TV Answer Man, I heard that the NFL has a new streaming thing called NFL Plus. Is it worthwhile? Can you watch anything on it or just games no one cares about? Can you break it down for us? — Carlo, Las Vegas. 

Carlo, the NFL today launched NFL Plus, a paid mobile streaming service that essentially replaces the free features that were available on Verizon’s mobile packages. (Verizon’s deal with the league ended after the 2021 season.)

NFL Plus has two plans:

1. Basic for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. (Annual cost rises to $39.99 after current promotion.)
You get:
* Live out-of-market pre-season games across all devices.
* Live regular season or postseason games on your phone or tablet.
* Live primetime regular season or postseason games on your phone or tablet.
* Live game audio (home, away and national broadcasts) of every game.
* NFL library of on-demand programming.

That may sound intriguing but the regular season games consist of national games and regional games that are available in your local TV market. In other words, this is no Sunday Ticket. You basically get the local broadcasts that you could watch with an antenna or a pay TV package from a cable or satellite operator. And you have to pay $5 a month to get them, as opposed to an antenna which has free access to local channels.

NFL+ will let you watch the playoff games, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl on your phone or tablet. But again, these are broadcasts available on your local channels.

Also worth noting: NFL+ regular season and postseason games will only be available on phones and tablets while preseason games will be available on mobiles, connected TVs and computers. That means you won’t be able to watch regular season games on NFL+ on your TV. And you won’t be able to use features such as Apple’s AirPlay to send the signal from your mobile to the TV. It’s phones and tablets only, folks.

2. NFL+ Premium for $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year.
You get:
* All NFL+ features plus full game replays (ad-free)
* Condensed game replays across all devices. (ad-free.)
* Coaches film (ad free)

This is basically a new version of the NFL’s GamePass. In fact, existing GamePass subscriptions will automatically roll over to NFL+ Premium.

Bottom line: If you’re a cord-cutter who can’t install an antenna, NFL+ might be worth your $5 a month. But be prepared to squint a bit when you watch those regular season and playoff games because your 65-inch 4K TV will be useless. It’s mobile only.

The good news is that NFL Plus has a seven-day free trial.

Carlo, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman