NFL Sunday Ticket is officially leaving DIRECTV. When the NFL returns for its 2023 regular season, YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels will be the new home to out-of-market NFL games.
The NFL and Google (YouTube’s parent company) struck the seven-year broadcast deal in December 2022, worth around $2.2 billion per season. While many details remain unknown, we’ll cover some of the biggest questions surrounding the streaming deal below.
Who will carry NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023?
YouTube will carry NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023. During the next seven years, YouTube TV and YouTube’s Primetime Channels hub will offer NFL Sunday Ticket as a premium add-on.
Pro tip: NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube is available only to US residents. Most NFL fans outside the US can access live games through NFL Game Pass International—the main exception being Canada, where games stream on DAZN.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service that offers 100+ channels for $64.99 per month. By subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV, you’ll pay for out-of-market access on top of the standard YouTube TV monthly fee.
The great thing about YouTube TV is its base plan has NFL channels like CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and NFL Network. This selection means you won’t miss crucial in-market and primetime games during the regular season—including Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football matchups. Plus, you’ll get access to select preseason games, every NFL playoff game, and the Super Bowl.
YouTube Primetime Channels
The YouTube Primetime Channels storefront operates like Amazon Prime Video’s add-on channels. You can subscribe to popular streaming services like Paramount+ and SHOWTIME within the main YouTube site, allowing you to watch premium content alongside your favorite viral videos.
Signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket through Primetime Channels is ideal if you already have an existing TV plan elsewhere. Since channels are à la carte, you won’t need a YouTube TV subscription—and you can dodge paying an extra $64.99 per month for a service you don’t need.
The main disadvantage to Primetime Channels is that you won’t have in-app access to live networks that show NFL games. You also won’t have the same DVR features as YouTube TV.
How much will NFL Sunday Ticket cost on YouTube?
When NFL Sunday Ticket moves to YouTube TV ahead of the 2023 NFL season, its pricing should be similar to what it was through DIRECTV. The NFL’s in-market broadcasting deals with CBS and FOX require that out-of-market access comes at a premium price. However, YouTube may offer different subscription tiers for NFL Sunday Ticket, like how MLB.TV and NBA League Pass offer single-team plans.
Under DIRECTV, a basic NFL Sunday Ticket subscription costs $293.94 per season. The satellite TV provider also offered a higher-tiered NFL Sunday Ticket package—called NFL Sunday Ticket MAX—for $395.94 per season. This premium plan came equipped with DIRECTV’s RED ZONE CHANNEL and FANTASY ZONE network.
What features will NFL Sunday Ticket have on YouTube?
With NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, you’ll have access to sports features already available in the YouTube TV app—including views dedicated to stats/scores, key plays, and game highlights.
Most features seen in the YouTube TV app will also become available in the main YouTube app for those who get NFL Sunday Ticket through Primetime Channels. In an interview with The Verge, YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan also revealed that a multiscreen feature is on its way, allowing fans to enjoy multiple Sunday afternoon games simultaneously.
Besides out-of-market games, the NFL usually packages NFL Sunday Ticket rights with a minority interest in NFL Media. It’s unclear if YouTube gained a stake in NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL.com through the recent deal—but the streaming service did extend its carriage agreement for NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
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Can bars and restaurants get NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023?
Yes, bars and restaurants can get NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2023 NFL season. The league retained the rights to distribute the out-of-market package to businesses, meaning a TV provider other than YouTube TV will carry NFL Sunday Ticket for commercial venues.
Under 7-year Sunday Ticket deal, YouTube will pay the NFL about $2.2 billion per season, source says. The NFL retains commercial rights to broadcast games in venues such as bars, restaurants. That bidding could push the total value of the package to about $2.5 billion annually.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) December 22, 2022
The NFL retained commercial rights for NFL Sunday Ticket because most bars and restaurants don’t have the necessary setup to stream live sports. Many venues don’t have fast and reliable internet, let alone the bandwidth to stream several games simultaneously.
Amazon acknowledged the streaming concern when it became the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football in 2022. To alleviate the problem, Amazon partnered with DIRECTV to allow DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS customers access to Thursday Night Football via satellite.
With the NFL Sunday Ticket commercial rights still up in the air, it’s possible that DIRECTV could continue to carry the package for bars and restaurants in 2023.
