Yes, NFL Sunday Ticket is moving to YouTube for the 2023 NFL season.
By Taylor KujawaJan 12, 2024 | Share
NFL Sunday Ticket is officially leaving DIRECTV. When the NFL returns for its 2023 regular season, YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels will be the new home to out-of-market NFL games.
The NFL and Google (YouTube’s parent company) struck the seven-year broadcast deal in December 2022, worth around $2.2 billion per season. While many details remain unknown, we’ll cover some of the biggest questions surrounding the streaming deal below.
Streaming live sports still comes with its fair share of latency issues—meaning you’ll want the best internet speeds to watch your favorite teams compete in near real time.
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YouTube will carry NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023. During the next seven years, YouTube TV and YouTube’s Primetime Channels hub will offer NFL Sunday Ticket as a premium add-on.
Pro tip: NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube is available only to U.S. residents. Most NFL fans outside the U.S. can access live games through NFL Game Pass International via DAZN.
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service that offers 100+ channels for $72.99/mo. By subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV, you’ll pay for out-of-market access on top of YouTube TV’s standard monthly fee.
The great thing about YouTube TV is its base plan has NFL channels like CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and NFL Network. This selection means you won’t miss crucial in-market and primetime games during the regular season—including Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football matchups. Plus, you’ll get access to select preseason games, every NFL playoff game, and the Super Bowl.
The YouTube Primetime Channels storefront operates like Amazon Prime Video’s add-on channels. You can subscribe to popular streaming services like Paramount+ with SHOWTIME within the main YouTube site, allowing you to watch premium content alongside your favorite viral videos.
Signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket through Primetime Channels is ideal if you already have an existing TV plan. Since channels are à la carte, you won’t need a YouTube TV subscription—and you can dodge paying an extra $72.99/mo. for a service you don’t need.
The main disadvantage to Primetime Channels is that you won’t have in-app access to live networks that show NFL games. You also won’t have the same DVR features as YouTube TV.
YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket add-on costs $349.00 for the 2023 NFL season. You can also bundle NFL Sunday Ticket with NFL RedZone for $389.00 per season.*
Without a YouTube TV subscription, you can get NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube Primetime Channels for $449.00 per season. YouTube Primetime Channels also offers NFL Sunday Ticket with NFL RedZone for $489.00 per season. †
If you sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket before September 19, 2023, you can get $50 off your subscription.
With NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, you’ll have access to sports features already available in the YouTube TV app—including views dedicated to stats/scores, key plays, and game highlights. You can also watch up to four games simultaneously with YouTube TV’s multiview experience, which rolled out during the recent NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Most features seen in the YouTube TV app will also become available in the main YouTube app for those who get NFL Sunday Ticket through Primetime Channels.
Besides out-of-market games, the NFL usually packages NFL Sunday Ticket rights with a minority interest in NFL Media. It’s unclear if YouTube gained a stake in NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL.com through the recent deal—but the streaming service did extend its carriage agreement for NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
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Bars and restaurants can get NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2023 NFL season but not through YouTube TV. Instead, DIRECTV will continue carrying NFL Sunday Ticket in its DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS sports packages.
Most venues don’t have fast and reliable internet, so the NFL retained the commercial rights for NFL Sunday Ticket when making the deal with Google. The league then created a new media platform with RedBird Capital Partners called EverPass Media, which will distribute NFL Sunday Ticket to DIRECTV business customers.
Amazon acknowledged a similar streaming concern when it became the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football in 2022. To alleviate the problem, Amazon partnered with DIRECTV to allow DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS customers access to Thursday Night Football via satellite. Earlier this year, Apple TV+ also partnered with DIRECTV to distribute Friday Night Baseball and MLS Season Pass games to commercial venues.
Disclaimer
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Plus $72.99/mo. recurring for YouTube TV. Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
† Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
