YouTube closing in on deal with NFL for ‘Sunday Ticket’

NFL Sunday Ticket seems headed to Google’s YouTube service

NFL Sunday Ticket is on the verge of having a new home, according to multiple reports.

The Wall Street Journal struck first in reporting Google’s YouTube TV and the NFL are close to a deal that could be announced as soon as Wednesday.

The Sunday Ticket package had been part of DirecTV since its inception in 1994. DirecTV has paid the NFL $1.5 billion per year.

Viewers pay around $300 a season for “Sunday Ticket,” which averages 2 million subscribers. As of August, DirecTV had a total of 13.9 million subscribers.

Terms being discussed for the agreement couldn’t immediately be learned. … Sunday Ticket allows subscribers to view all out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, meaning games that don’t involve their local teams.

… Under the scenario being discussed, NFL games would be available to be streamed on two subscription services, YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels, next season.

… YouTube TV, a $64.99-a-month online bundle of cable channels, crossed more than 5 million subscriptions and trial accounts in June, according to the company. Primetime Channels, which launched in November, allows viewers to individually subscribe to more than 30 streaming services.

The NFL and YouTube already have a relationship. The league’s channel on YouTube has more than 10 million subscribers and all NFL teams also have their own channels on the platform.