This year saw the National Football League punt NFL Plus (styled NFL+) into your end of the field. What started as mere rumors of a service that didn't seem to need to exist — its NFL live streams offerings aren't exactly stellar — became a reality.
Or is this just a first step? David Jurenka, senior vp of NFL Media told The Hollywood Reporter "I think the offering we have put together is robust, and at a really attractive price," while commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC "It’s really in an early stage, I think over the years you'l see that continue to grow.... It will be an important strategy for us going forward."
NFL Plus includes many national evening games, so Sunday and Monday Night Football are on the table. If your local market broadcast network has a game, you may get that game too. And in other NFL streaming news, NFL Sunday Ticket is going to YouTube TV. You won't need NFL Plus for the Super Bowl 2023 live streams, though.
So, what will NFL Plus give you? How much will it cost? Let's dive into all the things we know, and what we expect to learn soon.
NFL Plus release date confirmed
NFL Plus, as noted above, streamed its first game on August 4. That pre-season game was the Hall of Fame Game, which featured the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Plus cost and pricing tiers
NFL Plus starts at $6.99 per month, or you can save with an annual subscription. Annual subscription pricing is $39.99 per year.
Then there's NFL Plus Premium, which is $14.99 per month and adds access to NFL RedZone. There is also an annual subscription plan, which costs $79.99 for the entire year.
NFL Plus apps
You (probably) won't need a new app for NFL Plus.
To get NFL Plus, sign up on NFL.com (it has a 7-day free trial) or download the NFL app (Google Play Store, iOS App Store)
NFL Plus streaming service features: What will it offer?
Frustratingly, NFL Plus is limited at best — and the NFL Plus streaming service announcement has us feeling a bit deflated. When it comes to live games on both tiers, NFL Plus offers live local and national primetime games, but only on mobile devices. Out-of-market pre-season games will be available on all devices. If audio is enough for you, NFL Plus will also offer live audio for every game of the season.
NFL Plus Premium includes full-game replays and condensed-game replays. The latter will date back to 2009. Coaches film is also included. NFL Plus Premium is ad-free.
NFL Plus outlook: Will this be a hit?
Only putting live games on mobile devices is a very disappointing decision, as who actually wants to follow their team on just their smallest screen. If this was available on some of the best streaming devices, such as Rokus and Fire TV Sticks, it would be more appealing for cord-cutters who only subscribe to one of the best cable TV alternatives for the sake of watching their local games.
That said, this is only one of two major NFL streaming deals in play right now. Goodell said that he expects NFL Sunday Ticket will have a new partner by this fall. ESPN, Apple and Amazon are all reportedly suitors.
