Google and the National Football League (NFL) today announced that YouTube TV will now stream the NFL Sunday Ticket. Apple previously was reported to be in talks with the NFL over securing the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket. However, due to several issues relating to rights and pricing, Apple took itself out of negotiations.
Google will pay NFL Sunday Ticket franchise $2 billion a year for rights to stream Sunday games
The Wall Street Journal reports that YouTube will be paying the NFL an average price of roughly $2 billion a year to secure rights to the Sunday Ticket franchise. Sunday Ticket is a package created by the NFL which gives customers access to all Sunday afternoon games for out-of-market teams.
“Technological and product innovation is one of the things that is particularly exciting about bringing this type of content,” said Neal Mohan, chief product officer at YouTube. “We’ll be able to showcase these NFL games in a way that I think no other platform can.”
YouTube’s deal with the NFL will expire after seven years. Sources told the WSJ that the current $2 billion price could increase if “certain benchmarks are reached.” The NFL will also “seek to license the commercial rights for bars and restaurants for an additional $200 million.”
The NFL Sunday Ticket will be offered as an add-on for YouTube TV. The service costs $64.99 per month with no add-ons. As of right now, we do not know how much the Sunday Ticket add-on will cost.
Mr. Mohan declined to comment on YouTube’s ability to make it a profitable package, saying only, “We view it as a long-term investment.”
Before the NFL reached an agreement with Google regarding the rights to the Sunday Ticket, Apple was believed to be the top contender. However, Apple reportedly did not see the “logic,” in securing the deal since the NFL would not give it international rights, geographic blackouts, and streaming on TV+ for no additional cost to subscribers.
The Cupertino tech giant did sign a $50 million deal with the NFL to make its music streaming service, Apple Music, the official sponsor for the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023.
