Verizon and YouTube are calling a new customer-acquisition play aimed a gridiron fans.
The telco has teamed with YouTube to give free access to NFL Sunday Ticket — which provides every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game — for the 2023-24 season to eligible new and upgrading wireless and home internet customers.
In late 2022, YouTube landed a seven-year deal for the NFL Sunday Ticket retail package, wresting it away from DirecTV (which inked a separate deal sell it to bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments). Now, with the start of the regular NFL season six weeks away, YouTube is looking for new ways to distribute Sunday Ticket in addition to selling the package to YouTube TV customers and on an a la carte basis.
Terms of the agreement between Verizon and YouTube for NFL Sunday Ticket aren’t being disclosed, but Verizon is the exclusive wireless carrier partner for the games package. The telco says the complimentary football games package carries a $449 value; YouTube offers Sunday Ticket in various configurations and is currently running discounted promotions through Sept. 19.
More info on Verizon’s offer is at this link. YouTube also has a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer a Max-NFL Sunday Ticket bundle. Details about that offer have yet to be announced.
Verizon’s partnership with YouTube for NFL Sunday Ticket “adds to our growing roster of the best content providers in the industry as we continue to deliver the best in choice and exclusive value to our customers,” Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said in a statement. Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, commented, “Through our new partnership with Verizon, we’re proud to offer fans even more ways to watch their favorite teams this season.”
Verizon says the promotion is available starting July 27 for a limited time. The free Sunday Ticket offer is available to new Verizon myPlan mobile customers purchasing the latest Samsung and Google smartphones — including the new Galaxy Z Flip5, Z Fold5 and Pixel Fold — and new Verizon Home Internet customers who take a Fios 1 Gig, Fios 2 Gig, 5G Home Plus or LTE Home plan. New Verizon Unlimited Plus Mobile customers can get access to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube or YouTube TV with the purchase of select smartphones from Samsung (Galaxy S23 Series, Galaxy Z Fold5 or Galaxy Z Flip5), Google (Pixel Fold, Pixel 7 or 7 Pro) or Motorola (the Edge+).
In addition, existing Verizon customers who upgrade to eligible mobile and home internet plans can get the free NFL Sunday Ticket offer. All other existing Verizon mobile customers are eligible for a $100 credit, redeemable through the company’s +play subscription hub, when they sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube or YouTube TV.
Sunday Ticket includes all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games that are broadcast on Fox and CBS. This spring, YouTube TV added a multiview feature that lets customers watch up to four channels simultaneously, which will appeal to Sunday Ticket viewers.
From 2010-20, Verizon had an exclusive mobile livestreaming deal for NFL games in the U.S. Under a 10-year pact the parties signed in 2021, Verizon is an “Official Technology Partner” and the “Official 5G Network” of the NFL and has outfitted multiple stadiums for 5G.
VIP+ Mogul Memo: Why Verizon CEO Should Hang Up on ESPN
