NFL streaming survey: 93% fans say watching football has become too expensive

The NFL has come under increasing backlash from fans, analysts, and even the President over planned changes to its media landscape for the 2026 season. The changes will see fans needing 10 subscriptions* if they want to be able to follow every single NFL game next season.

Not only can the number of subscriptions cause confusion regarding which platform they need to tune into, but they also come at a heavy cost at an estimated cost between $765 and $1,600 per year. In response to this Casino Guru News conducted a survey showing the extent of fan frustration. of next season.

Key Findings:

• 90% of fans believe the NFL is prioritizing profits over fan experience
• 93% of fans believe the NFL has become too expensive to watch
• 74% of fans agree with President Donald Trump's statement that the NFL risks "killing the golden goose" by putting more games on streaming platforms
• 79% of fans have missed NFL games due to not having access to a platform or couldn’t find it
• 59% of fans have become less interested in the NFL due to the increase in streaming-exclusive games
• 41% of fans have used an illegal stream to watch games because subscription costs have become too expensive
• Some fans spend an average of $37 per game in a bar/restaurant to avoid paying for their own subscription

Survey results show clear negativity from fans towards NFL streaming changes

As shown in the results there is a clear discourse from NFL fans regarding the new NFL viewing schedule with 90% of fans believing they are prioritizing profits over the fan experience. On top of this they also believe they are being priced out of watching the nations favourite sport with 93% of fans saying the NFL has become too expensive to watch.

Three-Quarters of fans agree with Trump’s criticism of NFL streaming plans

On top of fans sharing their criticism about the expanded lineup of games on streaming platforms, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has commented saying the NFL could be killing the golden goose with the increased NFL streaming costs for fans. The survey can exclusively reveal that the majority (74%) of NFL fans agree with him.

Fan interest is declining due to streaming-exclusive games

One surprising stat revealed from the survey is that 59% of fans have actually become somewhat less interested in the NFL due to the increase in streaming-exclusive games, this could be for several reasons, such as the cost or the confusion, but one things for sure Americans becoming disinterested in the NFL cannot be a good sign.

Rising costs are turning fans towards alternative streaming methods

The amount of subscriptions and the cost have led to fans looking for other ways to watch the games and one of these is illegal streams, with 41% saying they have resorted to using an illegal stream to watch games because subscription costs have become too expensive. Other fans also look to go to a bar/restaurant and spend on average $37 per game on food/drink instead of paying for the required subscriptions.

Fans want simpler, more affordable streaming packages

Not only would 85% of fans prefer an all-in-one NFL subscription service but 66% would accept more ADs if it meant the subscriptions became cheaper.

Methodology

In May 2026, Casino Guru USA surveyed 2,000 NFL fans across in the United States using the online research platform Prolific, about their feelings towards the changes in the media landscape of the upcoming NFL season.

Fair use

Feel free to use the data on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page.

*10 subscriptions required

Netflix

Prime Video

NFL Network

Peacock/NBC

FOX

CBS

ESPN+

Paramount+

YouTube TV

NFL Sunday Ticket