Are you like many other NFL fans who feel the cost of watching football games is increasing way too fast? You’re not alone.
As of today, fans who want to watch as many NFL games as possible next season could be looking at paying over $850 to subscribe to all the individual streaming packages where NFL games will be broadcast. But ESPN reportedly tried their best to lower costs for the average NFL fan, yet the league wasn’t interested.
When DirecTV was set to lose the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, it opened up a bidding war among several large networks and streaming services. YouTube TV eventually won out in the end, but ESPN was right there in the mix, fighting to win the most coveted sports streaming service in existence.
According to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, the current lawsuit involving NFL Sunday Ticket has revealed an interesting tidbit of information regarding the cost of streaming services. The case alleges that the NFL has illegally inflated the cost of Sunday Ticket, which forces fans to purchase all games, instead of being able to purchase an individualized team streaming subscription.
While the NFL’s chief media and business officer believes they have the “best model” in the world when it comes to providing access to their fans, others suggest the league could have done much better at the negotiation table when discussing future plans for Sunday Ticket.
ESPN even reportedly proposed a scenario that would have reduced the NFL Sunday Ticket annual cost from $349 down to $70 for each subscriber. This package would have also delivered what everyone seemingly wants, a chance to only subscribe to one team’s games, instead of the whole enchilada. But, the NFL had no interest in ESPN’s ideas, and went with YouTube TV instead.
The NFL lawsuit is ongoing, but plaintiffs are seeking as much as $7 billion in damages due to the league’s insistence on inflating costs while making it difficult for bars and restaurants to gain access to the popular streaming service.
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