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How much does it cost to be a Chicago Bears fan in 2024? Here's how to watch every game this season
Bears fans, it's probably not news to you that the Chicago Bears play their season opener against the Titans this Sunday. But the higher streaming costs to catch your favorite team this season? That might be news to you, and if that’s the case, we’ve got you covered. We took the complete 18-week regular 2024 NFL season schedule and broke down where and when the Bears will be playing every week, so you can find out what subscriptions you'll actually need ahead of the 2024-25 NFL season.
If you're worried about the challenge of following your favorite team through the upcoming season (or daunted by the price tag attached to NFL Sunday Ticket this year), then you're in the right place. Here's your playbook for how to watch the Chicago Bears this year.
How to watch the Chicago Bears in 2024:
Dates: Sept. 4, 2024 - Feb. 9, 2025
TV channels: ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network
Streaming: Peacock, Paramount+, ESPN+, Prime Video, NFL+
How much does it cost to watch the Chicago Bears in 2024?
If you're already a football fan, you know by now that each day of the week in the season requires access to a different channel or streaming service. This year, the Bears are playing across all available days of the week, meaning you'll need access to just about everything.
Allaboutcookies.org ran the numbers, and a Bears fan looking to catch every game will have to pay at least $87.92 this season. And that's only taking into account the games that aren't available on basic cable (NBC, CBS, etc.).
Below, we've broken down all the team's confirmed games and what channel(s) they will air on, so you can plan ahead to see what you need access to — and what you might have to spend.
2024 NFL season Chicago Bears TV schedule:
All times Eastern.
This season, the Bears will play six games on FOX, four games on CBS, one game on NBC, one game on ABC, one NFL Network exclusive game and one Prime Video exclusive game.
Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024
Game 1: Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Sep. 15, 2024
Game 2: Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Sep. 22, 2024
Game 3: Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sep. 29, 2024
Game 4: Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024
Game 5: Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024
Game 6: Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Game 7: Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024
Game 8: Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals: 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024
Game 9: Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024
Game 10: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024
Game 11: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024
Game 12: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: 12:30 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
Game 13: Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers: 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024
Game 14: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings: 8 p.m. (ABC)
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
Game 15: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024
Game 16: Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks: 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Everything you need to watch the Chicago Bears in 2024:
Fubo TV gives you access to ESPN, NFL Network, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and 100+ more live channels. Starting at $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely pricey (but certainly not the most expensive option on this list), but offers nearly every channel you'll need to watch the 2024 NFL season, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage.
The platform also offers a free trial period, and right now you can get $30 off your first month of any tier, which means you might pay as low as $50 for five weeks of access.
- Full package free trial available
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage
- Cost
(YouTube)
YouTube TV gets you nearly every channel you'll need for the 2024 NFL season, including Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network. Plus, YouTube TV is the home of NFL Sunday Ticket this season! The Sunday Ticket package, while pricey on its own ($479.99/season), gets you ALL the Sunday out-of-market games (160+ games per season).
If you bundle Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV, you can get them both for $146.49/month for four months (that's $586 for the season). Now, you'll have to keep paying for YouTube TV to keep your access to NFL Sunday Ticket package. Right now, you can get your first three months of YouTube TV for $64.99/month for your first four months. The cost then hikes up to $72.99/month.
Another pro to this option, YouTube will throw in four months of Max with the YouTube TV + NFL Sunday Ticket bundle.
One thing to note, YouTube TV livestreams have a tendency to run on a slight delay, which isn't great if you're trying to keep up with the live game down to the exact second.
- Offers NFL Sunday Ticket bundle
- Offers almost every channel you need for NFL games
- Cost
- Locked in for the entire year if you bundle Sunday Ticket
(Paramount)
Paramount+ offers subscribers access to NFL games on CBS. Plus, the platform is great for fans of Champions League soccer, Star Trek, Survivor, The Challenge and so much more.
Unlike a lot of other streaming services these days, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial — so new subscribers can sign up to watch this weekend and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.
Paramount+ with ads starts at $8/month. The premium ad-free tier with SHOWTIME and live CBS will cost you $13/month.
- Low cost
- Live local games on CBS
- National games on CBS
- Only CBS content
Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive home for the NFL's Thursday Night Football games. The Bears are playing one Thursday Night Football game which will stream exclusively on Prime Video in 2024.
On top of Amazon Prime Video, an Amazon Prime subscription includes free shipping, exclusive deals, access to the Prime Day 2024 sale event, Amazon Music, a year of free GrubHub+ and more. A standard Amazon Prime subscription is $15 monthly or $139 annually, but discounts are available for students and those on qualified government assistance. You can try Amazon Prime free for 30 days.
- You probably already have access to Prime Video
- Only Thursday Night Football games (and Black Friday)
Channel Master
If you don't already have access to local channels like CBS, Fox and NBC, a TV antenna is a great, low-cost way to catch some football games.
This flat TV antenna works just as well as old school rabbit ears, and it's not meant to sit atop your TV. Rather, you mount it on a wall or window using included sticky pads, with either the black or white side facing in to better match your décor.
The aptly named Flatenna really is flat like a piece of paper. You just screw one end of the 12-foot cord into the bottom and the other end into your TV's coax input. (Yes, that does mean there's an ugly cord running down your wall; consider a raceway kit like this to help conceal it.)
Channel Master promises range of up to 35 miles, but of course that depends on a variety of factors. As noted above, optimal placement — as high and unobstructed as possible — makes all the difference.
The big news here is price: At just $29, the Flatenna is quite affordable and a good place to start your antenna journey — assuming you're OK with a black or white rectangle stuck to your wall or window.
How to watch the NFL season in 2024:
Many NFL preseason games are broadcast on local channels, so if you're looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $5 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market-game local and primetime game in the season (and preseason) on your phone — but only a select few games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and select games will stream on ESPN+ this season. That's six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that's not counting your local RSN's for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is the new exclusive spot to watch the NFL's Christmas Day games this year.
Overwhelmed? You're not alone. Here's all the platforms available ahead of the 2024 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV....
Every way to watch NFL games this season:
To recap, here's all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2024.
