By Sam Boughedda
The National Football League (NFL) announced Thursday that it has entered a multi-year deal with Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) that will see YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels gain the exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket in the United States starting with the 2023 NFL season.
The out-of-market Sunday afternoon games have been on DirecTV since 1994. Reports stated the NFL was looking for $2.5 billion per season for the package, however, it had reportedly agreed to a $1.5B per year eight-year contract that expires at the end of this season.
The NFL and YouTube said they will work together to determine ways to support the distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket games in commercial establishments such as bars and restaurants, which has proved challenging for other sports streaming services such as DAZN.
"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," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "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."
The NFL and Google have been partners since the League first launched its official YouTube channel in 2015. It then expanded on the platform and has now increased to include channels for all 32 NFL clubs and ten official League channels, including NFL Films, NFL Network, and the NFL's Hispanic channel, Mundo NFL.