The Frontrunner To Land NFL Sunday Ticket Is Bad News For Boomers

Getty Image

With the NFL’s Sunday Ticket program set to leave DirecTV at the end of the season, one of the most lucrative sports packages in the United States is in search of a new home, and according to reports, it’s close to finding one.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, Google and YouTube TV are the current favorites to land Sunday Ticket. The Post even reported that an official announcement could come as soon as today.

The NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, which was largely created by Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer and first debuted in 1994, allows users to watch every single NFL game that’s being player even if it’s not being aired in their local market.

Terms being discussed for the agreement couldn’t immediately be learned. Satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which is co-owned by AT&T Inc. and private-equity firm TPG Inc., currently pays $1.5 billion annually for Sunday Ticket rights, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

A potential move of Sunday Ticket to YouTube is further evidence of major sports migrating from traditional TV, which has been hit by cord-cutting, to streaming, and tech companies that are willing to spend heavily on content. Amazon.com Inc. has its own NFL deal, while Apple Inc. streams some Major League Baseball games and has a new deal for Major League Soccer. [via The Wall Street Journal]

Sunday Ticket has been on DirecTV ever since 1994, meaning its move to YouTube TV would mark the end of a nearly 30-year partnership. The Wall Street Journal also reports that Amazon and Apple “kicked the tires” on acquiring Sunday Ticket.

Currently, DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket offer two different plans: NFL Sunday Ticket To Go (the basic version) and NFL Sunday Ticket Max. The basic package costs around costs $293 per year while the Max Plan costs about $395 per year.

Preemptive apologies to everyone out there that’s going to have to explain to their Dad that YouTube and YouTube TV are two different apps and that you’ve got to pay for one of them.