Thanksgiving isn’t really Thanksgiving until the Lions kick off. Sundays don’t feel complete without RedZone humming in the background. And now there are numbers to prove just how deeply the game rewrites routines. A new nationwide survey from marketing research firm Savanta found that 71 percent of Americans have skipped, rescheduled, or flat-out turned down plans to watch football. Among full-time workers, nearly half admit the sport cuts into their productivity. The NFL isn’t just entertainment. It dictates schedules, affects wallets, and even shapes how much work gets done on Mondays. But there’s still one glaring problem.

Imagine you’re locked in the middle of a tense fourth quarter, your team’s driving down the field, and suddenly your streaming service hits you with a paywall. You think, “Alright, maybe I’ll switch apps.” But nowadays, even the NFL Sunday Ticket is expensive. Now, stack that feeling across multiple platforms that hold a piece of NFL action, each gatekeeping the sport you love behind different price tags, which might reach nearly $1,000. Sounds frustrating, right? That’s not a hypothetical scenario. It’s exactly what NFL fandom is staring down in the 2025 season.

How is multiple-platform chaos hindering the football experience?

We’re in an era where the NFL will explore every avenue to cash in, and nothing proves it more than the league’s push to spread games across multiple streaming platforms. Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t hesitate to defend that move last year, making it clear the league is all-in on chasing fans wherever they watch. “The bottom line is, you have to go where your fans are, and our fans are moving off onto streaming platforms.” Fair point. Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock are all good examples.

But that doesn’t mean fans will need to buy every streaming subscription to catch the NFL season. But truth be told, it feels that way heading into the 2025 season. To watch every single NFL game in 2025, a person will need to access Amazon Prime, Netflix, Peacock, and YouTube in addition to ESPN (streaming or cable), plus YouTube TV with or NFL+ for NFL Sunday Ticket. Paramount+ (the CBS streamer) and the new Fox One streaming service. Let’s have a look at how much these platforms have paid (when public) to stream the games and how long their deals run:

• Amazon Prime Video: The streaming giant exclusively broadcasts Thursday Night Football (2023-2033), and has been shelling out $1 billion a year.
• Netflix: A three-year, $150 million deal to stream at least one Christmas Day game (2023-2026). Have streamed a couple of games last year, and will continue to do so this year as well.
• Paramount+ (CBS): AFC Sunday Windows, with cross-flex games thrown into the mix. Their 10-year deal from 2023 to 2033 reportedly costs around $2.1 billion per year.
• FOX via streaming access: Sunday NFC-heavy windows with cross-flex (2023-2033 on a $2.2 billion per season package).
• Peacock (NBC): Sunday Night Football stream + occasional exclusives ($2.0 billion per year for the core package). Notable add-on—Peacock reportedly paid $110M for the Jan. 2024 Wild Card exclusive.
• ESPN (ESPN/ABC rights): Monday Night Football (on a $2.7 billion a year package). Besides, ABC also acquired the rights for two Super Bowls, along with exclusive regular-season games. Besides, ESPN+ subscribers can also stream one International Series game on an exclusive national basis every season (2023-2033).
• YouTube / YouTube TV (Google): NFL Sunday Ticket (out-of-market Sunday afternoon). The platform signed a seven-year deal in 2023 worth more than $2 billion per season.

All told, you’d need access to at least 10 different networks or streaming services to catch every NFL game. And the cost? Let’s just say the numbers are enough to make any fan pause—and they can seriously get in the way of enjoying the football season.

How NFL fans are screwed with these streaming services

Roger Goodell suggests that the NFL is going where the fans are—online streaming services. Which makes you wonder: what about fans who don’t use streaming platforms? According to SponsorPulse, over 55% of all NFL fans are over 35, and 73% of the league’s most engaged weekly fans are men aged 50 or older. While streaming services and the NFL clearly target younger viewers, this still leaves a significant portion of the fan base in a bit of limbo.

And it’s not limited only to the older NFL fans. In fact, the younger generation’s football experience has also been hindered by the rise of streaming services. Around 56% say they’re frustrated by NFL games being exclusive to certain streaming platforms, per marketing research firm Savanta. To put it in context, for around two decades, NFL fans relied on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket to watch every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game.

However, a couple of years ago, the landscape shifted dramatically when YouTube TV acquired the Sunday Ticket rights, marking the end of DirecTV’s 29-year exclusivity. This transition introduced several enhancements, including multiview capabilities, mobile streaming, and integration with platforms such as Google TV. Additionally, pricing became more flexible, offering options such as student discounts and monthly payments. The downside? Multiple platforms to stream the exclusive NFL games beyond the Sunday Ticket rights.

How much will it cost to watch the complete 2025 NFL season

The Cowboys and Eagles’ season opener is just less than a couple of weeks away. Sure, to catch every NFL game, you’d need access to around 10 different streaming services or networks. But the real question is—how much will that actually cost each month? That’s where things get tricky, and yeah, it can be pretty frustrating… but it is what it is.

September: Rolling into the first month of the 2025 NFL season, YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket have you covered if you want every game on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network. However, Amazon Prime Video jumps in for Thursday Night Football starting Week 2, and if you used your free trial for the preseason (say August 21), it’s about to expire (by Sept. 20). Adding YouTube TV at $49.99 (for the first three months for new users) and Prime Video at $8.99 brings September’s total to $58.98.

October: September had us covered with YouTube TV and Prime Video, but October shakes things up with even more NFL action—and a new player: ESPN. Specifically, the ESPN Select plan, which will exclusively stream the Week 7 Texans vs. Seahawks game, costs $11.99 for the month. Add YouTube TV at $49.99 and Prime Video at $8.99, and your October tab hits $93.97. It’s all part of chasing every game this season.

November: November brings a bit of relief for NFL fans. You won’t need ESPN this month. However, there’s a catch: YouTube TV is still available, now at $82.99 (assuming you signed up during the preseason). Add in Prime Video at $8.99, and your November total comes to $91.98. A small break, but the streaming costs are still adding up.

December: December brings a new player to the streaming mix: Netflix. They’ll be airing a couple of Christmas Day games, Cowboys vs. Commanders and Lions vs. Vikings. Plans start at $7.99, and when you add the usual suspects—YouTube TV at $82.99 and Prime Video at $8.99—by the time the New Year rolls around, your wallet’s $110.96 lighter.

January: As of now, the NFL has not yet locked in its January schedule, but one thing’s clear: to catch all the regular-season and postseason games, you’ll need ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, plus Prime Video and Peacock. The silver lining? You can finally cancel Netflix. The downside? Streaming football will still set you back over $100, with YouTube TV at $82.99 per month, Peacock at $10.99, and Prime Video at $8.99. January total: $102.97.

February: After 285 NFL games (not counting the preseason), February brings the grand finale: Super Bowl LX, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, on NBC, with a possible simulcast on Peacock—though that hasn’t been confirmed yet. That means one last payment to catch the showdown. Until Peacock’s availability is clear, you’ll likely spend another $82.99 on YouTube TV, while finally ditching Prime Video.

February total: $82.99. And add it all up, and an average fan could spend around $867.84 to watch the full 2025 NFL season. It’s costly. It’s frustrating. Sure, streaming services and media rights have their upsides, along with their downsides, but maybe it’s worth it?