NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the NFL football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts on October 3, 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Andrew Bershaw | Sportswire icon | Getty Images
The National Football League plans to select a streaming service as its new Sunday ticket partner and will choose a winner by the fall, commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday.
“I clearly believe we’re going to move to a streaming service,” Goodell told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin in an exclusive interview at the Allen & Co. conference. Sun Valley. “I think that’s what’s best for consumers at this point.”
Apple, Amazon and Disney, which owns ESPN+, submitted bids to be the league’s exclusive Sunday ticket distributor, CNBC reported last month. Goodell confirmed that discussions have been ongoing for more than a year to find a new partner to replace DirecTV, whose contract with the league expires after this season.
Sunday Ticket is the only way fans can watch live Sunday afternoon NFL games outside of what is broadcast in their local markets on CBS and FOX. DirecTV paid $1.5 billion for annual rights. The NFL is now asking for more than $2 billion a year, CNBC reported.
Contract language with CBS and Fox would prevent either streaming service from charging fans significantly less than the current price of $300 for a Sunday ticket, CNBC reported.
DirecTV is not bidding to renew the package, but is willing to partner with the winner, CNBC reported. In its current agreement with the NFL, DirecTV mandates that customers who sign up for Sunday Ticket also sign up for the pay-TV service, with rare exceptions. That requirement will drop with a new streaming service partner, potentially opening up Sunday Ticket to a much wider audience.
Goodell noted that many people who watch games on a streaming service don’t subscribe to traditional pay TV, allowing the league to attract a wider audience by moving Sunday Ticket to a digital provider.
“We truly believe that these new platforms enable us to innovate where we are today,” Goodell said. “Obviously it makes it more accessible to our users, especially the younger demographic that we really want to reach.” I think it will make it more accessible to fans. I think it will be a better experience for the fans.”
NFL+ confirmed
Goodell also confirmed that the league will launch its own streaming service, called NFL+, in time for the upcoming season in September. He did not provide details on pricing or what will be available on the service, but emphasized that NFL+ content will likely improve over time.
“It’s really in the early stages,” Goodell said. “I think it will continue to grow over the years. This will be an important strategy for us going forward.”
Sports Business Journal reported in May that NFL+ was expected to launch later this month.
WATCH: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin in Sun Valley
Add Comment