Watching NFL Games at Bars or Restaurants Could Feel Different Starting in 2026

NFL Sunday Ticket through DIRECTV may leave bars and restaurants

For decades, owners of bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments relied on DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS to provide NFL games for their customers on Sundays.

But that situation is in serious jeopardy after EverPass Media announced to its commercial customers that it was now the exclusive carrier of NFL Sunday Ticket, potentially upending more than 30 years of DIRECTV’s market share.

But what does the change mean for NFL fans far and wide? What does it mean for bar and restaurant owners who have expressed hesitance with going to an all-streaming situation in their establishments?

What is EverPass Media?

EverPass Media is a company founded in 2023 by the NFL and RedBird Capital to distribute live sports streaming in commercial venues. Its first major venture was becoming the sole rights holder of NFL Sunday Ticket, which was announced in the same news release unveiling the new company.

“Our goal is to create a new model for commercial sports rights distribution around the globe, and we believe that this is just the beginning of an exciting journey,” EverPass Executive Chairman Derek Chang said in 2023. “Creating a platform that allows commercial establishments to deliver the content that their customers desire is a significant opportunity, and technology allows us to aggregate this content to a platform that can scale and evolve the viewing experience.”

EverPass didn’t stop at Sunday Ticket. In the last three years, it has inked commercial streaming deals with ESPN, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount for their various sports offerings. It has also signed deals to distribute some regional sports networks.

DIRECTV and EverPass had a deal, but it expired

EverPass technically became the exclusive distributor of Sunday Ticket back in 2023 when it was created. But DIRECTV made a deal with EverPass soon after, which allowed it to continue offering the out-of-market NFL product to businesses for the next several years.

That agreement ended at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL season. After EverPass sent its email to customers last week, DIRECTV responded with a lengthy blog post, accusing the company of appearing uninterested in continuing the partnership.

“​​EverPass Media has unfortunately failed to meaningfully engage with DIRECTV following months of proposals at terms consistent with our prior agreement,” the post reads.

A DIRECTV spokesperson told me that the EverPass situation applies only to NFL Sunday Ticket and that “no other sports or sports packages on DIRECTV are affected.”

A request for comment from EverPass was not immediately returned. Meanwhile, DIRECTV says it’s not done talking.

“We have been the home of NFL Sunday Ticket for businesses since 1994, and we are very much open to continuing negotiations before the start of the NFL season,” the spokesperson told me.

What do the negotiations between EverPass and DIRECTV mean for NFL fans?

I’d be surprised if the average NFL fan knew, or even cared, that DIRECTV was the company giving them games on Sundays in public places. And, in reality, it’s not like NFL Sunday Ticket is going away—it’s just being distributed by another company.

But here’s why this development matters. Streaming depends on the quality, speed, and bandwidth of the internet in a location. And generally, it’s really only been built for homes, apartments, or individuals with just a few devices.

If whatever technological infrastructure EverPass has can sync to every TV in a bar or restaurant, without lag or buffering, that’s great for fans. But the moment something goes wrong, you better believe fans will make their voices heard and demand the return of DIRECTV.

“EverPass is forcing businesses to adopt its streaming-only distribution model rather than continuing to work with the established platform that bars and restaurants rely on,” DIRECTV says. “That shift would require businesses to test, upgrade, and invest in new equipment and connectivity to support a platform that remains unproven in multi-screen commercial settings.

“At a time when many businesses are already managing rising costs and tight margins, this approach risks adding financial pressures and operational complexity.”

EverPass is confident that its platform is up to the task.

“The way premium live sports are distributed is changing rapidly as more commercial rights shift to streaming,” the company said in a Sportico article. “EverPass is leading that transition with a purpose-built, commercial-grade platform designed specifically for bars, restaurants, and other out-of-home venues, delivering a solution built for where the industry is going, not where it has been.”

This development feels like the next phase of streaming’s continued deepening in our lives. It’s gone from our living rooms and phones and creeped into where we like to hang out.

But hey, as long as it works on game day, it’s all good.

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