NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview Friday that the “NFL Sunday Ticket” package will be heading to a streaming service, with a final decision coming by this fall.
“These discussions have been going on for well over a year,” Goodell told CNBC. “It’s an important decision for us because these assets are really valuable to us. I clearly believe we’ll be moving to a streaming service. I think that’s best for the consumers at this stage.
“But we have so much interest right now and there’s so much innovation around that and how we’re going to be able to change the way people watch football. I think we’ll probably have some decision by the fall.”
Sunday Ticket, the package that lets consumers watch out-of-market NFL games, debuted in 1994. DirecTV has been the exclusive carrier since its launch, but its contract expires after the 2022 NFL season.
When the deal with the satellite provider ends, a streamer will takes its place. Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and ESPN+ have all reportedly bid for the rights. The New York Post reported last November that HBO Max could be a dark horse in the race.
Goodell also announced that the league was debuting its own direct-to-consumer streaming service, NFL+, in time for the 2022 season. He did not go into detail about the type of content the new platform would offer.
–Field Level Media
