Report: NFL near deal with new company for ‘Sunday Ticket’ package
Apr 29, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at First Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL is near a deal with a new company for the “Sunday Ticket” package, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday evening that Google’s YouTube is near a deal for the package.
WSJ is reporting that NFL is near a deal with Google's YouTube for Sunday Ticket rights. Story coming on https://t.co/tOtyVE4vSI
— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) December 20, 2022
The deal needs the approval of the league’s owners, which could come on Wednesday.
DirecTV had been the home of the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” package since it launched in 1994. The package allows subscribers to watch out-of-market NFL games for a substantial price of around $400 per year, which is in addition to paying for DirecTV’s base satellite TV service.
DirecTV has been paying $1.5 billion per year for the rights to the TV package, but their deal expires after this season. Online streaming services had been bidding for the package for the 2023 season and beyond. Apple TV was initially viewed as the favorite to lock up the Sunday Ticket, but their talks hit a snag a few months ago, opening the door for Google to step in.
CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX and Amazon all would continue to have their rights to broadcast games. But the out-of-market games would then be available through the package at YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels.
YouTube TV has a base package of around $65 per month. Subscribers can expect that price to increase at some point in the future once Google pays billions for the NFL package. The package would also reportedly be available through Primetime Channels.
