For years, NFL Sunday Ticket was only an option if you had DirecTV. If you didn’t have their service and satellite dish, you could only see your local NFL games. About 10 years ago, they started offering a streaming option, but even then, only those who were unable to have their satellite service and a few other exceptions could sign up for it.
Now, the contract for Sunday Ticket starting in the 2023 season went up for grabs recently. Out of nowhere, streaming mogul YouTube TV won the contract, and they are making big changes to the way things are run. Considering it costs $179.99 a month, with $79.99 a month going for the ordinary satellite subscription, it’s not been cheap. While they have had programs for veterans, college students, and others over the years, it’s still required the subscription service unless you were able to duck it with streaming.
Having YouTube TV take it over would likely make it a streaming-only option. This may impact some rural customers, but this is an area where the greater good will benefit greatly from this option. With a small necessity for more or upgraded equipment, it is suspected to run $300 a season, which is a substantial saving over the DirecTV version of the program.
The rumored perks don’t end there, though.
Floating around is an idea of a “single-team option” that would give subscribers any out-of-market games for a single team at a far lower price. This is an option that could excite many fans who only like to watch “their” team play but leave out of the market. In places with no local team like Alaska, Montana, or Hawaii, this would be a distinct advantage.
DirecTV has had the contract since 1994, and with the new seven-year deal with YouTube TV, there is a lot of history and changes on the horizon. With the NFL expected to rake in $2 billion per year from this deal, there will be a lot more people watching Sunday Ticket going forward.
