For the 2018 NFL season, you have plenty of options if you want to watch Thursday Night Football online. The only problem is that how you watch the big game might change every week.
You probably noticed that Week 1’s Thursday Night Football game was available exclusively on NBC. Thankfully, that’s over. From here on out, you can watch Thursday Night Football online every week via NFL Network. There are five ways to get NFL Network online, and we’ve outlined your options (most of which included free trials) and how much they cost below.
If you’re hesitant to commit to NFL Network, you’re in luck. Eleven Thursday Night Football games will air on live TV on Fox and stream online via Amazon Prime and Twitch. So, there’s no reason why you should miss a down this season. Here’s everything you need to know to watch Thursday Night Football online and the complete 2018 schedule.
HOW TO WATCH THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WITHOUT CABLE | |
HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
AMAZON PRIME | TRY NOW |
FUBOTV | TRY NOW |
TWITCH | TRY NOW |
How to watch Thursday Night Football on NFL Network
1) FuboTV
Cost: $39.99 for your first month and $44.99 per month thereafter (with a seven-day free trial)
Devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
FuboTV is a sports fan’s ideal streaming service. It’s loaded with niche channels that will ensure you always have a game to watch, especially if you’re a fan of international soccer.
FuboTV’s basic plan boasts 85 channels and includes NFL Network. For $44.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only thing noticeably missing is ESPN.
You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which will allow you to stream NFL RedZone, in addition to the Pac 12 network, a collection of Fox College Sports channels, and Fight Network. Your monthly total would come out to $53.98, which is pretty good considering everything that you’d be getting.
For more information on FuboTV, check out our comprehensive guide.
2) PlayStation Vue
Cost: $49.99 a month
Devices: PS3, PS4, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Kodi, and Android and iOS devices
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to own a PlayStation to use PlayStation Vue. The live TV streaming service is available at four levels of packages. To watch NFL Network live stream, you’ll need the Core package or greater, but to be honest, everything above the Core package is just filler. Core packs in everything you need for live sports—Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN News, ESPNU, NBC Golf, MLB Network, NBA TV, and SEC Network—in addition to PlayStation Vue’s basic 45 channels. (Here’s a complete rundown of PlayStation Vue channels.)
From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks.
For more information, check out our comprehensive PlayStation Vue guide.
3) The NFL app
Cost: Depends on provider
Devices: Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, PS4, Roku, Android RV, iOS and Android devices
How to watch Thursday Night Football on Fox
Fox has acquired the over-the-air broadcast rights to Thursday Night Football for the next five years. For the 2018 season, Fox will be showing 11 Thursday Night Football games (detailed below). If you don’t have an HD antenna, fear not: All of the major live TV streaming services carry Fox. That means all of the services listed above—PlayStation Vue, FuboTV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Now—will allow you to watch Fox online, but there are two more options to consider. Note: In case it’s not obvious, these two options don’t provide a way of adding NFL Network.
1) Hulu with Live TV
Cost: $44.95 per month
Devices: Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One and Xbox 360, Google Chromecast, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android devices
The best part about Hulu with Live TV is that it automatically includes access to Hulu’s on-demand library, which means you can catch up on all of your favorite shows when there’s nothing to watch on TV. That’s a $7.99 value per month, but if you spend $4 more a month, you can upgrade to Hulu with No Commercials. Hulu’s also the only streaming TV service available on Nintendo Switch, and it allows you to add HBO and Showtime.
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2) YouTube TV
Cost: $40 per month
Devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, and Xbox One
In many ways, YouTube TV is an ideal sports network, which shouldn’t be surprising given how much it’s invested in sponsoring the World Series. In addition to the basic channels you’ll need to watch primetime games, you’ll get ESPN, ESPN 2, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and NBA TV, among others. YouTube TV also comes with an unlimited DVR for up to six accounts. You won’t, however, gain access to YouTube Premium, which allows you to have an ad-free experience on YouTube.
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How to watch Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime
If you have Amazon Prime, you can easily stream Thursday Night Football games the same way you would anything else from Amazon Video. After a successful run last season, Amazon will be streaming 11 Thursday Night Football games in 2018 (the same ones that Fox will be airing). You can find the complete schedule below.
If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, what are you waiting for? It costs $120 per year (or $12.99 per month), and you’ll easily recoup on your investment with free two-day shipping and access to Amazon’s on-demand library of originals, documentaries, 4K movies, thrillers, and alien movies.
READ MORE:
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How to watch Thursday Night Football on Twitch for free
To watch Thursday Night Football online on Twitch, you don’t even need an Amazon account. All you have to do is visit twitch.tv/primevideo. That’s it. Even better: The free Thursday Night Football live stream will work on desktop or mobile, and it’s a global stream, so you can watch from anywhere but China. You’ll also be able chat, which means you might want to brush up on your Twitch emotes.
2018 Thursday Night Football schedule
The links below will take you directly to the relevant Thursday Night Football live stream on Amazon Prime.
Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 6: NBC
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 13: NFL Network
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3: Thursday, Sept. 20: NFL Network
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns
Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 27: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
Week 5: Thursday, October 4: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Week 6: Thursday, October 11: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Week 7: Thursday, October 18: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals
Week 8: Thursday, October 25: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
Week 9: Thursday, November 1: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers
Week 10: Thursday, November 8: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 11: Thursday, November 15: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
Week 13: Thursday, November 29: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
Week 14: Thursday, December 6: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Week 15: Thursday, December 13: Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
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, ESPN, AMC, FX, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube.
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