If you searched for Kirk Herbstreit this week, you probably want one of two things: his Saturday college football work on ESPN and ABC, or the Thursday Night Football booth he shares with Al Michaels. We already have a guide to streaming ESPN on Saturdays, so this one is about Thursdays.
Thursday Night Football lives on Prime Video. It is not on a cable channel, and no live TV bundle carries it. That annoys me on principle, because I hate paying for one more app. But it also makes the math simple: there are really only three legal ways to see these games, and one of them costs nothing.
The head-to-head
| Option | Typical price | Where it works | The catch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Video (standalone) | About $8.99/mo | TV, phone, tablet, browser | No shipping perks; ads in live games | Fans who want every Thursday game and nothing else |
| Full Amazon Prime | About $14.99/mo or $139/yr | Same as above | You pay for shipping whether you use it or not | Households that already order from Amazon |
| Local broadcast station + antenna | Free after a $20-$40 antenna | Your TV, over the air | Only the two teams' home markets get it | Fans who live where their team plays |
| NFL+ | About $6.99/mo | Phone and tablet only | No big-screen live games | Commuters and people who watch on a phone anyway |
Prices drift, so confirm on each service's site before you sign up.
Prime Video: the default, and cheaper than people think
Most people assume they need the full $14.99 Prime membership. They don't. Amazon sells Prime Video by itself for around $8.99 a month, and it includes every Thursday night game. Amazon doesn't advertise this loudly. Look for the video-only option on the Prime sign-up page; it tends to sit below the big button for the full membership.
The NFL regular season runs roughly September through early January. If you subscribe to video-only for just those months and cancel after the last Thursday game, you're looking at about $36 to $45 for the whole slate. That's a fair price for a full season of one primetime window.
A few things to know before you pay:
- Ads are part of live sports. Amazon sells an ad-free add-on for about $3 a month, but it applies to movies and shows. Live games still have commercial breaks, so don't buy it for football.
- Discounted memberships exist. Students and young adults can usually get Prime at half price with a long trial, and people on qualifying government assistance (EBT, Medicaid) can get Prime Access for about $6.99 a month. Both include Prime Video. Check Amazon's site for current eligibility.
- The free trial is real. New and returning-after-a-while members often get a 30-day trial of full Prime. Timed well, that covers four Thursday games for $0. Set a reminder to cancel.
The broadcast itself is good. The picture is sharp, the stats overlays are optional, and Herbstreit and Michaels are in the main booth. My one complaint is that the Prime Video app buries live games under rows of stuff it wants to sell you. Search for the game by team name rather than scrolling.
The antenna: free, with one condition
The NFL requires that every game on a streaming-only platform also airs on a regular over-the-air station in the home markets of the two teams playing. So if your local team is on Thursday night and you live in its market, the game is on a local broadcast channel for free.
All you need is an antenna. A basic indoor one runs $20 to $40 once, and it also pulls in CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC for Sunday games. I'd call it the best purchase in sports streaming.
The condition is that this only works for those two home markets. If you're a Browns fan in Cleveland, you're set on the weeks the Browns play Thursday. If you're a Browns fan in Phoenix, you're not. And for all the other Thursdays, when your team isn't playing, the antenna gets you nothing.
The station varies by city and sometimes by week, so check your local listings or the team's website on game day.
NFL+: fine, if you accept the small screen
NFL+ is the league's own app, typically $6.99 a month for the base tier. It streams live local and primetime regular-season games, Thursday night included, but only on phones and tablets. Live games on your TV are blocked.
It's $2 cheaper than Prime Video, and it covers Sunday night and Monday night games on mobile too, which Prime doesn't. If you work Thursday nights, or you honestly watch most football on your phone, it's the better deal. If you want the game on a TV, it's the wrong product at any price. There's a pricier Premium tier with replays and RedZone on mobile; check the NFL's site for what's in each tier this season.
My pick
Standalone Prime Video, subscribed only during the season, with an antenna alongside it. That combination runs about $9 a month for four or five months, plus a one-time antenna purchase that pays for itself on Sundays.
Who should pick something else:
- In-market fans who only care about their own team: use the antenna and pay nothing. Your team plays Thursday maybe once or twice a year, and those games will be on local TV.
- Existing Prime members: you already have it. Open the Prime Video app on Thursday.
- Phone-first viewers: NFL+ at about $6.99 covers more primetime games for less money.
- Casual viewers who want one or two games: use the 30-day Prime trial, or watch at a sports bar. Most of them carry the Thursday game.
I would not upgrade to full Prime just for football. If two-day shipping isn't worth $6 a month to you separately, don't let a football game talk you into it.
Time-sensitive notes for fall 2026
This section will age; the rest shouldn't.
- Herbstreit's schedule: he's doing double duty again, with Thursday nights on Prime Video and Saturdays on ESPN and ABC. The Thursday booth has been in the headlines this week, which is likely why his name is trending.
- Black Friday game: Amazon has carried an NFL game the day after Thanksgiving in recent seasons and has sometimes made it free to watch without a membership. Check Amazon's site in November to see whether that applies this year.
- Playoffs and extras: Amazon has picked up postseason and special-date games in past seasons. I'm not going to guess at this year's assignments; check the official NFL schedule.
- Other free streams: Amazon has simulcast Thursday games on Twitch in the past. Check the official site to see whether that's still offered before counting on it.
Before you subscribe
Look up which Thursdays your team actually plays. If the answer is one game and you live in-market, your total cost is an antenna. If you want the full slate, sign up for video-only Prime the week of the first game you care about and cancel in January.
That's how I'd do it. See you Thursday, from the cheap seats.
— Theo
— Theo Nguyen