If there’s anything we’ve learned about being a fan of NFL teams, it’s that watching all the games is expensive.
And it gets worse every year with subscription fees increasing. The 49ers have a new schedule, and it’s all over the place with prime-time. Free trials are definitely not as prominent as they once were, either. We do this every year, so let’s see how much it’s going to run you in 2026.
First, your TV package
It goes without saying, but you need a basic TV package. If you don’t have that, you might be in luck. To make this easy, you are looking for a provider with FOX, CBS, ABC, and preferably ESPN.
Of course, the question is what to do if you don’t have a provider. Like every year, I’d recommend YouTube since you can get a deal on Sunday Ticket (see below).
You need to get FOX and CBS handled as well. Of all the streaming platforms, Fox Sports is the easiest and most non-hair-pulling app of any of those listed.
I couldn’t say the same for CBS Sports, but it’s gotten better. For the longest time, they insisted on you buying their streaming service to watch a football game before it was cool for everyone to make you buy their streaming service to watch a football game. Even with a valid TV package, CBS would not let you watch online. CBS has pumped the brakes a bit on this, but if you get Paramount+, you can watch your local CBS station. That’s going to set you back $11.99 a month. It should be pretty seamless, but I still throw out that warning.
The Apps
NFL+: Omit this if you couldn’t care less about preseason. I have to watch the preseason, so I’ll be getting it. If you want to watch the preseason just like I have want to, you will need to pony up $6.99/month. That gets you the three 49ers games. The networks haven’t been confirmed as of this writing, so if there is one on national TV, that’s one game you wouldn’t need the subscription for. Thankfully, you only need it for one month.
Amazon Prime Video: The 49ers play the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, which will be on Prime—and hopefully the only game on Prime. Prime has a trial you can take advantage of if you haven’t used it within the past 12 months (this may have changed). If you can’t get the trial, you can either get the instant video package for $8.99 a month or the full-fledged Amazon Prime service, which gives you two-day and same-day shipping for $14.99 a month. A majority of you may already have Amazon Prime—your video package is included with Prime. The video-only for $8.99 would be what you ultimately want if you have no need for this Amazon shipping thing or have Walmart+ (Walmart’s version of Amazon Prime).
Again, you only need the trial here unless you already have an Amazon Prime subscription. And if you have a Prime subscription, you’re set.
NBC/Peacock: You can log in through your provider if you have NBC as part of your TV package (which should be in just about EVERY package), but expect to run into some functionality issues. It’s almost necessary to have a Peacock subscription. The fact I’m suggesting you pay more for something that should work with a TV provider shouldn’t surprise anyone… There doesn’t seem to be any new subscriber discounts this year, so you’re just going to want to get the “select” plan. The price also increased from last year’s $5.99 to $7.99 per month.
If you are trying to optimize your spend, you’ll need to pay for two months of Peacock. Once in November, when the 49ers play the Minnesota Vikings, and then again in January, when they play the Philadelphia Eagles.
ESPN: So those of you thinking of adding ESPN+ to your Disney subscription so you can watch football along with Snow White are going to be disappointed. ESPN+ cannot be relied on to see the NFL broadcasts. This does change week over week, but don’t rely on it. Select games are available on ESPN+, but the service doesn’t include them unless they are promoting something.
That said, most TV packages include basic ESPN, so you’ll be set. ABC should have the game if there is no ESPN, since the games are simulcast on ESPN and ABC. Now, if you DO need ESPN, your best bet is going to be ESPN Unlimited. Standard pricing for this is $29.99. There are bundles with Disney+ and Hulu you can take advantage of, so take a look at those if you subscribe to either.
NFL Sunday Ticket: This is where things will hurt. Sunday ticket is never cheap. If you’ve never subscribed to Sunday Ticket before, you get it for $240—but you can’t have any prior subscriptions. You can easily remedy this by making a new YouTube account to get that deal. If that doesn’t work, or you can’t be hassled with a new YouTube account, you’re going to get set back $480. Whichever way you go, you can either pay up front or pay in installments. There are ways around Sunday Ticket: the legal ones are going to a sports bar that has the package (or just the 49ers games) or living in an area that offers the local broadcast.
Netflix: We can’t forget about Netflix. The 49ers were off the platform last year, but their first game this year will require a Netflix subscription. Fortunately, the cheapest one is $8.99. Unfortunately, you don’t get much with this. You get 1080p resolution, which isn’t horrible, but if you’ve joined the 4K boom over the last few years, your TV won’t be using the best resolution it can handle. If you want to go to 4K, it’s $26.99 a month.
How this works for the 49ers
My math this year assumes you will buy a month of ESPN unlimited, however CBS will be part of your TV provider, so you won’t need to get Paramount+. I will also assume you buy Sunday Ticket at its highest price. Based on that, the total cost will be $543.95; this does not include the cost of your television package for Fox/CBS/ABC. If you take advantage of or find a way to get the discount on Sunday ticket, the final number changes to $303.95. This total cost also assumes you don’t live anywhere in Northern California that would get you local access (if so, you have a perk to living in the expensive Bay Area—you don’t need Sunday Ticket). I also did this assuming you only bought one month at a time with the other pay services, and that the services let you off the hook when that period ends if you cancel in a timely manner. In my experience, canceling subscriptions never goes smoothly.
We’re in May, and the preseason kicks off in mid-August. You have around three months to save your money.
About the Author: Insidethe49
