You can buy NFL Sunday Ticket directly from the NFL, but YouTube TV is now the only official distributor
As of the 2023 season, NFL Sunday Ticket is sold only through YouTube TV. The NFL moved the package from DirecTV (where it lived for 16 years) to YouTube and its parent company Google. If you do not want a YouTube TV subscription, you cannot buy Sunday Ticket through any other official channel.
That said, there are ways to watch NFL games without Sunday Ticket at all. Local broadcasts on CBS, Fox, and NBC cover most games for free. ESPN+ carries some Monday and Thursday night games. If you want out-of-market games specifically — the core of what Sunday Ticket offers — YouTube TV remains your only path.
Key Takeaways
- NFL Sunday Ticket is sold exclusively through YouTube TV as of 2023, with no other official purchase option available.
- You can watch most regular-season NFL games free through local CBS, Fox, and NBC broadcasts without any subscription.
- ESPN+ carries select Monday and Thursday night games, and some playoff games, for a separate monthly fee.
- YouTube TV's base package costs around $73 per month and includes Sunday Ticket access; a standalone Sunday Ticket add-on also exists at a higher price point.
- If you want to watch every game regardless of your location, YouTube TV with Sunday Ticket is currently the only official way to do it.
What games you can watch without paying extra
Most NFL games are broadcast free on network television. Every Sunday, CBS and Fox air games in your region based on your location and team matchups. NBC broadcasts Sunday Night Football. These local broadcasts are included with any cable package or a digital antenna, and they reach roughly 70 percent of the regular-season schedule.
The games you cannot see on local TV are the ones Sunday Ticket was built for: out-of-market games that air in other regions. If you live in New York but want to watch a Kansas City game that is not being broadcast locally, you need either Sunday Ticket or to find it through another method. Local broadcasts will never show you every team's games in a single week.
ESPN+ and other streaming options for specific games
ESPN+ carries some games that do not appear on cable or broadcast television. The service shows select Monday Night Football games, Thursday Night Football games, and certain playoff contests. ESPN+ costs around $11 per month on its own, or $15 per month bundled with Disney+ and Hulu.
However, ESPN+ does not replace Sunday Ticket. It covers only a fraction of the schedule — roughly 10 to 15 games per season — and focuses on prime-time slots rather than the full Sunday slate. If your goal is to watch your team every week regardless of broadcast location, ESPN+ alone will not do it.
Why YouTube TV is the only official Sunday Ticket seller
The NFL signed an exclusive deal with Google in 2022 to move Sunday Ticket from DirecTV to YouTube. The contract runs through the 2024 season, with an option to extend. Google paid billions for the rights, and part of the agreement is that YouTube TV is the sole official distributor.
This means there is no workaround through Hulu, Sling TV, FuboTV, or any other streaming service. Those platforms cannot sell you Sunday Ticket even if you wanted to buy it from them. YouTube TV is a full cable-replacement service with dozens of channels, not just a sports app, so the price reflects that.
YouTube TV pricing and what you get with Sunday Ticket
YouTube TV's base package runs approximately $73 per month and includes access to Sunday Ticket as part of the service. You do not pay extra for Sunday Ticket if you have the base subscription. The package also includes live broadcasts of CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and over 100 other channels, plus cloud DVR storage.
If you already have YouTube TV for other reasons, Sunday Ticket costs you nothing additional. If you are signing up solely for Sunday Ticket, you are paying for the full YouTube TV service. There is no option to buy Sunday Ticket as a standalone product without also getting YouTube TV's other channels.
YouTube also offers a Sunday Ticket standalone add-on for existing YouTube TV subscribers who want premium features like multi-view and RedZone access, but this costs extra on top of the base subscription.
What changed when the NFL moved from DirecTV to YouTube
For 16 years, DirecTV held an exclusive contract for Sunday Ticket and required a satellite dish installation. Many people bought DirecTV specifically to get Sunday Ticket, even if they lived in apartments or areas where satellite was inconvenient. The package cost around $300 per season.
YouTube TV removed the satellite requirement and made Sunday Ticket available to anyone with an internet connection. The pricing structure changed from a seasonal purchase to a monthly subscription bundled with other channels. Some people found this cheaper; others found it more expensive because they had to pay for channels they did not want.
The shift also meant that cord-cutters and streaming-only households could finally access Sunday Ticket without installing satellite equipment. However, it also locked the product into a single distributor with no alternatives.
Alternatives if you want to avoid YouTube TV
If you refuse to subscribe to YouTube TV, your options narrow significantly. You can watch local broadcasts free, subscribe to ESPN+ for prime-time games, and attend games in person. Some bars and restaurants with sports packages show out-of-market games, though this is not a reliable or private solution.
You can also wait for playoff games, which air on network television and are not restricted to Sunday Ticket. The Super Bowl is always broadcast free on network TV. Regular-season out-of-market games, however, have no free or cheaper alternative right now.
If the YouTube TV price or service does not work for you, the honest answer is that you cannot watch every NFL game without it. The NFL's contract with Google is exclusive and will remain so through at least 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy NFL Sunday Ticket from the NFL's website directly?
No. The NFL does not sell Sunday Ticket directly to consumers. YouTube TV is the only official seller. The NFL's website directs you to YouTube TV if you search for how to purchase it.
Will Sunday Ticket ever be available on other streaming services?
That depends on what the NFL decides when its contract with Google expires. The current deal runs through 2024 with an option to extend. If the NFL signs with a different company or breaks up the package, the distribution could change, but there is no public announcement about that yet.
Do I need YouTube TV to watch my local team's games?
No. Local games air free on CBS, Fox, or NBC depending on the matchup and your region. You only need YouTube TV or Sunday Ticket if you want to watch out-of-market games — teams that are not broadcast in your area that week.
Is there a free trial for YouTube TV that includes Sunday Ticket?
YouTube TV occasionally offers free trial periods, though these vary by time of year and region. Any trial period would include Sunday Ticket access since it is part of the base package. Check YouTube TV's website for current trial offers.
What if I only want to watch one team's games, not all of them?
If that team is your local broadcast team, you can watch free on CBS or Fox. If it is an out-of-market team, you need Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV to see every game. There is no cheaper option for out-of-market single-team access.