Starting in 2023, YouTube will become the exclusive streaming home for the NFL Sunday Ticket package, which offers access to out-of-market games that air on FOX and CBS each Sunday. Currently, DirecTV holds the rights to Sunday Ticket, but it will be moving to Google’s streaming service next season. Apple and Amazon were also reportedly in talks for the package, but Apple dropped out of the race last week, leaving Amazon and Google to compete for the rights. Sunday Ticket will be available as an add-on for YouTube TV subscribers or as a standalone option on YouTube Primetime Channels, an à la carte service that was launched last month. The cost for Sunday Ticket on YouTube has not yet been revealed. On DirecTV, Sunday Ticket plans for the 2022 season start at $294.
The terms of the deal between YouTube and the NFL were not disclosed. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, YouTube will pay $2 billion per year in a seven-year pact. This amount is around $500 million more per season than what DirecTV is currently paying. It is believed that DirecTV has between 1.5 million and 2 million Sunday Ticket subscribers and has been losing money on the package for several years.
The NFL and YouTube have had a partnership for several years, with the league launching its main channel on the platform in 2015. In 2018, YouTube TV subscribers gained access to the NFL Network and NFL RedZone. These will remain available on YouTube TV as part of the expanded pact. In addition to this, some YouTube creators will be given access to certain NFL tentpole events for content creation opportunities.
The agreement for Sunday Ticket is a significant victory for Google and YouTube. YouTube TV already hosts other sports networks, such as those from the NBA and MLB, but having exclusive rights to a package that offers a large number of out-of-market NFL games is expected to attract more users to the streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has a 11-year deal to stream Thursday Night Football games that began this season. Apple is also expanding its presence in live sports with a 10-year deal to stream every Major League Soccer game via Apple TV starting in 2023.
