Fans Rejoice: Subscriptionfree Streaming For NFL Games

The good news for football fans: It’s going to be much easier to watch NFL games online this year.

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The league is finally dropping a requirement that viewers sign in with a cable or satellite subscription, in hopes of expanding its online audience at a time when TV ratings are declining. Though there are restrictions — no free streaming on smart TVs, for instance — the move marks a significant departure for sports. Other major professional leagues still require TV subscriptions for hometown teams.

The NFL regular season started Thursday (06).

“We think people will still want to watch on the biggest screen possible,” said Brian Rolapp, the league’s chief business and media officer.

But as more people drop cable or satellite subscriptions — or never sign up in the first place — the NFL needs to be flexible in order to reach them, Rolapp said. Even those who can watch on TV are preferring phones, he said.

“If you don’t get to that younger demographic, who aren’t conditioned to go to the television, you do run the risk of losing them,” he said.

The NFL has been inching toward subscriptionfree games in recent years. It made a deal with Twitter, then Amazon, to stream a handful of games online . This year, Amazon will offer 11 Thursday night games for free on its Twitch app or on its Prime Video app with a $119-a-year Prime subscription.