What are the best way to watch football on my Android devices?
With the NFL season upon us, we want to make sure you're fully set to not miss a second of the action. We're going to run down how you can watch the big games live from your Android phone or tablet, and keep up to date on the latest developments.
This year, CBS is streaming various for free in the United States for subscribers of certain cable networks, whether you watch it directly on their site through your browser, or streamed to your TV, or download their CBS Sports app for Android onto your tablet. All methods are easy and free, so take your pick!
Supported devices include Xbox One, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, and Roku. Alas, CBS doesn't hold the rights to stream NFL games like Super Bowl to smartphones — you'll have to turn to Verizon for that, where customers can take advantage of streaming game through the NFL App for Android. This year Twitter has struck a deal with the NFL and is streaming Thursday night games right to your phone so you can keep up with the action.
If you want absolutely everything, you'll want to look into DirecTV's Sunday Ticket, which features live broadcasts of every NFL game. You can add it onto your Select or Entertainment DirecTV packages for $42/month, or upgrade to the Choice plan and get it included at no additional charge. For the cord-cutters out there, DirecTV has a number of streaming-only options available as well, starting at $50/month. This opens up your tablet, phone, Xbox, and Chromecast to NFL games.
Anyone else going with a streaming option may want to check out the NFL's own GamePass. This offers streaming broadcasts for phones, tablets, Xboxes, and PCs an hour after the game's done. You get access to full archives of previous games and additional camera angles. Those plans start $245 for the season. If you happen to be a Verizon Wireless subscriber, you get to enjoy local primetime games on your phone for free.
NFL Redzone's main selling point is its name — live coverage of every touchdown in every game (i.e. "they're in the red zone"). Dish, Cox, Xfinity, and Optimum are just some of the providers that offer RedZone, but check with yours and see if its already there. It's a good option for those just looking to catch up on the highlights.
If those aren't options for you, check your cable provider's dedicated apps. Cablevision, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS all offer streaming NFL games to your mobile device with an active subscription. If your provider offers NFL games, but doesn't have an app, you can always get a SlingBox. This will let you shunt live broadcasts from your TV to your phone or tablet.
- Check out Cablevision's Optimum Android app
- Check out Comcast's Xfinity Android app
- Check out Verizon's FIOS Android app
- Buy SlingBox
Hut! Hut!
That's about all there is to watching just about any NFL game on your Android phone or tablet. You may bump into occasional broadcast blackouts, but on the whole using any of these options will ensure you never miss a second of the action.
Got another great way to watch NFL games? Let us know!
