DirectTV Inching Towards Dropping NFL Sunday Ticket
By Josh Hill
For the last 18 years, DirectTV has made it’s name on allowing football fans to watch every single game on Sundays. If things don’t change, that could be ending very soon as the satellite television company does not have a new contract in place with the NFL that would continue to make Direct TV the exclusive home of every single NFL game.
CEO Pat Doyle told investors on Wednesday that amid rising sports costs, NFL Sunday Ticket may have to be dropped as a package to consumers. Doyle said that if during the next round of negotiations with the NFL the price goes too high, DirectTV will have no choice but to pull out of the deal altogether or severely alter their current plan.
As of today, Direct TV has two years left on it’s $4 billion extension which was agreed upon back in 2009. One massive piece of evidence that suggests NFL Sunday Ticket will be dropped is that fact that there has been absolutely no talks of a new contract, which is something that never happens with the NFL. The league is notorious for getting their ducks in a row years in advance of contract expiration and the business as usual deadline is fast approaching.
Back in 1994 when DirectTV hit a grand slam by offering NFL fans the chance to watch every single game at home, the idea of being able to sit on your couch in Michigan and watch the Seahawks play the Buccaneers was extremely innovative. But today the novelty has worn off and the steep price and fierce competition has a lot to do with it.
In 1994, DirectTV was the only place you could watch every single NFL game. Today, NFL RedZone offers every single game from a scoring angle, and NFL Rewind allows you to sit on your couch in Michigan and watch the Buccaneers play the Seahawks on a brisk Tuesday morning.
However, don’t confuse DirectTV losing NFL Sunday Ticket with NFL Sunday Ticket becoming a defunct package. Just because DirectTV can’t pay for it doesn’t mean someone like Comcast Xfinity won’t. NBC is starting to beef up it’s sports coverage with NBC Sports network, and the NBC owned Comcast broadcasting empire would love to get their paws on a lucrative exclusive deal with the NFL.
That’s obviously one of many possible places Sunday NFL Ticket could land, because if the package becomes a free agent, everyone and their grandma will be trying to get their hands on this deal. So while we could be facing the end of a 20 year era, NFL Sunday Ticket likely won’t be going anywhere except away from DirectTV.