Where to Stream NFL and NBA Games in 2026: Every Service, Night and Price

There is no single app that streams every NFL or NBA game in 2026. National games are split between Amazon, NBC/Peacock, ESPN, CBS, Fox and even Netflix, and local games depend on where you live. This guide shows exactly where each night’s games stream and the cheapest way to cover your team.

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Where to stream NFL games in 2026

Where to stream NBA games in 2026-27

The NBA’s new national TV deal splits games among three partners: Disney (ABC and ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC and Peacock) and Amazon Prime Video. NBC and Peacock carry about 100 regular-season games, including holiday games, and Prime Video has regular weekly games. Your local team’s games air on its regional sports network or local station, and NBA League Pass blacks out local teams.

Sports streaming prices (U.S., per month)

Prices change often. Check each service’s website before you sign up, and see our streaming bundles guide for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundles.

The cheapest way to watch your team

1. Get an antenna for free local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC broadcasts, where available.
2. Add the one or two apps your team appears on most (often Peacock and Prime Video for national NFL games).
3. Add ESPN Unlimited only in the months you need Monday night or college games.
4. Rotate and cancel in the off-season (here’s how).

Game streams are where a slow streaming stick shows up worst. If yours buffers during live sport, our guide to the best streaming devices covers which ones handle 4K live video well.

Local games and blackouts, explained

The hardest part of sports streaming is local games. Your home NFL team’s Sunday afternoon games air on your local CBS or FOX station. Your local NBA team’s regular games usually air on a regional sports network, not a national one.

• NFL local games: free with an antenna on CBS and FOX, or included in live TV services such as YouTube TV.
• Out-of-market NFL games (a team in another city): only NFL Sunday Ticket carries all of them.
• NBA local games: depend on your team’s regional network or the team’s own streaming app. Check your team’s website for “how to watch” in your ZIP code.
• Blackouts: out-of-market packages usually black out your local team’s games, because those games belong to your local broadcaster or network.

Free and nearly free ways to watch

1. An indoor or attic TV antenna picks up CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC for free in most U.S. areas. That covers most local NFL Sunday games, Sunday Night Football and some playoff games. Enter your address on the FCC’s DTV reception map to see which channels reach you.
2. Services you may already pay for: Amazon Prime includes Thursday Night Football and Prime’s NBA games. Check your phone plan for included streaming perks before paying for anything new.
3. Free trials: live TV services sometimes offer trials. Time one for a big week such as a playoff weekend, and cancel before it bills.
4. Watch with friends: sharing the cost of one live TV service in the same household is allowed; sharing a login across different homes usually breaks the service’s terms.

Pick a setup by how much you watch

How to save during the season

• Subscribe only in season. Cancel football-only services after the Super Bowl and NBA-only services after the playoffs.
• Use annual plans only if you watch all year. Monthly is cheaper if you only care about one league.
• Check bundles such as the ESPN and Fox One bundle before buying both separately. Our streaming bundles guide compares the prices.
• Look for student and new-customer offers on NFL Sunday Ticket, which often run before the season starts.

Avoid illegal “free stream” sites

Sites promising every game free are often packed with pop-ups, fake “update your player” downloads and links that steal card numbers or install malware. They also cut out mid-game. A legal antenna is free, reliable and shows local games in better picture quality than most pirate streams.

Need a device to stream on your TV? See our best streaming devices guide. For football only, our how to watch the NFL without cable guide goes week by week.

Stop buffering on game day

• Check your internet speed at a free speed-test site. For smooth HD, aim for steady speeds well above what the service recommends; 4K needs more, and several people streaming at once need more still.
• Plug in your streaming device with an Ethernet cable if you can, or move your Wi-Fi router closer to the TV.
• Close other streams and downloads in the house during the game.
• Restart the app and device before kickoff or tip-off. Old streaming sticks often lag on live sports.
• Keep an antenna as backup. Over-the-air games have almost no delay, so you won’t see scores on your phone before the play.

Live streams usually run 20 to 60 seconds behind the antenna broadcast. If friends are texting about the game, turn off score alerts or watch on the antenna.

Bottom line: start with a free antenna and the services you already pay for, add one service for the games you are missing, and cancel each one when its season ends. That covers most fans for far less than a full cable package.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed: October 10, 2026. Streaming prices and menus change often; check the service’s own site before you pay.

Sources: FCC: DTV reception maps; NFL: Schedules; NBA: How to watch.

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