The 2025 NFL season officially kicked off last night with a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. It was a good game and a classic display of the NFL. Within the first minute, there were multiple delays for injuries, penalties, and unsportsmanlike conduct. There was also an hour-long delay due to lightning. Like I said, a classic NFL game: 10 minutes of action followed by hours of delays, penalties, and glorious commercials.

The game was on NBC, meaning a Peacock, YouTube TV, or cable subscription was required to watch (RIP StreamEast). This was unusual, as Amazon Prime has the rights to Thursday Night Football for the remainder of the season. Last night, I turned on my TV and signed into Prime. Prime said that the game was on NBC, so I switched to YouTube TV and started watching the first quarter. Then I got a call from my friend who was also watching, but on Peacock. During our phone call, I realized that the YouTube TV broadcast was a full minute behind the stream on Peacock, so I tuned into Peacock to watch the rest of the game. Then, another friend joined the call, this one watching on traditional cable. His stream was even further behind Peacock, so we had to hold our breath on big plays to avoid spoiling the game. On one hand, it’s nice to know there are three different ways to watch. On the other hand, it’s frustrating to click through a slew of apps just to find a current feed.

Moving forward, there will not be as many options for Thursday Night Football. Amazon has the exclusive rights for the remainder of the season. Tonight, the Brazil game will be streamed exclusively on YouTube. Sunday games will remain on the traditional cable networks, and Monday Night Football will air on ESPN or ABC. However, in Week 7, ESPN+ will have exclusive rights to a Houston–Seattle matchup. There’s also Christmas, when Netflix will have the exclusive rights to two games.

It is starting to become a bit of a mess. While the traditional networks retain a strong hold on the Sunday broadcasts, we are officially at the start of a transition period. NFL games pull huge viewership, and it only makes sense that the streamers want their share. But the networks will not go down without a fight, since the NFL is single-handedly keeping traditional cable alive. Looking at the most-watched primetime telecasts of 2024, the top spots were dominated by the NFL, followed by the NBA and the Olympics. It is one of the only pieces of programming cable can rely on to pull viewers. But Amazon and Netflix entering the space is likely just the beginning of the NFL on streaming. The streamers will slowly take on more games as they work out the kinks of a live NFL broadcast.

This should ultimately be a good thing. For NFL fans, there is one less reason to retain cable. For casual fans, the introduction of the NFL on streaming is a nice value add for a service they likely pay for anyway. However, the NFL’s airing on basic cable has its perks, namely accessibility. Looking at the 2025–26 schedule for the NBA, the games are spread all over. For example, of the Golden State Warriors’ 82 regular season games, 4 will be streamed on Peacock, 10 on Prime Video, 7 on ESPN, 6 on ABC, and 7 on NBC. For any potential Warriors fans, it could be a headache to follow your team. I hope this disbursement is not the fate of the NFL.

The current NFL media deal remains in place until 2033, so for the foreseeable future the NFL will stay on cable. However, I believe the next media deal will give a significant number of games to streamers. Cable cannot exist solely to air NFL games. Who knows, by then the NFL may even create its own streaming service dedicated solely to NFL content. There are plenty of people who hold on to cable just for live sports. So long as the cost of the NFL’s service is comparable to basic cable, I don’t see them having any problems taking it on. Only time will tell. Maybe by 2033, the Chargers will finally be back in San Diego.