How to Watch Thursday and Monday Night Football in 2026

By RIPTV Team · Published 16 October 2026

The NFL week does not begin and end on Sunday. It opens with a standalone Thursday night kickoff and closes with Monday Night Football, two primetime showcases that each get a stage of their own. Unlike the crowded Sunday slate, these are single-game nights with the whole audience watching one matchup — which is exactly why missing them stings.

Both games are national, so there are no regional blackouts to worry about: whatever your market, the Thursday and Monday broadcasts are the same feed everywhere. This guide names the networks that carry each night, shows how to find them in RIPTV, and explains how to set your week up so a weeknight kickoff never catches you without a way to watch.

Which networks carry Thursday and Monday night football?

Primetime weeknight football has settled into a familiar rhythm. RIPTV keeps the relevant networks in its lineup:

• Thursday night — NFL Network: the league’s own channel has carried the standalone Thursday kickoff for years, opening the football week in primetime.
• Monday night — ESPN and ABC: Monday Night Football is a long-running institution, frequently simulcast across both so the audience can take their pick.
• NFL Network, all week: studio shows, build-up and replays surround the Thursday game and run through the week.

Because these are national windows, they are the easiest NFL games to watch without cable — one channel, one kickoff, the same everywhere. You can see where they sit on the channels page and the wider sports lineup.

How do I find the weeknight games in RIPTV?

Both networks live in the sports category, grouped with the rest of the football channels:

1. Open your player app — TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro.
2. Go to the sports category in the guide.
3. For Thursday, select NFL Network ahead of kickoff; for Monday, choose ESPN or ABC.
4. The electronic programme guide shows start times, so you can line up the game the night before.

Since the lineup is sorted by category, you scroll straight to football rather than hunting through thousands of channels. This is the same simple flow that makes watching every NFL game manageable in one app.

Why are weeknight games easier to watch than Sundays?

Sunday afternoons are regional: your local affiliates choose which games to show, and the rest are out of market. Thursday and Monday are the opposite — a single national broadcast beamed to the entire country. There is no question of which game your market gets, because there is only one game, and RIPTV carries the channel that shows it. For fans who have moved away from their home team’s region, these national nights are often the most reliable way to see their team in full; our guide to following your team out of market explains how the national windows fit together.

How does the cost compare to cable?

Catching both weeknight games on cable usually means the sports tier that carries ESPN and NFL Network, plus a box rental. RIPTV delivers the same channels over your internet in plain dollars.

RIPTV starts at $15 a month and the 12-month plan is $69, with both primetime networks inside the lineup rather than split across separate services. The pricing page lists every tier, sold from one to five screens.

What setup works best for a weeknight game?

Primetime games are appointment viewing, so a reliable feed matters:

• A stable connection of at least 25 Mbps for a clean 4K or FHD picture.
• A streaming device: a Fire TV Stick, an Android TV box, an Apple TV, a Roku or a smart TV.
• A player app such as TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro.
• An active RIPTV subscription.

Worth knowing before you buy hardware: the newest Fire TV Stick 4K Select runs Amazon’s Vega OS, which does not allow sideloading third-party players, so choose an earlier Fire TV, an Android TV box or an Android smart TV to install TiviMate yourself. The built-in Smart IPTV app needs Samsung Tizen 6.5 or newer, or LG webOS 3.0 or newer. For the full weeknight rig, see our best setup for NFL fans.

Can I test it before the next kickoff?

Yes. A weeknight game is the perfect trial run. RIPTV offers a free 24-hour trial with full access to the sports channels, so you can load NFL Network or ESPN on a live night and judge the picture and stability yourself. Start with the free trial, and if the primetime feed holds steady, keep it. A 7-day money-back guarantee and 99.9% uptime stand behind every paid plan, and 120,000+ on-demand titles fill the nights without football.

Not missing another weeknight kickoff? Message the RIPTV team on WhatsApp at +212 610 046 062 to start your trial or order a plan. Rounding out your week? Learn how to get NFL RedZone on Sundays and how to watch the playoffs and Super Bowl.

How do I build my week around the primetime games?

The beauty of the weeknight slots is their rhythm. The football week opens on Thursday night and closes on Monday, bracketing the Sunday slate with two appointment games you can plan around in advance. Because both are national and carried on channels RIPTV keeps in its lineup, you are never left wondering whether your market gets them. A simple routine helps: on Thursday, open NFL Network a little before kickoff and let the pre-game build-up set the tone for the week ahead. Save a favourites list in your player so NFL Network, ESPN and ABC sit together, one click apart, and the programme guide will show you each game’s start time so nothing sneaks up on you. Monday night then becomes the week’s closing act, a single game with the full audience watching, ideal for settling in after the Sunday rush. Treating the two primetime windows as bookends turns a scattered football week into something you can anticipate rather than scramble to catch, and it means the games you most want to see are the ones you are surest of reaching.

Thursday and Monday night football: your questions answered

Are the weeknight games blacked out in any market?

Thursday and Monday games are national broadcasts, so the same feed airs across the country with no regional split. That makes them the simplest NFL games to watch without cable, because there is only one broadcast to find rather than a market-by-market choice.

Is Monday Night Football on ESPN or ABC?

Monday Night Football has long aired on ESPN, and many weeks it is also simulcast on ABC. RIPTV carries both channels, so you can pick whichever feed you prefer on the night without worrying which one has the game.

Does the Thursday game ever move to a different channel?

Season openers and holiday games sometimes sit on the broadcast networks, but the standalone Thursday night slot has for years run on NFL Network. Because RIPTV carries the broadcast networks too, you are covered wherever a given week’s game lands.

Can I watch a weeknight game on more than one screen?

Yes, with a multi-screen plan. Plans are sold from one to five screens, so the game can run in the living room and a bedroom at the same time. Pick the screen count that suits your household on the pricing page.

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