via user overload.

  PlayStation Vue

  Best Option: Core Plan – plus Sports Pack Add-on

  PlayStation Vue now offers streaming options for a variety of channels, where you can stream live sports without the annual contract. The best package for football coverage is the Core Plan, with nearly 50 channels including ESPN, NFL Network and regional sports channels. Football fans should choose Vue’s Core Plan with the Sports Pack add-on for $10 more a month, to have access to NFL RedZone and more. Click here to start a free trial of PlayStation Vue for 30 days.

  Cost breakdown:

  Core Plan – plus Sports Pack Add-on

  Price: $44.99/month

  Sports Pack: $10/month

  Average monthly bill: $55.99

  Amazon Prime

  Amazon Prime does not offer any service for all-inclusive coverage of football games, but it does offer an option for those interested in the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games.

  The NFL announced in April that it planned to renew its exclusive partnership with Amazon to bring users a live OTT digital stream of Thursday Night Football for the 2018 and 2019 NFL seasons.

  Amazon Prime Members have access to stream Thursday Night Football Games via the Amazon Prime Video app for TVs, game consoles, set top boxes and connected devices (which include Amazon Fire TV), mobile devices and online.

  Cost breakdown:

  Amazon Prime

  Price: $12.99/month or $119/year

  This is an option for those looking to take advantage of their Amazon Prime membership, or those needing an added incentive to take the Prime plunge. This option has major limitations in terms of bringing users expansive football coverage. You can try Prime free for 30 days here.

  CBS All Access

  CBS All Access is another low-cost option for those looking to stream NFL games on the cheap. You get access to more than 9,000 episodes of CBS programs and can stream live TV 24/7 on any device, including live NFL games that CBS airs. Plus, as a new subscriber, you can try it for free for one month before making your decision.

  Cost breakdown:

  CBS All Access

  Price: $5.99/month (with commercials)

  This is by no means a comprehensive option for football coverage, but rather a low-cost way to live-stream NFL games.

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