5 Ways to Watch NFL Games Without Paying for Cable

The following 5 ways to watch NFL games without having cable was aggregated from an article written by  Matt Brownell for one of Midtown Patch's Brand Partners, DailyFinance.com. Please follow the link for the entire article.


DAILY FINANCE - I'm a football fan in New York, but the decision didn't really affect me, as I'm not a Time Warner subscriber. In fact, I don't subscribe to any cable provider: When I moved into my latest apartment I decided to "cut the cord" and go without cable.
Option 1: Watch at a friend's apartment. I call this the "freeloader" option. But it's not exactly free. Because I don't want to be the guy who just mooches off his friends' cable subscriptions, I do feel an obligation to bring over a six-pack of beer or some snacks for every game.

Option 2: Get an antenna. Unlike baseball, which is typically carried by regional cable sports networks, most football games are carried on the networks: CBS or Fox for the Sunday games during the day, and NBC for the Sunday Night Game. That means you can get them over the air with a digital antenna that can get an HD signal, most of which will run you in the $35 to $60 range.

Option 3: Subscribe to Aereo. During the CBS blackout, Aereo got some attention as an antenna alternative. The service works by receiving network signals at a remote location and then beaming those signals to subscribers, allowing you to get network channels over an Internet connection. Assuming you have a consistent Internet connection, it's less prone to signal disruptions than an antenna in your living room or on your roof. And it also has DVR options, allowing you to pause, rewind and even record the game for later viewing.

Option 4: Get NFL Sunday Ticket (without a subscription!) There's a workaround that lets you get Sunday Ticket without signing up for DirecTV. If you buy the anniversary edition of "Madden 25" on Amazon, you'll get a code granting you access to a full season of Sunday Ticket, accessible through your computer or mobile device. For just $99, that's a stellar deal; if you're not interested in the video game, you could even trade it in at a local used game store to get some of your money back. There are a limited number of units available, but for now it's still in stock.

Option 5: Watch at a bar. If I don't go with the "Madden 25" deal, I have one other option for watching out-of-market games: Going to watch at a sports bar. But that doesn't come cheap -- while it's free to watch, you basically have to pay "rent" in the form of ordering drinks. In all likelihood, I'm probably spending at least $20 on beer just for the privilege of watching the game. Over the course of a season, that adds up.

So what's the best bet? Read the Full Article.