Reports: NFL, DirecTV near new Sunday Ticket deal

[MrBill]

For what it's worth, the NFL denies a deal to extend the current agreement has been reached.

Reports: NFL, DirecTV near new Sunday Ticket deal
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 12, 2013, 8:35 PM EST

The longstanding agreement that gives DirecTV exclusive access to the Sunday Ticket package that gives NFL fans the ability to watch every game expires after next season. But the two sides have apparently come to terms on a new deal.

Multiple reports on Thursday say the league and the satellite TV provider have agreed to keep Sunday Ticket on DirecTV for years to come.

DirecTV, which pays about $1 billion a year to the NFL for exclusive access to Sunday Ticket, expects to keep that exclusive access going forward.

“We’ve had very, very constructive conversations with the NFL, but it’s complex,” DirecTV CEO Michael White told Variety. “I’m very optimistic we will get an exclusive deal done on NFL Sunday Ticket.”

There had been talk that the NFL might open up the Sunday Ticket package to cable companies, or that an Internet distributor like Google’s YouTube could bid on the contract. But DirecTV seems set to keep the competitors at bay and hold onto exclusive access to Sunday Ticket.

A new deal would need to be approved by DirecTV’s board of directors and the NFL’s owners, but this is a deal that has made both sides a lot of money, and now seems likely to keep making both sides a lot of money for many more years.

[ThunderHorse]

I hope this doesn't happen with EA too.

Consumers have been punished (for no reason) long enough. Let multiple companies start making football games again.

Of course we all know that's not going to happen.

[MrBill]

I can appreciate that but I think we are worse off with DirecTV having exclusivity than EA. The football game could use competition but isn't nearly as bad as no football game at all.

[PP]

I can appreciate that but I think we are worse off with DirecTV having exclusivity than EA. The football game could use competition but isn't nearly as bad as no football game at all.

I disagree. Both are bad. The thing is TV is always going to have these agreements. Who are we better off with? The only other providers who could crush it would be Youtube or Netflix.

[MrBill]

I disagree. Both are bad. The thing is TV is always going to have these agreements. Who are we better off with? The only other providers who could crush it would be Youtube or Netflix.

Follow the MLB and NBA models. Make every game available on every major provider supplemented with real streaming power for cord cutters. The NFL would make more than they do now but they would assume the headaches of managing multiple partnerships along with the online component instead being able to farm it out. They would rather take a little less and have it be clean and neat.

[Primetime]

EA deal is far worse than DirecTv's deal. Despite the Sunday Ticket, there are several ways to watch these games outside of it. With EA, what you get is what you get.

[ThunderHorse]

EA deal is far worse than DirecTv's deal. Despite the Sunday Ticket, there are several ways to watch these games outside of it. With EA, what you get is what you get.

I agree,

Before I had Direct TV I had Comcast. I could not watch Colts games on the local CBS affiliate because I live near Atlanta, but Comcast did give me the option of paying a little extra to have the Indianapolis affiliate, So I could catch most of the non primetime and OOC away Games assuming there was no blackout (which was never an issue in the Manning era.) and never miss a game.

In addition to that one can always choose to purchase the NFL's online package that enables customers to watch replays of games that even have extra camera angles if I'm not mistaken.

Those are just two examples of legally legitimate ways to watch your team (or any team) without having DirectV. When one considers how easily accessible the illegal means to watch these games are, it becomes pretty evident if someone can't watch their team or any team play it's because they're ignorant or there was a lack of effort.

[Houston]

Sunday Ticket is worth 1 billion?

[MrBill]

I agree,

Before I had Direct TV I had Comcast. I could not watch Colts games on the local CBS affiliate because I live near Atlanta, but Comcast did give me the option of paying a little extra to have the Indianapolis affiliate, So I could catch most of the non primetime and OOC away Games assuming there was no blackout (which was never an issue in the Manning era.) and never miss a game.

In addition to that one can always choose to purchase the NFL's online package that enables customers to watch replays of games that even have extra camera angles if I'm not mistaken.

Those are just two examples of legally legitimate ways to watch your team (or any team) without having DirectV. When one considers how easily accessible the illegal means to watch these games are, it becomes pretty evident if someone can't watch their team or any team play it's because they're ignorant or there was a lack of effort.

Not so fast. The fact that Comcast let you have out of market locals is not a widely available solution in the grand scheme of things. They don't do that in all markets nor do they provide cable TV service to all NFL markets so they couldn't do it for everyone even if they did offer out of market locals to all customers.

Let's not get into the fact that the DirecTV and other streaming options out there are moderate quality at best. They are nowhere near a full bitrate HD experience. Watchable yes, full HD hell no.

I am aware that NFL Redzone is available to a lot of carriers these days but it still not the same as Sunday Ticket for fans of a specific team.

Sunday Ticket is worth 1 billion?

DirecTV has ran the numbers on how many customers will leave them for a traditional carrier if they ever lose exclusivity and the numbers aren't pretty. Also don't forget that larger bars and restaurants pay upwards of $1,000-5,000 a year for Sunday Ticket. That is easy money for DirecTV.

[ThunderHorse]

Not so fast. The fact that Comcast let you have out of market locals is not a widely available solution in the grand scheme of things. They don't do that in all markets nor do they provide cable TV service to all NFL markets so they couldn't do it for everyone even if they did offer out of market locals to all customers.

Let's not get into the fact that the DirecTV and other streaming options out there are moderate quality at best. They are nowhere near a full bitrate HD experience. Watchable yes, full HD hell no.

I am aware that NFL Redzone is available to a lot of carriers these days but it still not the same as Sunday Ticket for fans of a specific team..

Is this even a counter argument?

I, and a lot of other people, can still watch my team play outside of their market. I didn't have DirectV in college, but I never missed a Colt game.

The last time anyone played an NFL game on their xbox or PS2 not named Madden was 2004 (and it was $30 cheaper too.)

EA's exclusive deal is easily worse. Especially when you consider that not only did it hurt primarily consumers and then other competitors, but even EA's own product suffered and stagnated from lack of competition.

[MrBill]

Is this even a counter argument?

I, and a lot of other people, can still watch my team play outside of their market. I didn't have DirectV in college, but I never missed a Colt game.

The last time anyone played an NFL game on their xbox or PS2 not named Madden was 2004 (and it was $30 cheaper too.)

EA's exclusive deal is easily worse. Especially when you consider that not only did it hurt primarily consumers and then other competitors, but even EA's own product suffered and stagnated from lack of competition.

Everybody that wants to play an NFL football game can purchase Madden on any current gaming console they desire. Everybody (minus the lucky few that get out of market locals of their choice) that wants to watch their favorite out of market NFL team has to sign a 2 year contract with DirecTV (possibly another $200-300 for Sunday Ticket) or pay $400 a year for a substandard streaming service. That's the only argument that needs to be made.

Granted, I did get both Madden and Sunday Ticket for $100 combined this season and I felt like that was an excellent deal but the streaming quality over the web was worse this year than it was on the PS3 2 years ago. It's like DirecTV pushes people to subscribe to their satellite based service by making the quality of the streaming service substandard for any device larger than a tablet.

[BigBucs]

Please stop Bill

EA having exclusive rights is far worse for reasons previously stated. If you want to watch NFL football you have several options both legal and illegal. If you can stand watching the game a few hours later you can download any game you want in full HD, you can also find real time HD streams sometimes. Last night there was an awesome stream of the Thursday night game, crystal clear.

You wanna play NFL football you have 1 option and 1 option only.

[ThunderHorse]

Everybody that wants to play an NFL football game can purchase Madden on any current gaming console they desire. Everybody (minus the lucky few that get out of market locals of their choice) that wants to watch their favorite out of market NFL team has to sign a 2 year contract with DirecTV (possibly another $200-300 for Sunday Ticket) or pay $400 a year for a substandard streaming service. That's the only argument that needs to be made.

Everyone that wants to watch their out of market team play and not use Directv can do so for $40 with NFL Game Rewind and also get access to commercial free games, Cameras used by Coaches, and HD Video.

Everyone that wants to play a "realistic" NFL game not named Madden on their Xbox or Playstation, are out of luck.

It's really that simple.

[ThunderHorse]

NFL denies it has reached new agreement with DirecTV

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/13/nfl-denies-it-has-reached-new-agreement-with-directv/

Despite multiple reports on Thursday saying the NFL and DirecTV have reached a new agreement to keep the exclusive Sunday Ticket package on satellite television, the league says no deal has been reached.

“We do not have an agreement. Any speculation or reports to the contrary are not accurate,” NFL Media Group VP/Communications Alex Riethmiller told Sports Business Daily.

An agreement may not be done, but DirecTV’s CEO declared himself “very optimistic” that a deal will get done to keep Sunday Ticket exclusively on DirecTV. So it sounds like DirecTV is prepared to spend whatever it will take to keep the NFL’s owners happy. If DirecTV can’t come to terms with the NFL on a new deal, the NFL could open it up to cable companies, or to Internet distributors like YouTube or Netflix.

Under the current deal, which extends through the end of the 2014 season, DirecTV pays the NFL about $1 billion a year.

[MrBill]

So you guys feel like watching some shitty quality stream (legal or illegal) or just waiting a few hours (because every sports fans hates to see the action live) after the game to download clips off of NFL.com are acceptable substitutes?