The NFL’s broadcast structure for 2025-26 is the second year under the eleven-year rights cycle that began in 2023. The package splits Sunday football across CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN, with Amazon holding Thursday nights exclusively and YouTube taking the out-of-market Sunday Ticket package. The result is the most fragmented sports broadcast in American media — and the highest viewership.
The 2025-26 broadcaster map
CBS carries the AFC Sunday package on the over-the-air linear network, with Paramount+ as the streaming companion at $7.99 monthly. CBS holds the AFC playoff matches that fall within its window.
FOX carries the NFC Sunday package on the over-the-air linear network, with the streaming companion split between the FOX Sports app (free with cable login) and Tubi (free with ads, no subscription). FOX holds the NFC playoff matches in its window plus the alternating-year Super Bowl rotation.
NBC has Sunday Night Football, which is the highest-rated weekly broadcast on American television. NBC’s linear network carries the game free over-the-air, with Peacock as the streaming companion at $13.99 monthly.
ESPN has Monday Night Football, with most weeks simulcast on ABC for free over-the-air access. ESPN+ at $11.99 monthly carries the streaming version plus the limited international games.
Amazon Prime Video has Thursday Night Football exclusively. Every Thursday game from Week 2 onward through Week 17 lives on Prime, with no over-the-air or cable alternative. The package is included with the standard Prime membership at $14.99 monthly.
YouTube TV Sunday Ticket at $349 for the season carries the out-of-market Sunday afternoon games — that is, the games not airing on the local CBS or FOX affiliate. Sunday Ticket is required to watch a team’s full schedule if the team is not in the local viewing market. The standalone YouTube Primetime Channel version of Sunday Ticket runs $479 for non-YouTube TV subscribers.
Peacock has occasional exclusive playoff games in the Saturday wild-card window, plus the Christmas Day broadcast in some years.
What the subscription stack looks like in 2025-26
For a single-team fan in the team’s home market, the over-the-air linear networks (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC) plus Amazon Prime (which most households already have for shopping) covers about 90 percent of the team’s schedule for free. Adding Peacock at $13.99 monthly during the season covers Sunday Night Football and the occasional exclusive playoff game.
For an out-of-market team follower, Sunday Ticket at $349 plus Amazon Prime plus Peacock is the realistic stack — roughly $450 for the season once monthly subscriptions are added up.
A practical viewing plan
The cheapest comprehensive NFL stack for 2025-26:
- Over-the-air antenna: free — covers CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC for local-market games
- Amazon Prime: $14.99 monthly — covers Thursday Night Football
- Peacock Premium: $13.99 monthly during the season — Sunday Night Football
That comes to roughly $30 monthly during the September-February window, or about $150 for the full season. Add Sunday Ticket only if out-of-market coverage matters.
For the Super Bowl, the 2026 broadcast is on FOX free over-the-air. The 2027 broadcast rotates to CBS. The Super Bowl never airs on a paid-only tier.
For partner editorial coverage on the NFL, see the NFL streaming guide on Methstreams.