No American sports league garners nearly the same traction nowadays as the NFL (National Football League). Part of it its sheer accessibility on TV and the record-breaking viewership it achieves during high-profile events, whether it’s the kickoff game, the International Series, special holiday games, or the playoffs.
CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, and the NFL Network are usually the channels you tune in to for football broadcasts. However, with the advent of streaming services, you can now catch the networks’ weekly NFL coverage without cable. In fact, the options go on even further for football fans.
Your Xbox isn’t only for playing Madden NFL and other games but also a solid medium for streaming 250+ football matches that commence throughout the NFL regular season and beyond. Chances are you already use your game console for streaming now and then, and by following this guide, you can watch the NFL on Xbox One, Series S, and X.
Details on the NFL 2023 U.S. Media Coverage
The 2023 NFL regular season concludes on January 2024, and following that comes the Wild Card weekend, Divisional rounds, and the Conference Championship games. It all culminates with the Super Bowl LVIII in February in Nevada.
The NFL has revised the flexible scheduling system, starting from the 2023 season, which sees significant changes to the rules due to new media agreements. Notably, Monday Night Football matchups, for the first time, are part of the league’s flexible scheduling.
Additionally, there’s more cross-flexing of Sunday afternoon games between CBS and FOX, with both networks having broadcasting rights to select matches featuring specific AFC or NFC teams, respectively. NBC’s Sunday Night Football and NFL Network’s International Series coverages remain unchanged.
Where to Watch NFL on Xbox One, Series S, & X?
Regardless of the changes, your options to watch the NFL on your Xbox One or Series console are similar to the previous year. Let’s start with the best ones.
The monthly Hulu + Live TV subscription has ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and the NFL Network. The optional Sports Add-on includes NFL-RedZone, where you can catch every touchdown and exceptional plays from every Sunday morning and afternoon game.
Besides the broadcast football match-ups, you get access to Hulu’s massive on-demand library of acclaimed originals, TV shows, and movies – albeit with ads. It also includes Disney+ and ESPN+, so you’re looking at even more entertainment and sports content.
However, if you want access to all the six NFL-broadcasting channels and the out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, YouTube TV’s Base Plan + NFL Sunday Ticket is the better option. Like Hulu, you can add NFL RedZone to your package or get it at a discounted price with the Sunday Ticket bundle.
| Hulu and YouTube TV offer unlimited DVR storage, so you can record any NFL game for later viewing on your Xbox. |
FuboTV is another solid option, as all three plans (i.e., Pro, Elite, and Premier) include the NFL-airing channels. It’s also the best overall choice for sports coverage, carrying the most sports networks compared to other streaming TV providers. Once again, NFL RedZone comes with the optional Sports Plus add-on.
| With FuboTV Elite or Premier plan, you can catch FOX’s coverage of select NFL games in 4K HDR on your Xbox One S, One X, or Series X or S console. |
If you’re on a budget, Sling TV’s Orange plan is your go-to for watching NFL on Xbox. However, it doesn’t carry CBS and the NFL Network, and the rest of the broadcast channels, ABC, FOX, and NBC, are available in fewer markets than where the above services offer.
We recommend confirming the channel lineup in your area before deciding on any of the following streaming TV subscriptions.
More Ways to Watch NFL on Xbox One, Series S, & X
We’d understand if you don’t want to pay for another costly live TV package as a cord-cutter. Fortunately, NFL also streams on select over-the-top platforms, of which the monthly plans are much less expensive.
For example, if you want to watch Thursday Night Football (except the two games in Weeks 1 and 12 NBC’s airing) and the Black Friday game, Prime Video is where you’d go. Select TNF matches are also streamed for free, regardless of whether you’re a Prime member.
A Paramount+ subscription will give you access to your local CBS Sunday afternoon NFL broadcasts, plus a slew of originals, shows, and films.
Similarly, every Sunday Night Football (and two of NBC’s TNF games) is streaming on Peacock for Premium subscribers.
Monday Night Football enjoyers can subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the Manningcast coverage of 10 MNF matchups, plus a single International Series game in the 2023 regular season.
Even More Options (For Existing Cable/Satellite Subscribers)
If you get the NFL-broadcasting channels with your cable or satellite connection, there’s no need to pay for a separate digital subscription to watch the upcoming football games on Xbox.
Logging into the networks’ complimentary streaming apps on your Xbox with your provider credentials is all you have to do. These include CBS Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports, which you can download on your console from the Microsoft Store.
| Note: It’s worth mentioning that the CBS Sports app seems to be broken on Xbox and crashes immediately on launch, but your mileage may vary depending on whether CBS fixes the issue with a later update. |
Touchdown
It’s possible to catch the entirety of the NFL on Xbox One, Series S, and X if you get the right streaming subscription. Above, we’ve discussed all the services that let you do so, no matter whether you’re a cable subscriber or cord-cutter.
Simply navigate to the Store on your Xbox console, search for the app, and download it. Then open it from your “My games & apps” section and follow the on-screen instructions to subscribe and log in. You’ll dive right into the football action in no time, watching your favorite teams and players making history.