NFL Sunday Ticket Will Move To YouTube TV in 2023

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Heads up, football fans! NFL Sunday Ticket will have a new home in 2023.

It was announced on December 22, 2022, that Google will be the new rights holder for the popular NFL package that allows fans to watch all out-of-market games on Sundays.

Google, which is the parent company of YouTube, has decided that it will make NFL Sunday Ticket available on both YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels.

This announcement comes as a decades-long partnership between DIRECTV and the NFL comes to an end at the conclusion of the 2022 regular season.

DIRECTV was the exclusive home for NFL Sunday Ticket since its inception in 1994. So this is a pretty significant shakeup.

Here’s what you need to know about the changing landscape for football streaming.


Google Has Agreement With NFL To Broadcast NFL Sunday Ticket

NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV announcement
Screenshot courtesy of YouTube

After months of speculation on negotiations that included streaming competitors like Amazon and Apple as serious contenders, it was Google that came away in the end with the coveted football streaming package.

NFL Sunday Ticket will be available in 2023 as an add-on package for YouTube TV, which is Google’s popular live TV streaming service, and also as an a la carte purchase on YouTube Primetime Channels.

Pricing was not disclosed in this announcement. The first Sunday of the 2023 NFL season is likely to be in September, so there is still time to hammer out pricing details. We’re hoping for early bird and bundling discounts!

The announcement also teased some updates and enhancements to the NFL Sunday Ticket package’s features. Those were not specifically disclosed, though, so stay tuned.

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Team Clark rates YouTube TV as the top overall service in the live TV streaming category.

Including the NFL Sunday Ticket as an add-on only enhances the product which has maintained popularity thanks to a wide variety of channels in its base package, unlimited DVR storage and easy-to-use interface.


What Is NFL Sunday Ticket?

If you’re not a hardcore football fan, you may be wondering what this package is and why it is a big deal.

Since 1994, NFL Sunday Ticket has offered fans a chance to watch every out-of-market NFL football game during Sunday afternoons.

Here’s how the league describes the service:

Consisting of all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games (based on viewer’s location) broadcast on FOX and CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket allows fans in the United States the ability to follow all their favorite teams and players no matter where they live.

So, for example, if you live in Atlanta you know that the Falcons are broadcasted on either your local FOX or CBS channel most Sundays. That’s great if you’re a Falcons fan, but pretty crummy if you’re a fan of the Seattle Seahawks living in Atlanta.

NFL Sunday Ticket is a way for that Seahawks fan in Atlanta to watch their favorite team’s game live. And they’ll get all the other out-of-market NFL games on their device as well.

This package does not include Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, NBC’s Sunday Night Football or ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts.

However, the good news is that YouTube TV’s base package includes the channels that broadcast Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. So if you buy the NFL Sunday Ticket from them in 2023, you’d only be an Amazon Prime subscription short of having access to every NFL game each week.


NFL and Google: What They’re Saying About NFL Sunday Ticket

This was a big announcement for both the league and Google. Prominent voices from both parties gave comments that were featured in the press release:

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell:

“We’re excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL. For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans.”

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki:

“YouTube has long been a home for football fans, whether they’re streaming live games, keeping up with their home team, or watching the best plays in highlights. Through this expanded partnership with the NFL, viewers will now also be able to experience the game they love in compelling and innovative ways through YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels. We’re excited to continue our work with the NFL to make YouTube a great place for sports lovers everywhere.”

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft:

“As the ways fans enjoy NFL football evolve in a changing media landscape, partnerships with innovators like YouTube will ensure that more games are available to more fans. This partnership will grow our game for future generations and allow them to follow their favorite sport.”


Final Thought

This is an announcement we’ve been anticipating for some time, we just didn’t know exactly who would be making it.

Now that we know Google has won the bidding for NFL Sunday Ticket, we can confidently say it will be a step forward for wider availability of the service.

DIRECTV used this premium package as a way to sell subscriptions to its satellite service by making it exclusively available to those customers. You probably have seen the commercials over the years touting free NFL Sunday Ticket with a two-year agreement with DIRECTV, for example.

But this strategy made it hard for most fans to get access. Even DIRECTV STREAM customers were ineligible for the NFL Sunday Ticket package.

With the DIRECTV red tape removed, NFL fans who previously didn’t have access to the Sunday Ticket package will have ample opportunity to sign up with YouTube TV or through YouTube Primetime Channels.

But at what cost? It will be interesting to see the pricing model when it becomes available.

Will you pay for the NFL Sunday Ticket package on YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels in 2023? Let us know in the Clark.com community.

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