NFL Sunday Ticket Likely to Move to Steaming Service Provider Ahead of 2023 Season
NFL Sunday Ticket, DirecTV’s flagship sports package, will move to a new home in 2023. The NFL is set to decide where the package will be housed in the future by the fall. NFL Sunday Ticket offers subscribers access to all games being played on Sundays, regardless of the market a viewer is in. The package has been popular among NFL fans who also have DirecTV but has been a bit limiting for those who don’t subscribe to the service provider. The NFL season is set to kick off in September.
NFL Sunday Ticket to move from DirecTV
DirecTV is set to lose NFL Sunday Ticket. The satellite cable provider has been the home of the much-beloved football viewing package for over two decades. Now, the NFL is searching for a new home for the package, and according to NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, a streaming service platform seems like the package’s most likely new home.
While Goodell has plans to pick a winner by the fall, the move to a new home won’t be instantaneous. DirecTV owns the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket through the 2022 season, so fans who currently subscribe to the package won’t see a major change this season. A big change will be coming for the 2023 season, though. That is when most experts believe the real switch will come. However, where the NFL will find a new home is still anyone’s guess, although some top contenders have emerged.
How long has DirecTV had the rights to the massive sports package?
DirecTV has a long and illustrious history with the NFL. In fact, DirecTV has been linked to football since its very inception. Within months of DirecTV’s launch, they won the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, which was in its infancy, too. For more than two decades, the relationship seemed to be going well.
In recent years, AT&T, DirecTV’s parent company, has questioned the relationship. According to CNBC, the package has caused DirecTV to lose money recently. The company paid $1.5 billion to host NFL games last year, but only 23% of its subscribers are subscribed to the package. With the cable company losing subscribers in large numbers now, it makes little sense for them to continue hosting the package. Moving NFL Sunday Ticket to a streaming service provider will also make games accessible to a much larger audience.
What streaming service provider will purchase the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket?
While the sports package will be moving from its current home to a new platform, it’s still anyone’s guess what company will drop enough cash to win the inevitable bidding war. Still, there is some sense of which platforms may be interested in the rights. Roger Goodell is confident Sunday Ticket will go to a streaming service provider. He isn’t alone in his thoughts.
Casey Wasserman, owner of Wasserman Agency, a top sports agency, sat down with CNBC to discuss NFL Sunday Ticket and what the move means for the future of sports. Wasserman said that he suspects one of the larger tech companies will go all out to win the rights to the package. According to fans and several industry insiders, Apple or Amazon appear to be top contenders.
Amazon already has experience streaming some games. The shopping and logistics company streamed multiple games last season. They are also tied into the NFL through AWS. Apple doesn’t yet have experience streaming NFL games, but rumors have been circulating for months that they may be the most interested party. For now, fans will need to wait for an official announcement.
