If you want to know how to watch Monday Night Football without cable, you’re still going to need ESPN. There’s no other way around it—at least not legally. But there are several ways you can stream ESPN online, and finding the right service for you will likely boil down to what else you want to watch besides Monday Night Football. (Note: MNF games will not stream on ESPN+, the network’s standalone app that launched earlier this year, but it’s worth a closer look.)
Here’s everything you need to know to watch a Monday Night Football live stream, and the complete 2018 Monday Night Football schedule. We’ve ordered your options based on the cost of a monthly subscription.
HOW TO STREAM MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
How to watch Monday Night Football online: 4 ways to live stream
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $30-$45 per month ($10 off first month)
- Devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Samsung, LG, Portal TV, and iOS and Android devices
Sling TV offers three packages—Sling Orange ($30 per month), Sling Blue ($30 per month), and Sling Orange + Blue ($45 per month)—and the first two frustratingly split the baby when it comes to sports. Sling Orange offers ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3, but Sling Blue has all of the other sports content you want, including NFL Network, FS1, FS2, and NBCSN. That’s why you’ll likely want the combination Sling Orange + Blue package so you get the best of both.
For $10 extra per month, you can get NFL RedZone via the Sling Sports Extra package.
Game-changing feature: Price. If you only care about ESPN, Sling TV is by far your cheapest option.
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of the Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels.
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- Devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
Hulu with Live TV is exactly what’s advertised: everything you love about Hulu’s on-demand content coupled with 40 channels of live TV. You don’t just get ESPN here—you also get ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPNU, along with FS1 and FS2. The only thing you might miss from your cable package is AMC. For an extra $4 per month, you can upgrade to Hulu with No Commercials.
For NFL fans it’s worth noting that you can’t add NFL Network or NFL RedZone.
Game-changing feature: Every subscription comes with free access to Hulu’s on-demand library, meaning you can catch up on all of your favorite shows. (Here are our picks best movies on Hulu, Hulu documentaries, anime, and the must-see Hulu originals.)
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3) AT&T Now
- Cost: $50-$135 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
There’s a good chance that you’re already looking to AT&T for your wireless needs. The second you sign up you’ll gain instant access to 45+ channels, including local channels and even free HBO on PLUS and MAX channel suites. Plus, it comes with CloudDVR which lets you record up to 20 hours of TV per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5.
4) YouTube TV
Cost: $49.99 per month
Devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
YouTube TV offers one of the strongest live sports packages around. The YouTube channel lineup obviously includes ESPN, but it also offers FS1, MLB Network, and NBA TV, along with a couple of college sports networks (SEC Network, Big Ten Network), and three channels for MLS teams.
The only downside? You can’t stream via Amazon Fire or add NFL RedZone.
Game-changing feature: You can add up to six accounts per household, and each one of those accounts gets unlimited cloud DVR. Even better: You can fast-forward through ads in recorded programs.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL Network online
- How to watch Thursday Night Football for free on Twitch
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without cable
2019 Monday Night Football schedule
Games start at 8:15pm ET except for Week 1.
Week 1 | Sept. 9 |
Texans at Saints (7 p.m. ET)
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Sept. 9 |
Broncos at Raiders (10:15 p.m. ET)
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Week 2 | Sept. 16 | Browns at Jets |
Week 3 | Sept. 23 |
Bears at Redskins
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Week 4 | Sept. 30 |
Bengals at Steelers
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Week 5 | Oct. 7 | Browns at 49ers |
Week 6 | Oct. 14 | Lions at Packers |
Week 7 | Oct. 21 | Patriots at Jets |
Week 8 | Oct. 28 |
Dolphins at Steelers
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Week 9 | Nov. 4 |
Cowboys at Giants
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Week 10 | Nov. 11 |
Seahawks at 49ers
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Week 11 | Nov. 18 |
Chiefs at Chargers
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Week 12 | Nov. 25 | Ravens at Rams |
Week 13 | Dec. 2 |
Vikings at Seahawks
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Week 14 | Dec. 9 | Giants at Eagles |
Week 15 | Dec. 16 | Colts at Saints |
Week 16 | Dec. 23 |
Packers at Vikings
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New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, Sundance TV, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, Willow, AMC, FX, Fox News, Freeform, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Tennis Channel, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, HLN, A&E, Animal Planet, National Geographic, the Weather Channel, the History Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports.
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