The San Francisco 49ers are one win away from the Super Bowl. Watch the San Francisco 49ers compete for the NFC Championship live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 3:00 PM EST on FOX live without cable.
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NFL fans can watch 49ers games without cable in-market on most major streaming devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, iPhone, Android, and Samsung Smart TV to name just a few.
For local fans in NorCal, most 49ers games will air on KTVU FOX 2 or KPIX-TV CBS 5. Several live TV streaming services, including YouTube TV, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling TV Blue, and DIRECTV STREAM carry local FOX affiliates, including FOX and CBS in the Bay Area.
Our top pick for watching the 49ers in 2023, Fubo, not only carries all the channels you need to watch every 49ers game, but the platform also includes PAC-12 Network FS1, NBC Sports California, and NBC Sports Bay Area in the base package. Out-of-market 49ers fans can stream games with YouTube TV by upgrading to NFL Sunday Ticket.
All the channels you need to watch the 49ers, including KTVU FOX 2, ESPN, CBS, NBC. Watch the Warriors, Giants, and A’s on NBC Sports Bay Area and California. | $84.99 / month | 7 Day Free Trial |
Local fans only and mobile only. Watch every 49ers game live online on a smart phone or tablet. | $29.99 / year | 7 day free trial |
Watch KTVU FOX 2, KPIX-TV CBS 5, NBC, ESPN, and more. Upgrade to watch the 49ers out-of-market on NFL Sunday Ticket. | $72.99 / month | 14 Day Free Trial |
Great budget option. Watch the 49ers on KTVU FOX 2 in-market. | $35 / month | Explore offers |
How to watch today’s 49ers game
We list every televised 49ers game, as well as the live TV streaming services that carry each game, in the easy to use table below.
Which cities are in-market for 49ers games?
Some NFL fans who cut the cord and live stream sporting events are surprised to learn that NFL TV coverage, even when you watch online, is determined by zip code and region. For example, the local FOX affiliate you get when you sign up for a live TV streaming provider will be the same channel you watched with cable. In the Bay Area, the local FOX affiliate is KTVU FOX 2.
Based on NFL coverage maps from 506 Sports, the following markets will often be in-market for 49ers games, which means their local affiliates will show the games regularly:
- San Francisco, CA
- Oakland, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Berkely, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Reno, NV
- Oregon also gets a lot of 49ers games
However, keep in mind that the 49ers are a popular team, and just because your city isn’t technically in-market for regular season games doesn’t mean you won’t be able to see some SF games, both on national broadcasts like Monday Night Football, and on what I call hybrid national games that are regional, but get broadcast to huge sections of the country. Having said that, the odds of the 49ers regularly appearing on your TV increase if you live on the west coast.
The most important channels for 49ers fans
The most important channels for 49ers fans will be CBS, FOX, ESPN, and NBC, and of all these, FOX, the channel with rights for most NFC games through 2033, will be the most important for watching the 49ers week in and week out.
NFL coverage for each channel:
- CBS – In-market AFC games / some NFL Playoff games
- FOX – In-market NFC Games / some NFL Playoff games / 2023 Super Bowl
- ESPN – Monday Night Football / some NFL Playoff games
- NBC – Sunday Night Football / some NFL playoff games
The table below documents the live TV streaming providers that carry the most important channels for watching the NFL.
| Fubo | DIRECTV STREAM – Choice | Paramount+ | Sling Blue | YouTube TV | |
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| $74.99 / month | $99.99 / month | $4.99 / month | $35 / month | $72.99 / month |
Note: Sling TV offers FOX and NBC, but only in select markets. The Bay Area is one of a handful of markets that get both FOX and NBC on Sling TV.
The best local options for 49ers fans
If you live in the Bay Area, these streaming services will be great options for watching the 49ers.
Fubo – best choice for 49ers and PAC-12 football
Although YouTube TV is hard to beat after the addition of NFL Sunday Ticket for 2023, Fubo is our top overall pick for Bay Rea football fans because of the ability to watch both college and pro football, and local MLB and NBA action.
Not only does fuboTV carry the channels 49ers fans need to stream the game on Sundays, it also is one of three live TV streaming services to carry NBC Sports Bay Area for Giants baseball and Golden State Warriors basketball.
On Saturdays, college football fans can watch their favorite teams, including Cal, Stanford, USC Trojans, and UCLA football on PAC-12 Network.
Read our fuboTV review.
NFL+ – best overall option for mobile and budget pick
If you are a local 49ers fans content to watch the season on mobile or a tablet, you can watch every game on NFL+ for $30 for the entire year. This is far and away the best value available in streaming sports.
Sling TV Blue – budget pick for 49ers FOX broadcasts
Even though the platform is missing ABC, CBS, and ESPN, I like to offer Sling TV Blue as a good option for NFC fans, like 49ers fans, in markets where Sling carries FOX and NBC, as it does in the Bay Area.
Why?
Because the rising cost of streaming services is pricing some families out of the market. By going with Sling Blue, you still get KTVU FOX 2, and if you upgrade to Sling Orange & Blue, ESPN can be added as well.
If the 49ers appear on Sunday Night Football, fans in the Bay can watch with Sling Blue on NBC.
Can I watch the 49ers on DIRECTV STREAM?
With the base DirecTV Stream package, you can get CBS, ESPN, FOX, and NBC, all the channels you need to watch the 49ers.
Upgrading to the “Choice” plan, you get NBC Sports Bay Area, which offers comprehensive in-market Bay Area sports coverage with Giants baseball and Warriors basketball.
Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Can I watch the 49ers on Hulu + Live TV?
Yes, you can watch 49ers games in-market, as well as nationally televised games, with Hulu + Live TV.
Read our Hulu + Live TV review.
Can I watch the 49ers on YouTube TV?
Yes, you can watch 49ers games on YouTube TV as well as NBC Sports Bay Area.
YouTube TV boasts unlimited DVR storage and is easy to use for multi-lingual families. My wife is Japanese and I was impressed how seamlessly the YouTube TV interface and instructions could translate to a new language.
New for 2023, YouTube TV is also the home of NFL Sunday Ticket, which means the platform is a must-have for out-of-market 49ers fans.
Read our YouTubeTV review.
If you don’t live in the Bay Area
For fans that live far away from the Bay Area, but still want to watch the 49ers every week, you have two options.
- Wait for the 49ers to be on national TV, or hybrid regional games. We estimate these options would cover 4-5 games a year, and the chances the 49ers are on will increase in the west and mountain west.
- Buy NFL Sunday Ticket to guarantee access to 49ers broadcasts every Sunday.
- For 2022, NFL Sunday Ticket.TV is only available for homes that aren’t eligible for a satellite dish.
We haven’t met, but I know you. You are a big NFL fan. You talk and text about upcoming games…
Watching the 49ers FAQ
No, you can’t watch the 49ers on NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors regular season is broadcast to in-market fans on NBC Sports Bay Area, but not 49ers games.