It’s week 2 of the NFL preseason, and one of the most exciting games will inevitably be the Packers-49ers matchup. Will Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers prevail in this unofficial rematch after San Francisco’s Robbie Gould beat the odds, kicking that last-minute field goal in January that clinched the game and denied Green Bay its shot at the NFC Championship? The fastest way to find out is to stream the game live on Friday, August 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The game airs on The NFL Network, which you might subscribe to if you have pay TV, but if you don’t, I have bad news: an antenna won’t help you, and streaming the NFL is a little complicated. In the US, there’s no single option that lets you stream every game you’ll want on any device you want.
But long story short, if you want to stream the Packers-49ers preseason game on the NFL Network, then at $35 a month, signing up for Sling Blue is probably your best bet.
That’s not the only option though! There are cheaper options with significant downsides, along with pricier options. Read on for an explanation.
It’s worth noting that many of these services have free trial periods, but since everyone’s situation is different, and you may have already used a free trial, that won’t affect the recommendations here.
How to watch the Packers-49ers preseason game live on any device
At $35 a month after a free trial, Sling Blue is the cheapest live TV streaming service that includes The NFL Network. There are others, like Vidgo’s “Plus” plan ($59.95 a month), the even more comprehensive YouTube TV ($64.99 a month), FuboTV ($69.99 a month), or Hulu with Live TV ($69.99 a month with ads, or $75.99 a month ad-free).
The advantage of live TV streaming services is that after you fork over that eye-watering monthly fee for this one game, they’ll keep the gridiron action streaming to your TV for as long as you’re subscribed by simply letting you stream your local network affiliates like NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX (though read the fine print to see which of these they do and don’t have), along with channels like ESPN and NFL Network in some cases. YouTube TV in particular might be the clear center of the NFL-streaming universe soon if it scores a deal to allow users access to 13 additional games per week by winning the bidding war for NFL Sunday Ticket.
A cheaper, mobile-only way to stream the Packers-49ers game if you’re not in Green Bay or the Bay Area
If you plan to watch a lot of games, and this is an out-of-market NFL game for you, that makes this next part a little cheaper and easier: one way to stream this game for cheap, along with the rest of the preseason and season (minus the games in your local market) is with NFL+, the NFL’s new streaming service. NFL+ has a base tier for $4.99 a month that will give you access to this game, and the other out-of-market preseason games, but only on a mobile device like a phone or tablet. There’s no NFL+ app for, say, Roku, and you can’t use a device like a Chromecast to legally beam the game onto your TV from your mobile device.
How to stream the Packers-49ers game on mobile if you are in Green Bay or the Bay Area
Bad news: If this is an in-market game for you, and you plan to stream the whole preseason and season, starting with your local team on NFL+, you’ll need to pony up $9.99 for the premium upgrade, which is pretty pricey for a football game on a tiny screen. This might be worth it if you plan to watch the rest of the preseason and season, and you’re content to use a mobile device to do so. But at this point you might be happier just paying for Sling Blue or one of the other live TV streaming services.
How to stream the Packers-49ers game in the UK
Whether you’re a British NFL fan, or an American who moved to the UK simply to stream NFL games for much, much less money than you could across the pond, congratulations: NFL Game Pass, which is unavailable in the US, is the envy of all American NFL fans stuck on native soil. Packers-49ers game is available live to those who pay for the Game Pass “Essential” tier, which costs £42.99 annually, or about £3.58 a month. Unlike preseason games, most games are replays at this tier, and for £150.99 annually (£12.58 a month) you can watch the Packers-49ers game at the same time as fans across the pond, and then tune in live from now until the Super Bowl. I just hope you enjoy staying up late.