Thursday Night Football Tonight: Schedule, Channel & Streaming Guide
Thursday Night Football streams exclusively on Prime Video for the 2026 NFL season. Amazon has 15 Thursday games from Week 2 through Week 17, the Black Friday game and one Wild Card playoff game. Regular Thursday kickoffs are 8:15 PM ET.
This guide covers tonight’s matchup, what channel TNF is on, the full 2026 schedule with dates and times, and every way to stream the game, including two that cost nothing.
Who Plays Thursday Night Football Tonight?
This Thursday, September 10: the NFL opens Week 1 in Australia with the San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Kickoff is 8:35 PM ET (5:35 PM PT) on Netflix, not Prime Video. Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly call the game, and it is included in every Netflix plan.
Prime Video’s season opener is next week: Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills on Thursday, September 17 at 8:15 PM ET. It is the Bills’ home opener and the first regular season game at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. TNF Tonight starts at 7:00 PM ET.
Note: We refresh this section every week during the season with the current Thursday night matchup and kickoff time.
What Channel is Thursday Night Football On in 2026?
Thursday Night Football streams on Amazon Prime Video. It is a streaming exclusive, so no cable or satellite channel carries it nationally. Amazon’s 2026 package includes:
- 15 Thursday night games, Week 2 through Week 17, all at 8:15 PM ET
- Black Friday Football on November 27, Broncos at Steelers, 3:00 PM ET
- One Super Wild Card Weekend game on January 16 or 17, 2027
Two Thursdays are not on Prime Video. Week 1 on September 10 is the Melbourne game on Netflix, and Thanksgiving on November 26 has three games on CBS, FOX and NBC.
Free local TV: the NFL requires every Prime Video game to air on an over the air station in each competing team’s home market. If your team is playing, an antenna is enough. The station varies by city.
2026 Thursday Night Football Schedule
Every Thursday night NFL game of the 2026 season, including the ones Prime Video does not carry. Times are Eastern.
| WEEK | DATE | MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | WHERE TO WATCH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Thu, Sep 10 | 49ers vs Rams (Melbourne) | 8:35 PM | Netflix |
| Week 2 | Thu, Sep 17 | Lions at Bills | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 3 | Thu, Sep 24 | Falcons at Packers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 4 | Thu, Oct 1 | Steelers at Browns | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 5 | Thu, Oct 8 | Buccaneers at Cowboys | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 6 | Thu, Oct 15 | Seahawks at Broncos | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 7 | Thu, Oct 22 | Patriots at Bears | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 8 | Thu, Oct 29 | Panthers at Packers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 9 | Thu, Nov 5 | Jaguars at Ravens | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 10 | Thu, Nov 12 | Commanders at Giants | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 11 | Thu, Nov 19 | Colts at Texans | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 12 | Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving triple header | 1:00, 4:30, 8:20 PM | CBS, FOX, NBC |
| Week 12 | Fri, Nov 27 | Broncos at Steelers (Black Friday) | 3:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 13 | Thu, Dec 3 | Chiefs at Rams | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 14 | Thu, Dec 10 | Vikings at Patriots | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 15 | Thu, Dec 17 | 49ers at Chargers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 16 | Thu, Dec 24 | Texans at Eagles (Christmas Eve) | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Week 17 | Thu, Dec 31 | Ravens at Bengals (New Year’s Eve) | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| Wild Card | Sat Jan 16 or Sun Jan 17, 2027 | Matchup TBD | TBD | Prime Video |
Thanksgiving on November 26 is Bears at Lions (1:00 PM, CBS), Eagles at Cowboys (4:30 PM, FOX) and Chiefs at Bills (8:20 PM, NBC). The Week 16 Prime Video game on December 24 is Christmas Eve. Christmas Day falls on Friday, December 25, with Packers at Bears and Bills at Broncos on Netflix and Rams at Seahawks on FOX. See the full NFL schedule for every other window.
How to Watch Thursday Night Football Tonight
Open the Prime Video app, sign in with a Prime account, and the game appears on the home screen, in the Sports section or in the Live and Upcoming row. Press play. Pregame coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET.
Prime membership plans and prices
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Prime | $14.99/mo or $139/yr | TNF, free shipping and the full Prime Video library |
| Prime for Young Adults | $7.49/mo or $69/yr | Ages 18 to 24 and students, first six months free |
| Prime Access | $6.99/mo | SNAP, Medicaid, WIC and other qualifying assistance recipients, 30 day trial |
| Free trial | $0 for 30 days | Full Prime access for new members |
Amazon also sells a cheaper Prime Video only subscription, but every one of its Thursday Night Football pages describes the games as a Prime membership benefit and asks viewers to sign in to a Prime account. If TNF is your reason for subscribing, Prime is the route Amazon documents. Our Prime Video NFL guide compares the plans in detail.
Skip Prime Video Ultra for football. The ad free add on costs $4.99 a month or $45.99 a year and is the only way to get 4K. But Amazon’s terms say live sports on Ultra may still include ads, and TNF is produced in 1080p HDR, not 4K, so it adds almost nothing on Thursday nights.
Watching without paying for Prime
- Local over the air TV: the surest free option if you live in either team’s market. A one time antenna purchase, no monthly fee.
- Twitch: Amazon streams every Thursday Night Football game live on its Prime Video channel at twitch.tv/primevideo. In past seasons no paid subscription was needed there, though Amazon does not spell out the terms.
- Free trial: new members get 30 days of Prime at no cost, which covers about four Thursday games.
Record the season, pause and rewind
Open any Thursday Night Football listing in Prime Video and press Record to save the whole season. Every replay is stored in the cloud until the next NFL season starts, and you can pause, rewind and fast forward during the live game. Without recording, you still get 15 minutes of rewind from the point you joined.
Supported devices
- Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio and others
- Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast
- Phones and tablets through the Prime Video app
- Computers at PrimeVideo.com
- PlayStation and Xbox consoles
Amazon allows two live TNF streams per account at the same time, so the living room TV and one phone in another room both work.
Watching through NFL Plus
NFL Plus carries live local and primetime games, including Thursday night, but only on phones and tablets. It will not stream live games to a connected TV. The base plan is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Full game, condensed and All 22 coaches film replays need NFL Plus Premium at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Thursday Night Football Announcers and Broadcast Features
Al Michaels returns on play by play with analyst Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung on the sideline and Taylor Rooks on features. Terry McAulay is the rules analyst. Charissa Thompson hosts TNF Tonight with Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman.
This is Prime Video’s fifth season of exclusive TNF coverage. The 2025 season averaged 15.33 million viewers, the most watched in the show’s history, and the January Wild Card game drew 31.61 million, a record for any streamed NFL game.
- Prime Insights: real time analytics from Amazon’s custom AI models. Coverage ID, Defensive Alerts and Pressure Alert appear on the main broadcast and flag the defense before and during the snap.
- Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats: the alternate stream built around the High-Sky camera, an elevated view from behind the quarterback, with Prime Targets, Pocket Health, Path to Victory and Four-Down Territory overlays.
- TNF en Español: a full Spanish broadcast on Prime Video called by Miguel Gurwitz and Rolando Cantú, not a dubbed track.
- Interactive features: Key Moments, live Stats and Rapid Recap, a two minute catch up for late joiners, all without leaving the stream.
- Picture quality: 1080p HDR with Dolby surround sound.
Watching From Outside the United States
Prime Video’s TNF rights cover the United States only. In Canada, Thursday night games air on TSN, and NFL Game Pass is bundled into a regular DAZN subscription. Everywhere else, NFL Game Pass on DAZN carries the full season as a standalone package or add on. DAZN is not available in the United States or China, and in the UK up to two Sunday games a week are delayed 24 hours.
Thursday Night Football FAQs
What time does Thursday Night Football start?
Kickoff is 8:15 PM ET for all 15 Prime Video Thursday games in 2026, with TNF Tonight at 7:00 PM ET. Two games break the pattern: the Week 1 Melbourne game on September 10 starts at 8:35 PM ET on Netflix, and the Black Friday game on November 27 kicks off at 3:00 PM ET.
What channel is Thursday Night Football on?
Prime Video carries 15 of the 17 Thursday slates in 2026. Week 1 from Melbourne is on Netflix, and the three Thanksgiving games on November 26 are on CBS, FOX and NBC. Every Prime Video game also airs on an over the air station in each competing team home market.
Can I watch Thursday Night Football for free?
Yes, if you live in either competing team home market. The NFL requires each Prime Video game to air on a local over the air station there, so an antenna is enough. Amazon also streams every game on the Prime Video channel on Twitch, and new members get a 30 day Prime free trial.
Do I need Amazon Prime to watch TNF?
Amazon ties Thursday Night Football to a Prime membership, which costs 14.99 dollars a month or 139 dollars a year. Young adults pay 7.49 dollars a month and Prime Access members pay 6.99 dollars a month. Amazon sells a cheaper Prime Video only plan, but its own TNF pages describe the games as a Prime benefit.
Is Thursday Night Football in 4K?
No. Amazon produces TNF in 1080p HDR with Dolby surround sound and has not announced a 4K feed. The Prime Video Ultra add on unlocks 4K for other titles, but Amazon says live sports on Ultra may still include ads, so it changes little for football.
Can I stream Thursday Night Football on my phone?
Yes. Use the Prime Video app on any phone or tablet. NFL Plus also carries live primetime games, but only on phones and tablets, not on connected TVs. Twitch works on mobile too.
Can I watch a Thursday Night Football replay?
Yes. Prime Video posts the full replay and highlights after the live stream ends. If you opt in to record the season, every replay stays available until the next NFL season starts. On NFL Plus, full game and All 22 replays need the Premium tier.
Will there be a Thursday Night Football playoff game in 2027?
Yes. Prime Video has one Super Wild Card Weekend game on Saturday January 16 or Sunday January 17, 2027. The matchup is set after Week 18 ends on January 10, 2027.
Thursday Night Football in 2026 lives on Prime Video: 15 Thursday games at 8:15 PM ET from September 17 through December 31, Black Friday on November 27 at 3:00 PM ET, and a Wild Card game in January 2027.
Netflix has this week’s Melbourne opener and Thanksgiving stays on network TV. If your team is playing, the game is on free local TV in your market. Bookmark this page and check back each Thursday for tonight’s matchup and kickoff time.
