DirecTV announced a multiyear deal to sell the NFL‘s Sunday Ticket out-of-market games package to commercial venues in the U.S., starting with the 2023 season.
Under the pact with the NFL’s EverPass Media, DirecTV will continue to offer the Sunday football games to customers including casinos, restaurants, bars, hotel lounges and retail shops. The announcement comes after DirecTV lost its 28-year hold on Sunday Ticket for consumers, with Google securing a seven-year deal with the NFL to sell the package via YouTube.
The satellite TV operator didn’t announce pricing for Sunday Ticket — which includes all Sunday day games broadcast by CBS and Fox — under the new commercial agreement. In past years, DirecTV’s pricing for the package has been tiered based on fire code occupancy (FCO) rates starting at $650/season for establishments with a certified FCO of 1-100, stepping up to $6,000/season for establishments with capacity of 101-200 and even higher for larger venues.
YouTube’s regular pricing of Sunday Ticket starts at $349 (with YouTube TV) and $449 (without YouTube TV) for the 2023 season. That’s higher than DirecTV’s $293.94 charge for the 2022 season, although YouTube is offering special discounts for Sunday Ticket through June 6. Google reportedly is paying the NFL between $2 billion and $2.5 billion per year for the retail rights to Sunday Ticket, up from the estimated $1.5 billion DirecTV had paid annually.
According to DirecTV, it provides TV service to more than 300,000 commercial locations. In addition to NFL Sunday Ticket, DirecTV for Business has exclusive commercial rights for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football via Amazon’s Prime Video as well as MLB’s Friday Night baseball and Major League Soccer’s MLS Season Pass via Apple.
DirecTV is majority-owned by AT&T. The telco spun out DirecTV in 2021 in a deal with TPG Capital.
The NFL earlier this year formed EverPass Media, backed by RedBird Capital Partners and the NFL’s 32 Equity investment arm, initially to manage distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket to commercial establishments in the U.S. According to the league, EverPass “partners with rightsholders, distribution partners and businesses owners to create a one-stop-shop for commercial distribution of premium live events.”
“EverPass is creating a platform for commercial businesses that allows for seamless access to must-have live sports and entertainment content. We are pleased to partner with DirecTV for Business in this multiyear agreement to deliver NFL Sunday Ticket,” EverPass CEO Alex Kaplan in Thursday’s announcement.
Mike Wittrock, DirecTV’s chief sales and service officer, added, “DirecTV for Business delivers a market-leading, consistent and reliable sports viewing experience to fans in more than 300,000 bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments across the United States. We’re thrilled to partner with EverPass and continue carriage of NFL Sunday Ticket.”
