In a stunning move announced Thursday morning by the National Football League, the NFL Sunday Ticket package, born in 1994 and exclusively offered since then by direct broadcast satellite provider DirecTV, is heading to Alphabet Inc.’s streaming hub.
The decision comes after Apple TV said no to moving forward with a deal, putting the focus on YouTube TV and current Thursday Night Football partner Amazon Video to put forth a plan agreeable with the NFL.
The announcement was made in a video shot on the field of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Both YouTube TV and the ubiquitous YouTube platform would presumably offer NFL Sunday Ticket packages. Integral to the deal was a streaming option, which DirecTV only offered to those who could not use its DBS equipment.
The exclusive multi-year agreement between Alphabet Inc. and the NFL begins with the 2023-2024 season and is exclusive to the U.S. and its territories. For viewers in Canada and elsewhere, current international restrictions remain in place. Canadians have enjoyed NFL Sunday Ticket through MVPDs such as Shaw Communications, TELUS and Rogers.
“We’re excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans.”
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki added, “Through this expanded partnership with the NFL, viewers will now also be able to experience the game they love in compelling and innovative ways through YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels. We’re excited to continue our work with the NFL to make YouTube a great place for sports lovers everywhere.”
The NFL and Google have been partners since the League first launched its official NFL channel on YouTube in 2015. Since then, the NFL YouTube channel has grown to more than 10 million subscribers.
While YouTube TV is a subscription vMVPD that lets viewers watch live and on-demand TV from more than 100 channels, YouTube Primetime Channels is “a new way for users to subscribe and watch content from their favorite streaming services right on the YouTube app.” The latter is comprised of over 30 channels and is the streaming marketplace within the YouTube app.
Until December 19, Apple TV had been one of the leading streaming services to snag the rights for NFL Sunday Ticket. The story first emerged in Heat Media’s Puck.news website, and was “buried” in story analyzing the return of Bob Iger to head The Walt Disney Co., Kaplan writes. The main reason Apple isn’t moving forward? “They don’t see the logic” in acquiring the digital rights for NFL Sunday Ticket. With The Walt Disney Co. and its ESPN out of the picture, that left Google and its YouTube TV products and Amazon Video.
Amazon Video, which with the 2022-2023 season took on Thursday Night Football, a money-loser for FOX, appeared to be in the driver’s seat. But, given its cash at hand, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and YouTube sealed the deal.
“Making NFL Sunday Ticket exclusive to YouTube TV, but also making it available on YouTube, will help the Sunday Ticket achieve greater reach,” one industry observer told RBR+TVBR. “You won’t have to buy YouTube TV at $65 a month just to also buy Sunday Ticket; you’ll be able to pay for Sunday Ticket through the YouTube app for however much they decide to charge.”
Pricing has not yet been released, and terms of the multi-year agreement between the NFL and Alphabet were not disclosed. According to The Athletic, the NFL hoped to get about $3.5 billion for the multi-year rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, which provides out-of-market access to games played on local CBS and Fox stations and affiliates on Sundays. It is believed that YouTube and YouTube TV are paying $2 billion, indicating the NFL did not get nearly as much as it hoped for.
Meanwhile, the future of the NFL RedZone channel is no longer in in question, as it was confirmed by host Scott Hanson on Thursday.
Congrats @YouTube & @NFL on the new Sunday Ticket deal!
(& yes, NFL RedZone will still be available to you.)
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) December 22, 2022
What remains uncertain is if the DirecTV Sunday Ticket RedZone Channel will remain on the DirecTV lineup.
