The NFL faced criticism Thursday night after some NFL+ subscribers reported problems logging in and accessing preseason games through the league’s paid streaming service.
NFL analyst Warren Sharp was among those who publicly complained during the Aug. 13 slate, asking the league to issue refunds if subscribers could not watch games or properly log into accounts they had paid to use.
“hey @nfl go ahead and refund us for your terrible @NFLPlus product if you’re not gonna let us watch games and login properly to access what we paid for,” Sharp wrote on X, tagging the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell.
Several users responding to Sharp described similar problems. Some said they could not log in, while another said NFL+ prompted him to purchase access despite already having an active subscription.
The complaints arrived on a significant night for NFL+, with six preseason games scheduled Thursday as the league’s first full week of preseason action got underway.
hey @nfl go ahead and refund us for your terrible @NFLPlus product if you’re not gonna let us watch games and login properly to access what we paid for cc: @nflcommish
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 13, 2026
NFL+ Was a Key Viewing Option for Thursday’s Preseason Games
NFL+ isn’t merely an add-on for highlights and replays during August.
The NFL advertises live out-of-market preseason games as one of the service’s features, and its preseason guidance says those games can be watched live through NFL+. The league also directs subscribers dealing with streaming problems to its troubleshooting resources and recommends making sure the NFL app and device software are updated.
That made access particularly relevant Thursday.
Three of the six games on the Aug. 13 schedule were available through ESPN Unlimited or NFL Network, while the other three were available to stream through NFL+, according to Decider’s viewing guide.
NFL+ currently starts at $6.99 per month or $39.99 annually, with NFL+ Premium priced at $14.99 per month or $79.99 annually, Decider reported.
That distinction matters when subscribers aren’t simply searching for a free stream but say they cannot use access they’ve already purchased.
As of Thursday evening, Heavy had not located a public statement from the NFL confirming a widespread NFL+ outage. The number of complaints visible beneath Sharp’s post does not, by itself, establish how broadly users were affected.
NFL+ Blackouts Are Different From Login Problems
There is another wrinkle for preseason viewers: not every unavailable game indicates that NFL+ is malfunctioning.
The league says preseason games airing locally in a viewer’s market can be unavailable live through NFL+ because of local blackout restrictions. Out-of-market preseason games, by comparison, are generally offered live through the service.
But the complaints directed at the NFL on Thursday included users saying they were unable to log in or that the app did not recognize an existing subscription, issues distinct from simply encountering a local blackout.
The NFL even maintains a support page specifically for customers who have paid but cannot access the service. Its troubleshooting process begins with confirming the correct account and resetting the user’s NFL account password before moving to additional steps.
For the league, the timing of Thursday’s complaints is less than ideal.
NFL+ is being positioned as a significant part of how fans consume the preseason, and the NFL’s own promotional material tells viewers they can “catch it all” through the service during the 2026 preseason.
More preseason games are scheduled throughout the weekend, giving the NFL little time for lingering access problems if Thursday’s complaints reflect anything beyond isolated account issues.
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