The NFL Sunday Ticket is about to jump to YouTube.
The NFL and Google have reportedly been in advanced talks about the popular service making the switch to YouTube starting next season, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The rights to the program have been owned by DirecTV since its launch in 1994. However, the service has become a vital part of the NFL season for fans across the country. It allows fans to watch nearly any game regardless of market and because of NFL RedZone. The contract with DirecTV will be up at the end of this season, and the goal for the NFL should be to bring in more customers.
The league has been hunting for a new home for the service for some time. Other than Google, Apple was a favorite though talks between the NFL and Apple reportedly broke down last week.
“I would say it’s in a very critical point for us,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said of the deal earlier this month, via NBC Sports. “We’ve had a lot of interest in this, and we continue to. Our decisions are not based on timelines. They’re based on it being the best outcome with the best party.”
It is currently unclear how much the deal between YouTube and the NFL will be worth, however it is reported that DirecTV was paying $1.5 billion per season. If the NFL makes the switch, it’ll be the second streaming service they’ve gone to in as many years. Amazon Prime Video is now the exclusive home for Thursday night games through the 2033 season. It is paying the league about $1 billion per season.
Other TV services such as DirecTV and Comcast are paying closer to $2 billion for their respective NFL deals. So just like Thursday Night Football, NFL Sunday Ticket may be making the switch to streaming as well. This time though the service would be YouTube.
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