Just three weeks into the season, DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket has experienced its fair share of glitches and mishaps. Thousands of subscribers have reported various problems with the service, with many reporting that they haven’t been able to watch the games at all.
The good news is, this is the last year DirecTV will be responsible for handling the NFL Sunday Ticket package, as their contract with the league is set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 football season. Because of this upcoming change, the NFL has been shopping the popular streaming package to other interested bidders.
Tripp Mickle of the New York Times recently revealed the NFL’s reported asking price is set at $2.5 billion per season. This is the presumed reason why a new announcement has yet to be made on the streaming service’s next landing spot. It is believed that DirecTV currently pays $1.5 billion per season.
Related: NFL Sunday Ticket: Pricing, how to buy, and its future
Analyzing the future of NFL Sunday Ticket
So far, we’ve heard of Apple, Amazon, Disney, ESPN, and Google all being linked to NFL Sunday Ticket. Yet, the latest reports still point to the NFL streaming service landing with Apple for the foreseeable future.
Recently Apple and the NFL announced a five-year, $250 million partnership where Apple Music will be in charge of putting together the annual Super Bowl Halftime Show, so the two sides have plenty of recent experience negotiating massive business deals already. Maybe securing the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket is the next item on their to-do list.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he hopes to have a new contract secured for the future of NFL Sunday Ticket in the near future, and back in July, he said he expected a decision by fall. Time is ticking.
Whoever lands the NFL viewing service will be taking over DirecTV’s 28-year-grip on the package. Yet, most would agree it’s a change that’s long overdue.
Having access to each NFL game should be as easy as opening a Netflix app these days. The fact that DirecTV’s partnership with the NFL has prevented such widespread access is asinine. The NFL realizes it has only hurt their popularity and making the service more accessible should only continue to help grow the game worldwide.
We’ll see who wins the sweepstakes, but no matter what, it will be a massive win, not only for the NFL but also its loyal fans.
Related: 2022 NFL Power Rankings: Eagles move into top 5, Titans drop big time heading into Week 3