The NFL app is (still) an insult to sports streaming

Jared Newman   |   September 18, 2026

Football fans who spent $15 per month on an NFL+ Premium subscription received a rude awakening on Sunday afternoon, when the NFL app refused to stream.

As numerous users reported on Reddit—and as I experienced first-hand—NFL’s app and website failed to stream its usual NFL Network and NFL Redzone feeds as the action began. The official NFL+ account on X eventually apologized for the issue, which it claimed to resolve more than an hour into game time.

While a one-off glitch might be forgivable, the NFL app is routinely one of the worst experiences in sports streaming, with subpar video quality, lackluster features, and a history of reliability issues. Given that the NFL generates by far the most revenue of any U.S. sports league, surely it can do better than this embarrassment.

Read the full column →

Weekly rewind

Amazon’s mega-bundle: Amazon is now selling a $30 per month bundle that includes Starz, AMC+, Britbox, MGM+, and PBS Masterpiece. It’s $19 per month cheaper than subscribing to each service separately.

This isn’t Amazon’s first foray into discounted bundles. The company already sells an assortment of other combos such as MGM+ with AMC+ ($14 per month), AcornTV with Hallmark+ ($13 per month), and Starz with Crunchyroll ($17 per month). You can see these options under the “Bundle & Save” section on Amazon’s subscriptions page.

The problem is that the most popular services remain unbundleable, which is a word I just made up. You can subscribe to HBO Max, Apple TV, Peacock, and Paramount+ through Amazon’s storefront, but you get no discount for having more than one. What I suspect people really want is the ability to stack up a bunch of services and get a percentage off the total, but it seems we’re still a long way from that. As it stands these bundles are just a way to sell you on services you otherwise might not even think about.

Roku bundles, too: Meanwhile, Roku has launched a new set of bundles through its own subscription marketplace. Many are similar to what Amazon offers, but with some unique combos such as Fandor and Sundance Now. My above point on all these being third- or fourth-tier streaming services still applies.

(Also, you’d think a bundle of AcornTV and Britbox would be a no brainer, yet neither Amazon nor Roku offer this. I would love to know why.)

Roku’s experimental apps: In other Roku news, it’s added a “Labs” tile to its home screen for trying out new apps that are still in development. The current offerings aren’t exactly bleeding edge—there’s a weather app, a stocks app, and a Roku City-themed game—but good on Roku for embracing its wild side, I guess.

More catch-up

Save more money

This part of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.

Over at my big list of streaming deals page, I’ve added a new section of discounts for military, veterans, students, teachers, first responders, medical professionals. These include savings on Peacock, Paramount+, Disney+, Hulu, and more, provided you verify your eligibility. Thanks to Dennis E. for encouraging me to put this together.

Notable deals right now:

Check the full list of active deals here.

Shameless self-promotion

This week in Advisorator, I wrote about Apple’s new iPhones and updated my Phone Deal Finder tool, which tells you how much credit you can get toward a new phone by trading in your old one to one of the three major carriers. Check it out →

Also, a reminder that I recently published a major update to my Complete Guide to Cord Cutting, including an interactive tool that tells you the cheapest ways to get your favorite channels and streaming services. Learn more here →

Thanks for reading!

Got cord cutting questions for me? Reply to this email and I’ll do my best to answer.

Until next week,
Jared