How to watch Nov. 17 Jets vs. Broncos game in NYC

November 12, 2011 12:49 PM

NY Jets/NFL Network issue. The Jets play the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Nov. 17. The game will be broadcast by the NFL Network. My cable provider, Time Warner, does not carry the NFL Network. What are my options for watching the game? I am in Manhattan. Thanks.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Your only real option for watching the game live at home are to stream it from overseas websites offering live streams of US sports. These unlicensed broadcasts are themselves unlawful, though I'm not sure as to whether that means that you as a viewer would be committing an ostensible "crime" in watching them. It seems akin to downloading music for free, which is obviously a rife topic with strong opinions.

Also, sports bars.

It is absurd, stupid, and counterproductive that the NFL won't let you (or me!) give them $10 to stream a live game online. While Thursday will suck for you as a Jets fan living in New York, try being a Chiefs fan living in California. It is literally impossible for me to legally watch as many as 15 of their 16 games many years (their home game against the Raiders is always on TV here, but most of the time--not this year, though!--the KC/Oakland game in Oakland is blacked out).
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 12:59 PM on November 12, 2011

Yeah, your options to watch the game live are threefold; Watch it at a friend who has NFL Network's place, watch it at a public venue like a sports bar, watch it illegally via unlicensed online streaming.
posted by Justinian at 1:06 PM on November 12, 2011

Is Manhattan not a primary market for the Jets? Are not games in primary markets broadcast on a local station in addition to airing on NFLN or ESPN (I know this is the case, on, say Monday - the MNF Vikes/Packers game will be broadcast on NBC in Minneapolis/St. Paul)? Check your local listings.
posted by kickingthecrap at 1:08 PM on November 12, 2011

I feel as if local games are broadcasted on local channels silmutaniously when they are also on cable. I know for sure this is the case with MNF and ESPN. Not sure if they do that with Thursday Night games, but it's worth double checking.
posted by katypickle at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2011

Yeah, I was about to post basically what katypickle said. Back in the day when all I had was Antenna, we'd still get to see the Redskins games that were on Sunday night on ESPN, they'd just be rebroadcast on one of the local stations. I checked the TV guide and it looks like channel 11, the CW, will be doing the Jets game, but just for folks in the New York area.
posted by skewed at 1:32 PM on November 12, 2011

Confirming Katypickle and Skewed: Thursday night games on NFL network are always provided on free over-the-air stations in the teams' local markets.
posted by Zonker at 2:49 PM on November 12, 2011

A great resource for figuring out which NFL games air on what channels, and where, and why: http://the506.com/nflmaps/.
posted by GatorX3 at 2:52 PM on November 12, 2011

the506 is great, but doesn't cover local, off station, broadcasts. it's perfect for showing which games are shown for the national broadcasts, but this is a slightly different situation.

it looks like by monkeying around with listings at tv guide, that the game will be shown on CW/WPIX in new york - for the zip code i looked at it was channel 11/711. for what it's worth, it's the local CW affiliate who plays the dallas local games that are only broadcast on cable for everyone else, so the CW looks like a good first place to check for NFLN/ESPN games.
posted by nadawi at 3:10 PM on November 12, 2011

although, if you want to know the sites for streaming, shoot me an email.
posted by nadawi at 3:11 PM on November 12, 2011

Ah, so it is. WPIX's listing.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 3:57 PM on November 12, 2011

nadawi: Along with the national broadcast maps, the506 lists the NFL's complicated TV rules that can be used to figure out if a game will be shown locally. Pertinent to this question is the rule that "Primary and secondary markets are required to air all road games of the team in question...".
posted by GatorX3 at 7:01 PM on November 12, 2011

yeah, but that doesn't actually get him the listing for the game. i was just saying the maps wouldn't be as useful in this situation because they're showing something else.
posted by nadawi at 7:07 PM on November 12, 2011

The506.com says:

ESPN and NFL Network games are also simulcast on an over-the-air station in the primary markets of the two teams only. Stations in secondary and other markets are not allowed to air these games, even if the NFL Network is not widely available in the market.

In other words, what a few people upthread said. Still, good to see confirmation from an authoritative source.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:46 PM on November 12, 2011

Justin.tv. Here's the live channels for American Football. If you find a stream that isn't quite right, look in the sidebar at the right side "Related Live Channels". For some reason some live channels don't come up in the search.

Also, ESPN3 sometimes carries games.

A couple of good European stream sites that also carried American sports have been shut down recently by ICE. That's a shame. I don't have TV, and even if I did, many of the games I want to see are blacked out in my area or pre-empted by the local athletic conference games. I still see the advertising on streamed live channels, and I don't have a problem with that.

When I have been desperate, I have found some radio stations will stream their broadcasts on the internet, though that happens less often the last few years.
posted by Xoebe at 12:51 PM on November 15, 2011