Best value streaming service for NBC October 2026
Provider | Plans | Prices |
|---|---|---|
Peacock | Premium | |
Peacock | Premium Plus | |
Sling | Select + Locals | |
DirecTV | MyNews Genre Pack | |
Sling | Sling Blue + Locals | |
YouTube TV | Sports Plan | |
YouTube TV | Base Plan | |
DirecTV | DirecTV Entertainment |
What is coming up on NBC in October 2026?
Sunday Night Football continues to headline NBC's live sports offering during the second month of the National Football League (NFL) season, with this month's games being Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers on October 4, Baltimore Ravens @ Atlanta Falcons on October 11, Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers on October 18 and Kansas City Chiefs @ Seattle Seahawks on October 25.
NCAA college football has pride of place in NBC's Saturday primetime schedule, with major Big Ten Conference matchups and Notre Dame home games featuring. This month's live offering includes Washington @ USC on October 3 and Stanford @ Notre Dame followed by USC @ Penn State on October 10, with more games to be announced ahead of each matchweek.
October marks the start of the 2026/27 National Basketball Association (NBA) campaign. NBC will screen a tripleheader of games on the opening day of the season, Tuesday October 20, these being Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs. Pregame coverage of the middle game will feature the 2026 NBA champion Knicks' banner ceremony.
NBC's Coast 2 Coast Tuesday NBA coverage continues on October 27 with live coverage of Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers, while fans of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) can catch games one and four of the WNBA Finals on Saturday October 17 and Saturday October 24.
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves in the deciding game of the National League Wild Card Series is the last Major League Baseball (MLB) game that NBC will screen this year, its first with regular MLB coverage after a gap of 25 years, beginning a new month of live sport on Thursday October 1.
Live Premier League soccer returns to NBC following the latest round of international fixtures. The channel consistently broadcasts matches that kick off at 12.30pm ET on Saturdays, which this month are Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur on October 10, Newcastle United vs Aston Villa on October 17, Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur on October 24 and Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace on October 31.
NBC will also show a blockbuster clash between two of the Premier League's most recent champions, Liverpool vs Manchester City, on Sunday October 11.
Away from live sport, NBC's October lineup includes the return of the One Chicago franchise, with new seasons of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. all premiering on Wednesday October 7. The Law & Order franchise has pride of place on Thursday nights, with new seasons of Law & Order: SVU and the flagship Law & Order series getting underway on October 8.
Friday October 23 will see the return of sitcom Happy's Place plus the debut of comedy Newlyweds.
READ MORE: Where to watch and live stream English Premier League soccer
Sunday Night Football on NBC: Everything you need to know
NBC enters its 21st season of holding TV rights to Sunday Night Football, the only nationally-televised standalone game that is broadcast over-the-air and across the country every week of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. It has been the USA's most-watched primetime TV series for 15 years in a row.
Among the fixtures set to be televised on Sunday Night Football this season are Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants on September 13, Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers on October 4 and Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers from Estadio Banorte in Mexico City on November 22.
The 18 Sunday 8.20pm ET kickoffs represent the bulk of the 26 NFL games that NBC Sports will broadcast over the course of the 2026/27 season.
The network also has rights to the NFL Kickoff Game - the 21st consecutive season-opener to be broadcast on the channel and a repeat of Super Bowl LX, which was also televised by NBC - between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks; an annual Thanksgiving game, which this year features the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills; plus a doubleheader on Saturday January 2, a 4.30pm ET kickoff that will be live on NBC before an 8pm ET kickoff that is exclusive to streaming service Peacock.
NBC will also broadcast live coverage of three matchups from the NFL Playoffs, two from the Wild Card Round including one in primetime on Sunday January 17, plus a game from the Divisional Round the following weekend. This will mark the end of a season of football coverage on NBC that began with the preseason-opening Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals.
Sunday Night Football games are called by Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, who will be announcing NBC's live NFL coverage together for a fifth consecutive season.
Tirico and Collinsworth are joined by sideline reporters Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung, while former Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay will be utilized as a rules analyst on all NFL games that are screened by NBC and Peacock.
Football Night in America precedes Sunday Night Football between 7-8pm ET every weekend. Maria Taylor hosts alongside a panel that includes new addition Mike Tomlin, the Super Bowl XLIII-winning former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, plus the returning Jason Garrett, Devin McCourty and NFL insider Mike Florio.
What is NBC?
The National Broadcasting Company, launched in 1939, has been entertaining the American audience for countless years. The oldest of the traditional "Big Three", it is often referred to as the Peacock Network thanks to its logo. It remains the go-to destination for millions of Americans for entertainment, sports and other events.
Where can I watch it for free?
You can watch NBC through DirecTV, it has a five-day free trial for new customers. It is available on all the plans of this major streaming service.
If you are out of the country and would like to watch upcoming NBC content on your favoured streaming service, you can do so by bypassing geo-restrictions by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
READ MORE: The best VPNs for streaming soccer and sports
*Price Note: The base price for Sling Select is $19.99, but adding NBC/FOX/ABC requires a $10.00 local surcharge, bringing the news-focused total to $29.99/mo.