How to Find a Bar That’s Showing Thursday Night Football Or the Sunday Ticket

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, I want to watch the Bills play the Dolphins on Thursday night but I will be out with the guys so no Amazon at home. Do you know which bars will show the game on Thursday night so we can watch? – Steve, Fairfax, Virginia.

Steve, Amazon’s Thursday Night Football this week (September 18, 2025) will stream the Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins game at 8 p.m. ET with pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m. If you have a decent Internet plan, and you are at home, there are two ways to watch the game for free: Twitch, which is Amazon’s gaming service, or get a 30-day free trial to Amazon’s Prime Video service.

But what if you won’t be home? That’s when it gets tricky because some bars, which normally show high-profile games, won’t show this one because it’s on streaming and they may not be equipped for that.

However, there is an easy way to find a bar that will show the game (and the NFL Sunday Ticket on Sunday!).

DIRECTV’s business division and Amazon have an agreement that permits the TV provider to offer Thursday Night Football broadcasts to more than 300,000 commercial venues, including bars and restaurants. (DIRECTV has a similar deal for the Sunday Ticket.) But how can you tell which bar will have the game?

All you have to do is download DIRECTV’s Sports Bar Finder, an app that uses GPS to map sports bars and other venues that subscribe to the satcaster’s programming, specifically select offerings such as the Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass, MLS Season Pass, NHL Center Ice, Longhorn Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and more. The Sports Bar Finder, which is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play, will allow you to search your area, select your favorite bars, and filter selections by packages, channels and networks.

You can also use the Bar Finder on the web here.

There are usually several options in most areas for the NFL Sunday Ticket and Thursday Night Football. When you click on a button on the map in your preferred area, it will highlight different establishments that will have the Thursday Night Football game or the Sunday Ticket. The places not only include bars and restaurants, but fast food stops such as McDonald’s. You’ll know if a particular establishment will have Thursday Night Football or Sunday Ticket because the TNF or Sunday Ticket graphic will be displayed under the bar title and address.

(Note that not all establishments carry both the Sunday Ticket and Thursday Night Football.)

The app also has a daily sports schedule with listings information which you can see here. If you’re a sports fan who likes to frequent drinking establishments, the Sports Bar Finder is a must-have. And it’s free.

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