Fans will have to turn to Google next season if they want access to the NFL game package known as “Sunday Ticket.”
The NFL announced Thursday an agreement with Google for the distribution of Sunday afternoon games, outside the city where the contractor resides, through YouTube TV and YouTube PrimeTime Channels.
The seven-year agreement amounts to a little more than 2,000 million dollars per campaign. The package has been available on DirecTV since 1994.
The satellite TV company has paid 1,500 million dollars per campaign through an eight-year agreement that expires at the end of this season.
In awarding the new package, the NFL had sought $2.5 billion per season. It could still reach that figure, given that the league retains the commercial rights for bars and restaurants, and is in the process of selling those rights.
During an interview with CNBC in the summer, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the next step for the “Sunday Ticket” would be a “streaming” service, since that would be the best option for fans.
Goodell reiterated that stance in Thursday’s announcement.
“For a number of years, we have focused on the growing digital distribution of our games, and this partnership represents another example of looking to the future and building the next generation of NFL fans,” Goodell said in a statement.
It is the second time in less than two years that the NFL has partnered with a streaming service to broadcast games. An 11-year deal with Amazon Prime Video for Thursday night matchups went into effect this season.