Football fans in the UK are to get free coverage of NFL games this season, thanks to a new deal struck between the league and Paramount Skydance-owned Channel 5.

While Channel 4 first broadcast live NFL, for free, to the nation back in the early 1980s, the league has been mostly confined to Sky Sports and, latterly, streaming platform DAZN in recent years, although Channel 5 earned a niche showing the live game from Monday Night Football in the early hours of the British Tuesday morning. Now, the broadcaster — which has championed US sports since its inception in 1997 — has inked a deal to show live football in both the 6pm and 9.25pm UK windows.

First reported in The Athletic, the agreement is for Channel 5 to show the earlier game amongst its regularly-scheduled programming, with the second airing via the Freeview channel 5Action. The coverage is expected to be hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Sam Quek, both confirmed NFL fans, with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora providing analysis. Reports that breaks in the action would be filled by a ‘gameshow’ element as Channel 5 attempts to reach a less hardcore audience than those courted by the subscription-based alternatives, have also been confirmed with NFL: Big Game Night, produced by Hungry Bear Media, airing from 5.30pm and featuring a play-along format aimed at a family audience that will run alongside the 6pm game. The wider partnership with Paramount will also see the return of the children’s NFL show *Slimetime UK* to Nickelodeon in 2026.

“I’m really excited about hosting Big Game Night – the show combines two of my big loves: entertainment television and American football,” O’Leary commented. “I think it will be a really fun, silly and brilliant way to watch the game so I hope people enjoy it.”

Although there has been no official confirmation as yet, Sky Sports is expected to continue with its established coverage, although the report in The Athletic makes no mention of the familiar Sunday Night Football offering alongside the usual 6pm and 9pm slots. The late window games on Monday and Thursday are to remain. DAZN’s Game Pass offering will continue to offer fans every game bar those being shown on Sky, but there is to be no blackout of the games on Channel 5, suggesting that these will not duplicate those on the satellite channel.

Full details of how the various agreements break down is expected this week, with just over a fortnight remaining before the 2025 regular season kicks off in Philadelphia.