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As the feud between NBCUniversal and Fubo persists, subscribers of the streaming service are scrambling for ways to watch today’s college football games and this week’s Sunday Night Football showdown to wrap up the weekend. Here are the best ways football fans can watch games for free right now, and watch NBC streaming in the long term, if this carriage dispute continues.
Where can I watch NBC channels for free, or streaming on the cheap?
Until this feud is resolved, here are what we feel are the best options for Fubo subscribers wanting to watch NBCUniversal channels, which we have ranked for you in terms of both price and functionality.
No. 1 — DIRECTV (free trial, then $100/month total cost when you add the $15/month additional “Sports Pack” to get NFL RedZone)
DIRECTV has a free trial. You can give this a go if you want to try it out this week to watch games over the weekend and decide if you want to cancel Fubo and switch permanently.
No. 2 — Peacock Premium (promotional offers, cheapest overall streaming plans that start at $10.99/month which include live sports and more)
It doesn’t have a free trial period, but Peacock is a great option because it is the cheapest way for Fubo subscribers to access NBC channels until the dispute between these companies is resolved. Because Black Friday is this week, you can also get Peacock for free for an entire year when you sign up for a Walmart+ annual plan at half price before Monday when the deal expires. If that’s too expensive, you can also get a Black Friday bundle deal on Peacock and Apple TV+ together for just $14.99/month if you sign up this week. It would normally cost you around $24/month if you signed up separately for these streaming services. The cheapest plan that includes live sports events is $10.99/month.
No. 3 — Buy an HDTV antenna (costs roughly $20)
Some smart TVs come with an HDTV antenna built in to the unit, so check and make sure your TV doesn’t have one already. If you only need access to NBC for watching Sunday Night Football, your local NBC news channels and some top Premier League soccer matches, you can just buy an HDTV antenna, hook it up to your TV and be set to go with no further monthly streaming fees. However, with this option, you wouldn’t be able to watch on your phone or tablet if that’s important to you. You also would not be able to get access to Premier League games broadcast on USA Network, or TV shows and programming on E!, Bravo, The Golf Channel and others. A cheap and well-rated HDTV antenna costs around $20 and ships quickly from Walmart, or you can get one from Amazon.
Why is there no NBC on Fubo right now? What other NBC channels are missing?
During this carriage fee dispute between Fubo and NBCUniversal, several channels have been removed from the service as the blackout extends to NBC, NBC Sports regional networks, MSNBC (now called MS Now), CNBC, USA Network, The Golf Channel, Bravo, E!, Syfy, Telemundo and many more channels you can see in the complete list.
What is the latest update in the NBC vs. Fubo feud today? When will NBC channels be back?
Fubo has put out a lengthy Q&A and more information on their support page for current subscribers frustrated by the NBC blackout. This week, Fubo blasted NBCUniversal, saying they want the streaming service to pay fees for channels that they feel are “worthless,” and that NBC already plans to split off into a different company by next year. All of the NBCUniversal’s channels were quietly removed from Fubo last week as an agreement to renew their carriage deal could not be reached. Many fans were left wondering what to do as the channels simply went dark on Fubo just days before the college football Saturday and a big Sunday Night Football matchup. But NBCUniversal officials aren’t backing down.
“Fubo has chosen to drop NBCUniversal programming despite being offered the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors,” NBC said in a release. “Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo — they’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content.”
Fubo is now offering subscribers a $15 credit for the inconvenience the blackout has caused. If the blackout continues, the credit will be automatically applied to a subscriber’s account on the next billing cycle, starting on or after December 1, 2025. No action is required by a subscriber to claim the credit.
So, when will the blackout end? The short answer is: that there’s no end to the sight to this carriage fee dispute. This NBC blackout is especially hard if you are a NBA fan, a Premier League soccer fan or even a NFL and college football fan. This feud is a significant roadblock for Fubo subscribers who signed up for that service specifically to get as many live sports channels as possible, especially in markets like greater California, Boston and Philadelphia.
