The fast answer
If you live in Arizona (or the surrounding Cardinals TV market), almost every Cardinals game airs on a local broadcast channel: FOX for most Sunday afternoon games, CBS when they play an AFC opponent on the road, and NBC, ESPN/ABC, or Prime Video for prime-time slots. That means a one-time antenna (about $20-$40) gets you the bulk of the season for free, and any live TV streaming service that carries your local FOX and CBS affiliates covers the rest.
If you live outside the Cardinals market, your best options are NFL Sunday Ticket (on YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels) for Sunday afternoon games, plus a streaming service that includes NBC, ESPN, and Prime Video for the national games.
Everything below is the full breakdown, so you can pick the cheapest path for your situation.
Where Cardinals games actually air
The NFL splits its schedule across several networks, and the Cardinals follow the same pattern as every NFC team:
| Game window | Network | Who can watch |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday afternoon (NFC opponent, or Cardinals at home) | FOX | Local market on broadcast; everyone else via Sunday Ticket |
| Sunday afternoon (road game vs. AFC team) | CBS | Local market on broadcast; everyone else via Sunday Ticket |
| Sunday Night Football | NBC / Peacock | Nationwide |
| Monday Night Football | ESPN / ABC (select games) | Nationwide |
| Thursday Night Football | Prime Video | Nationwide |
| Holiday and special games | Netflix, YouTube, or others (varies) | Nationwide |
A couple of notes: the exact network for any given week depends on the matchup and can be flexed late in the season, so confirm on the NFL or Cardinals schedule page. Also, games that air on ESPN or Prime Video nationally are simulcast on a local broadcast station in the Cardinals home market, so in-market fans with an antenna do not lose those games.
Option 1: Free with an antenna (in-market)
This is the cheapest way to watch the Cardinals, full stop. A digital antenna picks up FOX, CBS, NBC, and ABC over the air in HD with no monthly bill. In the Phoenix area that covers:
- Every Sunday afternoon Cardinals game (FOX or CBS)
- Sunday Night Football (NBC)
- Monday Night Football games that air on ABC
- Local simulcasts of ESPN and Prime Video games
Cost: $20-$40 one time. Check a signal map for your address before you buy; a flat indoor antenna is fine for most of metro Phoenix, while outlying areas may need a rooftop model.
The antenna does not help if you live outside the Cardinals market, since your local stations will air the game chosen for your region instead.
Option 2: Live TV streaming services
These replace a cable subscription and are the most flexible way to get every network in one place. Prices change often, so treat these as ballpark figures and confirm on each official site.
| Service | Typical price | FOX | CBS | NBC | ESPN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | ~$83/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only service that bundles NFL Sunday Ticket as an add-on |
| Hulu + Live TV | ~$83/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Includes Disney+ and ESPN+ |
| Fubo | ~$85/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sports-focused, strong local coverage |
| DirecTV Stream | ~$87/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Closest to a cable-style lineup |
| Sling Orange + Blue | ~$65/mo | Select markets | No | Select markets | Yes | Cheapest, but local channel coverage is limited |
For Cardinals fans, the deciding factor is whether the service carries your local FOX and CBS affiliates. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream do in nearly every market. Sling is cheaper but carries FOX and NBC in only some cities and does not carry CBS at all, so you would need to pair it with an antenna or Paramount+.
Most of these offer a free trial, which is handy if you only want to test-drive one for a week of games.
Option 3: Cable or satellite
A standard cable package from Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity, DirecTV, or Dish includes FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and ABC, which covers every Cardinals game that airs on television. Expect $70-$120 per month depending on the tier, plus equipment fees. If you already have cable, you do not need anything else for the local and national TV games; you only need Prime Video for Thursday night games and whatever streaming-exclusive games the NFL schedules that year.
Option 4: Out-of-market fans (NFL Sunday Ticket)
If you are a Cardinals fan living in, say, Chicago or Dallas, your local FOX and CBS stations will usually air a different game. NFL Sunday Ticket solves this by streaming every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game.
- Where to get it: YouTube TV (as an add-on) or YouTube Primetime Channels (standalone, no YouTube TV required)
- Typical price: Several hundred dollars per season; pricing varies by bundle, early-bird discounts, and student status, so check YouTube for the current rate
- What it does not include: Sunday night, Monday night, and Thursday night games, which are national anyway and available to everyone through NBC, ESPN, and Prime Video
So the out-of-market recipe is Sunday Ticket plus one of: a live TV streaming service, or the individual apps below.
Option 5: Individual network apps (piece it together)
If you do not want a full live TV bundle, you can stitch together the networks that carry NFL games:
- Paramount+ with Showtime (~$13/mo): live CBS, including your local CBS NFL games
- Peacock Premium (~$11/mo): Sunday Night Football and any Peacock-exclusive games
- ESPN app (Unlimited plan) (~$30/mo): Monday Night Football and ESPN's other NFL coverage
- FOX One (~$20/mo): FOX's live NFL broadcasts, including local FOX games
- Prime Video (~$15/mo, included with Prime): Thursday Night Football
- NFL+ (~$7/mo): live local and prime-time games on your phone or tablet only, plus full-game replays; the Premium tier adds all-22 coaches film
The catch is that these add up fast. Four or five of them cost about the same as YouTube TV, so the piecemeal approach only wins if you need just one or two networks.
Cost breakdown at a glance
| Situation | Cheapest realistic setup | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-market, only want Cardinals games | Antenna + Prime Video for Thursday games | ~$30 one time + $15/mo |
| In-market, want all NFL coverage | Live TV streaming service | ~$65-$87/mo |
| Out-of-market, Sunday games only | Sunday Ticket via YouTube Primetime Channels | Seasonal price, check YouTube |
| Out-of-market, every game | YouTube TV + Sunday Ticket add-on | ~$83/mo + seasonal Sunday Ticket fee |
| Mobile only, in-market | NFL+ | ~$7/mo |
Radio and audio
Every Cardinals game is broadcast on the team's flagship station, Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, with a Spanish-language call available in the Phoenix area. Out-of-market listeners can stream the home and away radio calls through NFL+ or SiriusXM.
What is new right now (time-sensitive)
Arizona made headlines by acquiring tight end Hunter Long from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a late-summer trade. He is a former Rams player who gives the Cardinals another blocking and receiving option in a tight end room built around Trey McBride. Roster moves like this do not change where games air, but they do tend to spike interest right before the season, which is why this guide exists. Check the Cardinals official site for the current week's opponent, kickoff time, and network.
FAQ
Can I watch Cardinals games for free without an antenna? Not legally on a permanent basis. Free trials from YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and DirecTV Stream cover about a week each, and NFL+ occasionally runs promotional free periods. For a whole season, an antenna is the only truly free option, and only if you are in the local market.
Do I need NFL Sunday Ticket if I live in Arizona? No. Every Cardinals game airs on a local channel in-market. Sunday Ticket is for fans outside the Phoenix broadcast area, or for watching other teams' Sunday afternoon games.
Which streaming service shows the most Cardinals games? YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream all carry FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, and ESPN, so any of them covers every televised game. Add Prime Video for Thursday night, and YouTube TV is the only one that can bolt on Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sundays.