Watch the Cincinnati Bengals live without cable on the device of your choice, including Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, and more.
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Bengals star QB Joe Burrow has established himself as one of the NFL’s best, but he has been pressured and sacked too often. In an attempt to shore up the team’s historically shaky OL, the Bengals signed OT Orlando Brown, Jr. and plan to start him at Left tackle, which is William’s usual spot. Williams requested a trade before agreeing to start at right tackle, but after an offseason surgery, it’s anyone’s guess what the Bengals offensive line will look like.
While most fans will have their eyes on Joe Burrow, we will be watching the two tackle positions that will likely determine whether Who Dey’ can make another playoff run. Jonah Williams is a former 5-star recruit who starred at Alabama. Recruiting nerds will be interested to learn that Orlando Brown, Jr. who played his college ball at Oklahoma, wasn’t nearly as highly recruited as Williams, but will now take his starting spot at LT.
NFL fans who live in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, can watch Cincinnati Bengals games on WKRC-TV local CBS 12 and FOX affiliates with DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, Fubo, or Hulu + Live TV.
Our top pick for watching the Bengals, Fubo, carries WKRC-TV CBS 12 Cincinnati, ABC, ESPN, FOX, FS1, and the Big Ten Network in the base package. As a bonus, Fubo also carries Bally Sports Ohio for watching the Reds, and offers full coverage of the Ohio State Football season, including FOX games in 4K on supported devices.
ABC, CBS, FOX, FS1, ESPN, NBC, and Big Ten Network in the base package. | $74.99 / month | 7 Day Free Trial |
All the channels you need to watch the Bengals plus Bally Sports RSNs for Ohio MLB, NBA, and NHL games. | $99.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial |
Best budget option for watching the Bengals on in-market CBS broadcasts. | $5.99 / month | 7 Day Free Trial |
Important channels
We listed the most important channels for NFL action, and the live TV streaming services that carry them, below. Some of the Bengals regular season games will be on national TV, but most on regional CBS broadcasts during the regular season.
NFL coverage for each channel in the Cincinnati TV market:
- WKRC-TV CBS 12 – In-market AFC games / some NFL Playoff games / Super Bowl LVIII
- WXIX-TV FOX 19 – In-market NFC Games / some NFL Playoff games
- ESPN – Monday Night Football / some NFL Playoff games
- WLWT NBC 5 – Sunday Night Football / some NFL playoff games
| Fubo | DIRECTV STREAM | Paramount+ | Sling Orange & Blue | YouTube TV | Hulu + Live TV | |
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| $74.99 / month | $74.99 / month | $5.99 / month | $50 / month | $72.99 / month | $69.99 / month |
Note: Sling TV carries FOX and NBC, but only in select markets.
Top picks
If you live in the Cincinnati area, these are your best options for watching Bengals games live without cable.
Inside the Cincinnati TV market, Fubo TV carries the channels Bengals fans need to watch every game, including Thursday Night Football.
If you’re an out-of-market Bengals fan and don’t want to pay for NFL Sunday Ticket, which is now a whopping $349 per season, adding NFL Red Zone will provide some coverage when the Bengals are driving deep in enemy territory.
fuboTV carries WKRC-TV CBS 12 Cincinnati and also offers ESPN for watching Monday Night Football. As an added bonus, sports fans in Cincinnati can watch every Ohio State game, the Reds regular season, and every Bearcats football game minus ESPN+ games, with Fubo.
Pros
- Full local Bengals coverage from Cincinnati
- FOX NFL playoff games in 4K
- NFL Network
- Ohio State Buckeyes and Cinci Bearcats sports
- Reds coverage in-market
Cons
- Lacks TNT and TBS
- Only 1,000 hours of cloud DVR
With its popular NFL on CBS program lineup, Paramount+ is a nice budget option for Bengals fans. Since CBS has the Super Bowl this year, Super Bowl LVIII will be carried by Paramount+ as well as some playoff games.
Because the service features CBS, in-market Bengals fans will get most regular season action, however, the lack of other key NFL channels means there will be gaps in coverage.
Paramount+ carries WKRC-TV CBS 12 Cincinnati.
Pros
- WKRC-TV CBS games only
- Watch AFC Playoffs
- Watch Super Bowl LVIII
Cons
- Lacks ABC, ESPN, FOX, NBC
- Major gaps in coverage
- Lacks Reds games
YouTube TV is an innovator in the sports streaming space. For mobile users, the Alphabet owned live TV streaming provider built a fantasy football integration that allows fans to track fantasy stats in real time.
YouTube TV also carries the most important channels for Bengals fans: CBS, FOX, ESPN, and NBC, plus the NFL Network. YouTube TV carries WKRC-TV CBS 12 Cincinnati.
YouTube TV is the home of NFL Sunday Ticket, which means it is a must-have for Bengals fans who want to follow the team week to week from out-of-state.
Pros
- Full local Bengals coverage
- NFL Network
- 4K upgrade
- Buckeyes football
Cons
- Google account required to signup
- Sunday Ticket is pricey
- Lacks Reds games in-market
DIRECTV STREAM offers full local coverage of the Bengals for fans in the Cincinnati TV market.
Upgrade to DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” for access to in-market Reds games, Ohio State football on Big Ten Network, and Cincinnati Bearcats football.
Pros
- Full local Bengals coverage
- Option to upgrade for Reds coverage
- Buckeyes and Bearcats
Cons
- No 4K option
- Upgrade required to watch Big Ten Network
Although Hulu + Live TV lacks the regional sports networks that carry Reds games, the service carries all the channels Bengals fans need for local coverage in the Cincinnati TV market, plus Buckeyes sports, Bearcats games, and UFC events on ESPN+.
Pros
- Full local Bengals coverage
- Excellent lineup of college sports including Buckeyes and Bearcats
- ESPN+ bundle
Cons
- No 4K
- No Reds games in-market
- ESPN+ integration on the Hulu app can be very buggy and frustrating to use
NFL+ offers full local coverage of Bengals games from the Cincinnati market on mobile devices and tablets only.
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- Live audio of all NFL games
- Big game coverage
Cons
- Mobile and tablet streaming only
Out-of-market
The only option for live streaming out-of-market Bengals games is adding NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV.
YouTube TV is the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket and the only game in town if you are a Bengals fan who wants to watch every game out-of-state. Although it is much easier to signup for Sunday Ticket now that YouTube TV has the rights, the cost went up and is now $349 for the entire season.
FAQ
Not every game, no. Most Bengals games will air on CBS or FOX. However, when the Bengals appear on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, you can watch the Bengals on the Peacock app.
Yes, but it requires buying and installing an air antenna for most games. Sling TV doesn’t carry CBS. In order to get CBS broadcasts on Sling TV you will have to signup for Sling and then buy an air antenna. When the Bengals are on Monday Night Football, you can watch the game on ESPN on Sling Orange with no air antenna.
Yes, Bengals games that air on CBS can be streamed on Paramount+ from Cincinnati and surrounding regions. However, keep in mind that the territorial viewing restrictions for the NFL’s regional broadcasts apply to Paramount+. You can live stream Bengals games in-market on Paramount+, but not-out-of-market.
700WLW, ESPN 1530, and 102.7 WEBN are the Flagship radio stations for listening to Bengals football. For a complete list of stations, visit the Bengals Radio Network website.