Three persons familiar with the negotiations claim that Google’s YouTube is close to acquiring the rights to the Sunday Ticket package of National Football League games. So as NFL odds heat up closer to the playoffs, we get exciting news like this also. This would be significant since it would introduce a television mainstay to the streaming industry.
The NFL has been negotiating with DirecTV for months to acquire the package’s rights. The objective is to negotiate an agreement with a streaming service that will allow the NFL to reach and collaborate with more people.
The Deal
Google will acquire the rights to Sunday Ticket from DirecTV, the exclusive provider of the program since 1994 if the agreement goes through. In recent years, NFL games are frequently utilized to attract and retain consumers.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Sunday Ticket package will be offered as an add-on to both YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. Google’s $65-per-month streaming TV service is YouTube TV. In November, Google announced the second option. It allows premium content providers such as Starz, Showtime, Epix, and Paramount Plus to directly sell their material on YouTube.
No one understands the value of the agreement between YouTube and the NFL. Each year, DirecTV spent approximately $1.5 billion. It will be the league’s second large streaming arrangement in many years. Until the 2033 season, Amazon Prime Video will be the only place to watch Thursday night games. It gives the league approximately $1 billion annually.
People claim that Disney, Viacom, CBS, Fox, and Comcast’s NFL contracts cost more than $2 billion per season.
The league could earn more based on the number of YouTube subscribers Google can acquire and its performance in other areas. The duration of the deal has yet to be determined.
Upon approval of the contract with YouTube, demand for YouTube TV, the company’s premium streaming service, may increase. Between 1.5 million and 2 million DirecTV customers pay extra for the Sunday Ticket and can watch every Sunday afternoon game except those broadcast in their local markets.
The business that produces YouTube TV (Google), which costs $64.99 a month, claims that over five million users pay for or test it out for free.
NFL After Deal That Guarantees Exposure
A month ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NBC Sports, “I’d say we’re at a critical juncture.” “Numerous people have been and continue to be interested in this topic. Timelines do not influence our decisions. They anticipate the finest outcome with the best party.”
A few days after it was announced that Apple had been eliminated from contention for NFL Sunday Ticket, the Wall Street Journal claimed Tuesday that Google’s YouTube was close to securing the streaming rights for its service as NFL lines keep improving.
According to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal, an agreement might be reached as early as Wednesday.
Earlier reports said that the NFL’s new strategy for Sunday Ticket was to generate $2.5 billion annually. Apple, Amazon, and Disney did not allow the hefty price for programming to deter them from competing for the rights. According to reports, Amazon will pay the NFL $1 billion annually in the autumn to be the only location to watch Thursday Night Football games.
Flint claims that beginning with the upcoming season, subscription services YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels will be allowed to stream NFL games. This premium service allows YouTube users to watch “primetime channels” without switching apps.
Sunday Ticket does not prohibit you from watching local CBS or Fox Sunday broadcasts on television, unlike the Amazon deal, which allows you to stream games on Amazon’s Prime Video and Twitch platforms.
It allows you to view games televised in other parts of the country but not necessarily in your location. This is known as an “off-market option.”
Apple, Amazon, and Google/YouTube began vying for Sunday Ticket rights in the summer of 2021, and it rapidly became a three-horse fight. Late in 2021, it appeared like Amazon would triumph, and by early 2022, it was evident that either Apple or Amazon would prevail.
Reports that the NFL intended to divide the package into different assets, such as an equity stake in NFL Media, the NFL Sunday Ticket package, and mobile live-streaming, compounded matters as Vegas NFL odds work for wagers.
