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, FL.
Andrew Bershaw | Sportswire Icon | Getty Images
The National Football League plans to select a streaming service as a new Sunday Ticket partner and will pick a winner in the fall, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday.
“I clearly think we’ll 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 the best thing for consumers at this stage.”
ESPN + owner Apple, Amazon and Disney have submitted bids to be the league’s exclusive Sunday Ticket distributor, CNBC reported last month. Goodell confirmed that there have been discussions for more than a year to find a new partner to replace DirecTV, whose contract with the league ends after this season.
Sunday Ticket is the only way fans can watch NFL Sunday afternoon games live outside of what is broadcast in their local markets on CBS and FOX. DirecTV paid $ 1.5 billion for the annual fees. The NFL now wants more than $ 2 billion a year, CNBC reported.
The contractual language with CBS and Fox would prevent any broadcast service from charging fans much less than the current $ 300 cost per Sunday Ticket, CNBC reported.
DirecTV is not betting on renewing the package, but is willing to work with the winner, CNBC reported. In its current deal with the NFL, DirecTV requires customers who sign up for Sunday Ticket to also sign up for its pay-TV service, with rare exceptions. This requirement will disappear with a new broadcast service partner, which could open Sunday Ticket to a much wider audience.
Goodell noted that many people who watch games on a streaming service do not subscribe to traditional pay-TV, allowing the league to capture a wider audience by moving Sunday Ticket to a digital provider.
“We really believe that these new platforms give us the ability to innovate where we are today,” Goodell said. “Obviously, it makes it more available to our consumers, particularly to the younger population, which is what we really want to reach. I think this will make it more accessible to fans. I think it will be a better experience for fans.” .
NFL + confirmed
Goodell also confirmed that the league will launch its own streaming service, called NFL +, in time for next season in September. He did not provide details on pricing or what will be available on the service, but stressed that NFL + content will likely improve over time.
“It’s really in an early stage,” Goodell said. “I think over the years it will continue to grow. It will be an important strategy for us for the future.”
The Sports Business Journal reported in May that the NFL + is expected to be released later this month.
LOOK: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Speaks with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin at Sun Valley