NFL On Reddit: Why r/NFLStreams Was Banned By The Platform
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 25: The Tennessee Titans line up against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of a preseason game at Nissan Stadium on August 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
For years, football fans have been using a well-known site to stream NFL games not delivered on their respective cable packages. Not every NFL game is available that fans would like to see.
For instance, a San Francisco 49ers fan living on the East Coast doesn't get the luxury of choosing to watch the 49ers. Instead, they might be subject to watching the New York Jets or New York Giants.
That's where one of Reddit's subreddit made its heyday - at least for a few years. r/nflstreams provided fans with a series of links leading to streams for ever NFL game in a given weekend. So, 49ers fans could watch a San Francisco game in any area of the country.
It was one of the most valuable resources for fans looking to watch a game unavailable in their area. Instead of having to pay for an additional service, fans could watch games for free.
Unfortunately for NFL fans reliant on r/nflstreams, Reddit made the decision to ban the channel. "This subreddit has been banned for violations of Reddit’s Copyright Repeat Infringement Policy," a message from the company read.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Why Reddit banned r/nflstreams:
Before it shut down r/nflstreams, Reddit made the same decision on the MMA and NBA subreddits, leaving fans wondering what happened.
Leagues around the sports world were starting to take notice of the infringement, but never forced Reddit to ban the pages. Instead, the website appears to have taken the pages down of its own accord.
According to Barrett Sports Media, Reddit released a statement at the time it banned several sports streams.
"Our policy is to close the accounts of users, in appropriate circumstances, who have repeatedly been charged with copyright infringement," the statement read. "Sometimes a repeat infringement problem is limited to one user and we close just that user’s account. Other times, the problem pervades a whole subreddit community and we close the subreddit."
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Where fans can watch NFL streams for free:
Although the NFL subreddit isn't available anymore, there are still places where fans can go to watch games for free. Fans can use the Yahoo! Sports App to watch in-market games, Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football games.
However, fans won't be able to watch out of market games with the Yahoo! Sports App. Unfortunately, for fans looking for out of market games there aren't many free options available.
Paid options with free trials:
Hulu
Hulu announced NFL fans can stream games with Hulu+LiveTV. However, once again, fans are limited to in-market games.
"With a subscription to Hulu + Live TV, you can follow your favorite NFL pro football teams throughout the 2020 season, record their games, and access the live TV broadcasts aired on NBC, CBS, FOX, and ESPN — through all of your Live TV supported mobile and TV-connected devices," a statement from Hulu reads.
Price: $54.99/month
FuboTV
FuboTV subscribers have access to CBS, ESPN, FOX and NFL Network. There is also for fans to add NFL Redzone for an additional charge.
Price: $64.99/month
YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers fans every channel necessary to watch NFL games. However, once again, fans will not be able to watch out of market games.
Price: $64.99/month
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Other paid options:
NFL Redzone
NFL Redzone offers fans an interesting look at the most intriguing parts of NFL games. Fans can see in-game highlights from every game during NFL action on Sundays.
"NFL RedZone is an all-in-one channel where fans can watch 7 hours of live football, and see every touchdown from every game, every Sunday afternoon during the NFL regular season," a statement from NFL Redzone reads.
"When a team reaches the 20-yard line, (i.e. the "red zone") NFL RedZone cuts to the local broadcast of that game. NFL RedZone also takes fans back to watch any turnovers, game-changing plays and scoring plays outside of the designated red zone, so they can see all the incredible action Sunday afternoon games have to offer."
Price: $14.00/month
NFL Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket is the most expensive option, but provides fans with every NFL game of the weekend - with in market or out of network.
Price: "NFL SUNDAY TICKET is $293.94 (6 payments of $48.99) and 2020 NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX is $395.94 (6 payments of $65.99)," a statement from DirecTV reads.
Fans searching for the solution for losing the NFL subreddit won't be happy with the options provided. Those who got used to never having to pay to watch an NFL game that was out of market don't really have any other options, though.
Paying for something like NFL Sunday Ticket gives fans every game in a given weekend. However, for those fans who just want to watch their respective team, paying $300 for the season seems like a stretch.
Unfortunately there isn't an option for (using the example provided at the start) 49ers fans to only watch their team's (out of market) games every week.
