DirecTV held the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket from 1994 through 2022. Now, the package has moved to YouTube and YouTube TV.
Despite an advertising campaign from DirecTV that implies otherwise, there is only one company that provides Sunday Ticket for residential use. On Friday morning, the NFL issued a clear, unambiguous reminder of that fact.
“YouTube and YouTube TV are the only place to go for fans at home wanting to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket,” NFL executive vice president of communications Jeff Miller said in a statement. “We are aware of consumer confusion resulting from advertising in the marketplace. The NFL wants its millions of fans to know where to get NFL Sunday Ticket and that we stand against deceptive advertising.”
The deceptive advertising to which Miller refers is, indeed, the commercials from DirecTV in which Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce says, “DirecTV Sports Central gives you access to every game.”
The NFL, we’re told, is concerned that this campaign has confused NFL fans and consumers. How can DirecTV offer access to every game if it no longer offers Sunday Ticket?
A spokesperson for DirecTV recently explained in an email to PFT that, technically, Sunday Ticket can be accessed through the YouTube TV app on the DirecTV service.
The NFL isn’t buying it. It believes the campaign is particularly deceptive because many consumers might not realize that for the first time in nearly 30 NFL seasons, DirecTV no longer has the rights to residential NFL Sunday Ticket (with the limited exception of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, until YouTube can provide the services in those places).
Bottom line. If you’re thinking about subscribing to Sunday Ticket, YouTube and YouTube TV are the two services that directly provide it for in-home use. It will be interesting to see whether DirecTV changes its advertising strategy in the face of the league’s very public complaints — especially since DirecTV still has a relationship with the NFL, making Sunday Ticket available to bars and restaurants.
