The Best Ways to Watch Football Without Breaking the Bank
Football season is right around the corner, which means you’ll soon be knee-deep in games and replays of last year’s playoffs. But, don’t worry; that means it’s time to start thinking about how you plan on spending your Saturday afternoons this fall. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to watch football without breaking the bank — and not just because it’s the tail end of August, so prices tend to be a little more affordable than they would be later in the season. No, there are some great deals to be had throughout the year if you know where to look. Here are some of our favorite tips for watching football without spending too much money.
Sign up for streaming services
Over the past few years, cable rates have skyrocketed to the point that they’re often prohibitive for certain types of programming. Luckily, streaming services have become more and more affordable. For example, if you subscribe to SlingTV’s Blue plan, which includes ESPN and ESPN2, you can get ESPN’s College GameDay and Monday Night football for just $20 a month. That’s less than $2 a game. If you have a friend with an extra football-loving streaming device, it’s an easy way to get some football in on the cheap. You can even save by cutting the cord and going with a streaming service like PlayStation Vue.
Watch football on free broadcast networks
If you’re willing to get creative, there are a number of free ways to watch football this season. For example, if you have a TV antenna, you can check out any of the broadcast networks’ over-the-air channel lineup. The best part? Most football games air on one of the four major broadcast networks, so you can rest assured there will be no interruption in your viewing. Plus, if you have an antenna, you can watch all of the games without paying a dime.
Watch on paid cable channels with a free trial
If you subscribe to cable or satellite, there are often a number of channels that you can get in addition to the major networks for a low cost. Instead of paying for every channel you don’t want, sign up for a free trial for those channels. For example, if you have Comcast’s Xfinity bundle, you can often get some of the major networks (like Fox, ABC, and NBC) for a fraction of the cost. You can also often find the channels you want to watch for free with a free trial. For example, CBS, which airs the NFL Network, NFL Redzone, and a good deal of Thursday Night Football games, is offered in most cable packages. You can often sign up for a free trial and see if you like the channels you don’t have to pay for.
Borrow the games you can’t watch live
If you’re serious about watching the entire NFL season, but don’t want to break the bank, you’re going to have to get creative. You can also find a ton of other ways to stream live football without paying a dime. If you have a smartphone with an installed streaming app, you can usually find a way to stream an NFL game online. Plus, college football games are increasingly broadcast online via ESPN or CBS. You can also try finding a friend with a streaming device and watching the game together.
Don’t forget to gamble
We don’t want to advocate breaking the law, but if you’re looking for a last-ditch effort to watch football this year, try your luck at your local sports book. Many sports books are offering special promotions for football season and are offering a number of free plays to get people in the door. Sports books are generally fairly strict about how people play, so don’t rely on them to win big. However, they can be a fun way to get some football watching in while not spending any money.
And there you have it
Keep in mind, though, that you’ll likely have to get a bit creative with some of these methods, as there are many cable channels that you’ll have to watch without cable (or an antenna). Once the season begins, don’t forget to check out our wbsite p2p4u.us. Football season is almost here, but you can watch more than 20 sports: