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It’s now official, Google has bought the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, and it will be available on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime channels starting in the 2023 season.
This is the first time that the NFL Sunday Ticket will not be available on DIRECTV, since it has had the package since it debuted in 1994. Though this was bound to happen, as DIRECTV was never involved in any attempts to keep the NFL Sunday Ticket on its platform.
Apparently, this deal will run for about 7 years, so we’ll be talking about this again for the 2030 season. Google is said to be paying about $2 billion to the NFL for Sunday Ticket, per season. That’s up from the $1.5 billion DIRECTV was paying per season. The NFL is still working out a deal for commercial rights for bars and restaurants, which is a deal that could be worth about $200 million per season, and DIRECTV is interested in those rights.
Consumers can subscribe to Sunday Ticket as a standalone channel
Since Google is going to make the NFL Sunday Ticket available on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime channels, you’ll be able to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket as a standalone channel, through Primetime channels. That’s great news, as currently, you need to pay for DIRECTV and then even more for Sunday Ticket. And that is likely going to be the same for YouTube TV.
Google has not yet announced how much Sunday Ticket will cost. We likely won’t know that until next Summer, as we get closer to the new season starting. However, it is worth noting that the contractual requirements with FOX and CBS – the channels that air the games – requires it to be set at a “premium” price. Currently, a season of NFL Sunday Ticket costs $294 from DIRECTV. With the rise in cost for the carriage, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this be closer to $350 for next season.
The NFL has also said that they plan to roll out some new features and functionalities for Sunday Ticket, but those are also expected to be announced closer to the 2023 season.