The NFL’s finally treating UK fans like they matter. Two free games every Sunday on Channel 5. Sky Sports showing 50% more matches. DAZN streaming everything for less than a tenner a month if you know the trick. Yet somehow, most UK fans are still paying £600+ per year to watch their teams.
Much is made of the cost of sports subscriptions in the UK, with the Premier League often in the firing line for raking in television money for fans. But if you are one of the growing number of UK NFL fans – around 13 million according to recent data – what are your options? And, more importantly, how can you watch the action on a budget? Below, we break down all you need to know as the 2025 season kicks off:
You’re getting ripped off, and the companies know it. They’re banking on you not doing the maths, not comparing options, and definitely not knowing about the Brazil loophole that gets you every single game for £27.
The Full Cost Breakdown: What Nobody’s Actually Telling You
Let’s cut through the marketing nonsense with real numbers for the 2024/25 season:
Sky Sports (Traditional Route)
- Full Sky Sports: £35/month on 24-month contract = £840/year
- Sky Sports NFL only: £20/month rolling = £240/year (Sept-Feb)
- NOW TV month pass: £34.99/month = £209.94 for six months
- NOW TV day pass: £14.99 per day (was £11.99 until April 2024)
Sky Still Holds the Majority of Games
As with the Premier League, the most direct route is to get a Sky Sports subscription. This is usually around £30-£35 per month, but there are some caveats. First, Sky will run offers for new customers, such as half price for the first few months. As many are aware, you can also negotiate with Sky when considering leaving your package. Sky has the lion’s share of games and the top picks. However, it doesn’t have every game, so consider these other options before making a commitment.
DAZN NFL Game Pass
- Direct from DAZN UK: £169.99/season or £29.99/month
- Via Amazon Prime UK: £31.99/month (plus £8.99 Prime)
- Via YouTube UK: £31.99/month or £169.99/season
- Via DAZN Brazil with VPN: 149.90 BRL = £23.85/season
The Free Options
YouTube Has a Wealth of Free Content
YouTube is a gold mine for NFL content. If you want to access analysts’ opinions on everything from the Draft to the best picks in the NFL MVP odds, you’ll find it on that site. Yet, there is a lot of official content from the NFL, including relatively long highlights packages that go up not long after the game time. If you can get by not watching the game live, then YouTube has plenty of action within hours of the game finishing.
- Channel 5: Two Sunday games weekly (6pm and 9pm)
- ITV: London games and Super Bowl only
See the problem? UK pricing assumes you’re either loaded or stupid.
The Channel 5 Revolution Nobody’s Talking About
Channel 5 just changed everything. For the first time ever, you’re getting primetime NFL for free. Not buried at 1am on Monday like before – actual Sunday evening games when normal humans watch TV.
Here’s the schedule that matters:
- Sunday 5:30pm: NFL Big Game Night (entertainment format)
- Sunday 6pm: First live game
- Sunday 9pm: Second game on 5ACTION
But here’s the catch – Sky gets first pick. Channel 5 gets the leftovers. If your team’s hot, Sky’s taking those games. Channel 5 gets Panthers vs Giants, not Eagles vs Cowboys.
The Smart Play: Use Channel 5 as your base. It’s free NFL every week. Then add paid services only for the games you’re missing. Most fans can catch 30-40% of their team’s games free if they’re flexible.
The Game Pass Hack That Saves You £146
DAZN charges UK customers £169.99 for NFL Game Pass. Brazilians pay 149.90 BRL – about £24. Same product, same games, same quality. The only difference? Your location when you sign up.
The Brazil Method:
- Get NordVPN (£2.69/month on two-year plan)
- Connect to Brazil server
- Sign up for DAZN Brazil
- Pay 149.90 BRL (£23.85) for the season
- Watch using any country’s server (except US/China)
Total cost: £32.28 for the first year, £56.13 including VPN. UK price: £169.99 Savings: £137.71
The catch? You need a payment method DAZN Brazil accepts. Revolut works. Some UK cards work. PayPal doesn’t. But even if you can’t crack Brazil, India (₹1,999 = £19) and Argentina work too. Or you can lso go for Surfshark as it provides Static IP feature for Germany.
Sky Sports: When It’s Actually Worth It
Sky Sports costs £840 per year at full price. That’s mental. But there are specific scenarios where it makes sense:
Scenario 1: The Multi-Sport Fan If you watch Premier League (128 games), F1 (23 races), NFL (5+ games weekly), and cricket, you’re getting value. Break it down:
- Premier League: £450 value (vs buying match passes)
- F1: £200 value (vs F1 TV Pro)
- NFL: £170 value (vs Game Pass)
- Cricket: £150 value Total value: £970
Scenario 2: The NOW TV Shuffle NOW regularly offers discounts to new customers – often £20/month for six months. Here’s the play:
- Sign up in September for £20/month deal
- Cancel after Super Bowl in February
- Total cost: £120 for the season
- Create new account with different email next season
Scenario 3: The Pub Alternative Calculator Watching at the pub seems cheaper until you do the maths:
- Average UK pub: 2 pints per game at £5.50 each = £11
- 17 regular season games = £187
- Add playoffs and Super Bowl = £231
- Add food/transport = £300+
Suddenly that £120 NOW deal looks genius.
The RedZone Dilemma
RedZone is NFL crack. Seven hours of pure touchdowns every Sunday. In the US, it’s a £50 add-on. In the UK, it’s bundled different ways:
Where to get RedZone:
- Sky Sports: Included with any package
- DAZN Game Pass: Included in all plans
- NOW TV: Included with Sports membership
- Channel 5: Nope
- NFL+ from US: Only in Premium tier (£11.99/month)
If you’re a fantasy player, RedZone is essential. The cheapest legitimate route? DAZN Brazil method at £24/season. The easiest route? NOW TV during a promotion.
The Blackout Rules That Nobody Explains Properly
DAZN UK has blackouts. This is crucial and barely advertised.
What’s blacked out on DAZN UK:
- Two Sunday games weekly (Sky’s 6pm and 9pm picks)
- Only during live broadcast
- Available 24 hours later
What’s never blacked out:
- Thursday Night Football
- Monday Night Football
- Sunday Night Football (NBC game)
- All Thanksgiving games
- All playoffs
- Super Bowl
The workaround: Use your VPN to connect to Germany or Netherlands. No blackouts there. Same English commentary. Problem solved.
The Mobile-Only Trap
NFL+ launched in the US as a “budget” option. UK fans with VPNs thought they’d cracked it. They haven’t.
Why NFL+ fails for UK fans:
- Requires US phone number for verification
- Uses GPS location (VPN doesn’t help)
- Only works on phones/tablets (not TV)
- Local and primetime games only
- Still has blackouts
Cost with VPN: £6.99/month + VPN What you get: Frustration and a small screen
Just get Game Pass International instead.
The Pub Economics Nobody Calculates
“I’ll just watch at the pub” sounds cheap until you track actual spending:
Real pub costs per game:
- Entry: Usually free (some charge £5 for big games)
- Drinks: 2-3 pints minimum at £5.50 = £11-16.50
- Food: £8-12 if you’re there 3+ hours
- Transport: £5-20 depending on location
- Total per game: £24-48
Season total (17 games): £408-816
The reality check: Even full-price Sky Sports (£840) breaks even if you’re a heavy pub drinker. The DAZN Brazil method (£24) pays for itself after one game.
The Student Loophole
If you’re a student (or know one), you’re sitting on a goldmine:
Student Discounts Available:
- Sky Sports: No official discount, but Unis often have deals
- NOW TV: 20% off through Student Beans = £27.99/month
- DAZN: No UK student discount
- YouTube TV (US): NFL Sunday Ticket for $119 (students only)
The YouTube TV Student Hack: Requires: US university email (.edu), VPN, US payment method Cost: $119 (£92) for Sunday Ticket What you get: Every out-of-market Sunday game The catch: Complicated setup, might get blocked
The Multi-House Strategy
Got mates who watch NFL? Split the costs intelligently:
DAZN Sharing:
- One account, two concurrent streams
- Cost split two ways: £12/season each (Brazil method)
- Works on any device, any location
NOW TV Sharing:
- Boost add-on allows 3 streams (£6 extra)
- £40.99/month split three ways = £13.66 each
- Must be in same household (officially)
Sky Sports:
- Sky Q Multiscreen: 4 devices
- Only works in same household
- Not practical for sharing
The International Comparison That’ll Make You Angry
UK fans are getting fleeced compared to other countries:
NFL Game Pass Pricing Worldwide:
- India: ₹1,999 (£19)
- Brazil: R$149.90 (£24)
- Mexico: $949 MXN (£36)
- Germany: €169.99 (£142)
- UK: £169.99
- Australia: AUD $274.99 (£139)
Same product. Same servers. Same games. The only difference is what they think you’ll pay.
The Nuclear Option: Full Piracy Alternative Costing
I’m not advocating piracy, but let’s be realistic about why people do it:
Legal streaming setup:
- Sky Sports + DAZN = £1,010/year
- Internet: £30/month (you’d have anyway)
- Total: £1,010
Piracy setup:
- VPN: £40/year
- Acestream/IPTV: £0-60/year
- Risk of malware: Priceless
- Legal consequences: Potentially thousands
The maths says piracy saves £900+. The reality says it’s not worth the hassle, quality issues, and potential legal problems. The Brazil DAZN method gets you everything legally for £24.
The Actual Smart Setup for Every Budget
Budget Under £30/Year:
- Channel 5 free games
- DAZN Brazil via VPN (£24)
- Total: £24 for everything
Budget £50-100/Year:
- Channel 5 free games
- NOW TV for 3 key months (£60 with offers)
- Total: £60 for 80% coverage
Budget £100-200/Year:
- DAZN UK direct (£170)
- Channel 5 free games
- Total: £170 for 100% coverage, no hassle
Money No Object:
- Sky Sports full package
- Total: £840 but includes all sports
The Five-Minute Setup That’ll Save You £140+
Here’s exactly what to do right now:
- Get a VPN – Express, CyberGhost, Proton any as per your budget. As per my experience NordVPN is fastest for streaming (£2.69/month)
- Set up Revolut – Free account, works for international payments
- Connect to Brazil/India via VPN
- Sign up for DAZN in that country
- Pay local price (£24 Brazil, £19 India)
- Watch from anywhere except US/China
Time invested: 10 minutes Money saved: £146 Games missed: Zero
Bottom Line
The UK NFL market is broken. Sky charges champagne prices for beer content. DAZN inflates UK pricing by 700% versus Brazil. Channel 5 offers scraps and calls it a feast.
But you don’t have to play their game. Between Channel 5’s free coverage and the DAZN international loophole, you can watch every single NFL game for less than the cost of three pints in London.
The companies are counting on you being too lazy to save £146. They’re betting you won’t spend five minutes setting up a VPN. They’re assuming you’ll just accept that “UK pricing” means getting screwed.
Prove them wrong. Get your VPN, grab that Brazil pricing, and use the money you save to actually enjoy the games instead of worrying about the cost.
Welcome to NFL season where you’re not the sucker anymore.
