NFL's New YouTube Sunday Ticket Has a Presale $100 Discount

If for some reason you needed more proof that the future of television is in streaming, look no further than the NFL’s severed ties with DirecTV, satellite television carriers of the vaunted NFL Sunday Ticket for nearly 30 years. The league just announced that its premium, all-inclusive (yes, even local games) viewing package will be on YouTube TV at a base price of $349.

If that sounds like a lot — and it might, since last year on DirecTV the Sunday Ticket base plan cost $300 — we have good news. From now until June 6, there’s a special presale subscription period with a $100 discount. However, that offer has only been extended to individuals already with a YouTube TV Base Plan, per a platform blog post.

Lawsuit Suggests NFL Films May Have Cataloged “Lewd” Shots

A plaintiff says the league’s film production arm stored suggestive videos of cheerleaders and fans

“We are also offering a bundle option with NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone for a total of $289 for the season during the presale, another launch offer of $100 off the retail price of $389 for the season,” YouTube wrote. “Fans who sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket with the YouTube TV Base Plan will have access to not only 100+ live channels, but also every Sunday game, including local, national, and out-of-market games.”

If you get YouTube’s Primetime Channels, NFL Sunday Ticket is available during the presale for $349. Afterward, it’ll shoot up to $449, while a bundled NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone option is available during the presale at another $100 discount: $389 for the season. (There are also separate options for NFL RedZone subscriptions.)

“On YouTube TV, members will have access to features like the brand new multiview [a split-screen option for watching up to four different channels at once] as well as unlimited DVR storage, personalized recommendations, the ability to view key plays, NFL Fantasy data, real-time stats and hide spoilers,” wrote YouTube. “And we’re also bringing some of these innovations to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube Primetime Channels, such as key plays and multiview.”

DirecTV stock dropped significantly last summer, around the time the NFL announced it was not going to extend its media rights agreement with the satellite provider. The stock suffered even more when DirecTV experienced technical difficulties across its NFL offerings during the first few weeks of the league’s regular season in September and October, and it has not returned to the price it was trading for a year ago.

Per The Athletic, “DirecTV reportedly had about two million Sunday Ticket subscribers. However, the company gave many subscriptions away for free to induce satellite signups.” The publication added that YouTube would not take such action.

In an interview with CNBC, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in July that the NFL would likely move its Sunday Ticket to a streamer. “We really believe that these new platforms give us the ability to innovate beyond where we are today for our customers and especially younger demos,” he said.

Back in 2014, when the NFL and DirecTV extended their partnership through 2022, he sang a much different tune.

“DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket have served our fans well for 20 years and continue to complement our broadcast television packages,” he said in a press release that year. “We also appreciate DirecTV’s commitment to NFL Network, which it has carried since the channel launched in 2003.”

Mike White, chairman, president and CEO of DirecTV, also said in 2014, “This new agreement is a testament to the terrific long-term relationship we have with the NFL and its millions of fans across the country…NFL Sunday Ticket has always been the centerpiece of DirecTV’s sports leadership and we’re pleased to continue our relationship with the NFL and be a part of the league’s future growth and success.”

Out with the old, in with the new.

Over the last eight years, DirecTV reportedly paid the NFL $1.5 billion per year for the rights to air league games. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Google-owned YouTube will fork over $2 billion a year.