NFL Sunday Ticket#EverPass Media

Satellite TV provider DirecTV had exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package in the United States until the end of the 2022 NFL season. Although other satellite and cable providers supposedly were allowed to bid on the rights to carry NFL Sunday Ticket if they agreed to carry the NFL Network, DirecTV decided to extend their contract beyond 2014 by paying the NFL $1.5 billion per year for the next eight years. Reaching the deal was also a condition of AT&T's 2015 acquisition of DirecTV.{{cite web|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/01/nfl-announces-extension-of-directv-sunday-ticket-deal/|title=NFL announces extension of DirecTV Sunday Ticket deal|last=Smith|first=Michael|work=NBC Sports|date=October 1, 2014|access-date=October 3, 2014}}{{cite web|title=DirecTV secures NFL Sunday Ticket deal vital to AT&T merger|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/directv-secures-nfl-sunday-ticket-deal-imperative-to-at-t-merger/|website=CNET|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=12 August 2015}} As of the 2015 season, the service was available through an online-only subscription exclusively for those who are unable to use DirecTV services.{{cite web|title=DirecTV To Stream 'NFL Sunday Ticket' To Those Who Can't Buy Satellite|url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/att-directv-nfl-sunday-ticket-streaming-1201496512/|website=Deadline.com|access-date=12 August 2015}} Beginning with the 2023 NFL season, NFL Sunday Ticket moved exclusively to YouTube TV for residential customers.

NFL Sunday Ticket viewers do not count towards local Nielsen ratings.{{Cite web |last=Easterbrook |first=Gregg |date=2014-05-21 |title=The Rotten NFL Scheme at the Heart of the AT&T-DirecTV Merger |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/the-rotten-nfl-scheme-at-the-heart-of-the-att-directv-merger/371339/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}} Thus, offering NFL Sunday Ticket on cable cost CBS and Fox affiliates millions of dollars in lost revenue from local commercial breaks (as opposed to national ads sold by the networks).{{Clarify|date=February 2023}} In turn, affiliates help subsidize the networks' programming costs.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Therefore, CBS and Fox have rules in their broadcasting contracts that mandate that NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers must be charged at a premium price.{{cite web|url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/06/25/cbs-fox-contracts-with-nfl-will-prevent-significant-reduction-in-price-of-sunday-ticket/|title=CBS, Fox contracts with NFL will prevent "significant reduction" in price of Sunday Ticket|website=ProFootballTalk.com|date=June 25, 2022}}

{{Main|NFL television blackout policies}}

Sunday afternoon games scheduled to air on the local Fox and CBS affiliates (1998–present) within a viewer's designated media market (determined by the ZIP Code of the viewer's address) are blacked out on the NFL Sunday Ticket feed. Viewers must watch these games on their local broadcast stations instead.[http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=900046 DirecTV Information on blackouts on NFL Sunday Ticket] (This applies to live streaming of said games as well.)

Until the end of the 2014 season, if a game the viewer wished to watch was blacked out in their home market because it was not sold out, the game remained blacked out on NFL Sunday Ticket. Games joined or switched away from in progress usually had their blackout status altered immediately.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} The NFL suspended the local blackout policy for the 2015 NFL regular season, and has since done so indefinitely.[https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-suspends-local-blackout-policy-for-2015-0ap3000000480822 "NFL suspends blackout policy for 2015"] National Football League.

Until the end of the 2022 season, DirecTV offered the following extra features. From 2005 to 2009 these features were part of an add-on package called Superfan and cost $100 extra. Beginning in 2012, some of them were part of the [https://nfluhd.com NFL Sunday Ticket] Max package which cost an extra $100.[http://directv.com/nfl DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket official page]

From 2009 to 2019, all games were in high definition. The HD games were formerly part of the Superfan package.

This channel showed eight games at once, along with the game's score, time left in the game, and the quarter that the game is in under the game's feed.{{cite web |title=Your Game Day Guide to NFL Sunday Ticket |url=https://www.directv.com/binge/nfl-sunday-ticket-guide/ |website=directv.com |access-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901153718/https://www.directv.com/binge/nfl-sunday-ticket-guide/ |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |date=August 5, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Kujawa |first1=Taylor |title=NFL SUNDAY TICKET Review 2022 |url=https://www.cabletv.com/directv/nfl-sunday-ticket |website=CableTV.com |publisher=Clearlink |access-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901153325/https://www.cabletv.com/directv/nfl-sunday-ticket |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |date=August 31, 2022}} Starting in 2008, it added a high-definition feed, and in 2011, it added larger cells when four or fewer games are being played.

The Red Zone Channel offered a commercial-free "whiparound" coverage of all NFL games in progress on Sunday afternoons, highlighting key plays (scoring plays, key turnovers, etc.).{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Rembert |date=November 15, 2012 |title=A Trip Inside the RedZone |publisher=Grantland |url=http://grantland.com/features/watching-day-nfl-games-redzone-studio/ |access-date=September 3, 2014}}{{cite news |last=Strauss |first=Chris |date=October 24, 2013 |title=Follow the amazing: A behind-the-curtain look at the Red Zone Channel |publisher=USA Today |url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/10/inside-the-red-zone-channel-nfl-directv-sunday-ticket |access-date=September 3, 2014}} The channel was launched in 2005 and hosted by Andrew Siciliano. In the earlier years, only FOX games were featured in the channel.https://web.archive.org/web/20050901115236/http://www.directvsports.com/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/SuperFan/ DIRECTV info page of Red Zone channel, which included FOX-only games disclaimer While nearly identical in format, the DirecTV Red Zone Channel was separate from the NFL RedZone service hosted by Scott Hanson that launched four years later in 2009, which is produced by NFL Network and distributed to other television providers and platforms. The two services co-existed until the 2023 season; the YouTube TV version of Sunday Ticket only carries the NFL RedZone channel.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Michael |date=2022-12-23 |title=DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel Going Away Next Season |url=https://frontofficesports.com/nfl-directv-red-zone-channel-eliminated/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=Front Office Sports |language=en}}

Originally hosted by Kay Adams, and later by Dan Hellie, the Fantasy Zone Channel offered valuable insights, last-minute roster tips, live updates, top-scoring players on the day, and advice to fantasy players before and after kickoff.

This two-channel duo recapped every NFL game in 30 minutes or less, including games not available on NFL Sunday Ticket because they were televised locally or blacked out. One channel shows AFC games while the other shows NFC games. These highlights are made available on Sunday nights and are shown continuously until Tuesday morning. From 2012 to 2022, it was only available on the NFL Sunday Ticket Max package.

DirecTV subscribers with interactive DVRs received a three- to four-minute recap of every NFL Sunday Ticket game on demand with this feature, via channel 1005.

Starting in 2011, the NFL.com Fantasy Football TV app allows NFL.com fantasy players with Internet-connected set-top boxes to view their NFL.com Fantasy Football teams and scores directly on their TV screen.

NFL Sunday Ticket Max subscribers were able to stream games on the Internet and their smartphones and tablets. Starting in 2009, NFL Sunday Ticket To Go became available to non-DirecTV subscribers who were unable to receive satellite television in their homes or apartments due to line of sight issues, costing $50 more than those with DirecTV service. DirecTV offered NFL Sunday Ticket To Go on Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy tablets; Motorola Android phones; the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry OS devices with 3G or wifi, Palm Pre/Pixi, and other Droid-branded phones.

For those who did have DirecTV, the NFL also offered the Sunday Ticket package for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles.{{cite web|url=http://nflst.directv.com/DTVAPP/nflws/index.jsp|title=Stream NFL SUNDAY TICKET live online|publisher=DirecTV.com|access-date=September 6, 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Rubens|first1=Alex|title=NFL Sunday Ticket Coming to Xbox One and PS4, But There's a Catch...|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/17/nfl-sunday-ticket-coming-to-xbox-one-and-ps4-but-theres-a-catch|website=IGN.com|publisher=Ziff Davis, LLC|access-date=17 March 2015}}

Between September 26, 2010, and December 29, 2019, DirecTV offered the full slate of NFL Sunday Ticket games on JetBlue flights to 50 destinations across the United States.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-25 |title=BlueTales » JetBlue » Now celebrating Sunday Funday! |url=http://blog.hellojetblue.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/23/now-celebrating-sunday-funday |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925193455/http://blog.hellojetblue.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/23/now-celebrating-sunday-funday |archive-date=2010-09-25 |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Blue Tales}}{{Cite web |title=JetBlue Airlines To Carry NFL Sunday Ticket For Free |url=https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/jetblue-airlines-to-carry-nfl-sunday-ticket-for-free/87339/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=www.adweek.com |language=en-US}}

The NFL announced on March 28, 2023, that it had partnered with RedBird Capital to form a new company called EverPass Media to distribute commercial rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, allowing bars, restaurants, casinos, and other commercial venues to continue showing games without reconfiguring their systems to accommodate a streaming-only platform.{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=March 28, 2023 |title=NFL, RedBird Capital Launch New Company to Deliver Games to Bars and Restaurants |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nfl-redbird-capital-new-company-nfl-sunday-ticket-bars-1235362821/ |access-date=March 29, 2023 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}} EverPass then reached its first agreement with DirecTV on May 25, 2023, to sell NFL Sunday Ticket directly to its business customers.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=May 25, 2023 |title=DirecTV Sets Deal To Continue Distributing NFL Sunday Ticket To Commercial Businesses As Consumer Rights Shift To YouTube |url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/nfl-sunday-ticket-directv-commercial-businesses-youtube-1235380035/ |work=Deadline |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525233335/https://deadline.com/2023/05/nfl-sunday-ticket-directv-commercial-businesses-youtube-1235380035/ |url-status=live }}

In August 2023, EverPass Media signed a multi-year agreement to distribute commercial rights to Peacock Sports Pass, which delivers limited live sports content from the streaming service Peacock.{{cite web|title=EverPass granted rights to Peacock's U.S. commercial distribution|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/08/11/everpass-peacock-us-commercial-distribution|website=Sports Business Journal|date=August 11, 2023|access-date=January 13, 2024}} In July 2024, EverPass Media received an additional investment from Endeavor subsidiary TKO Group Holdings (owner of UFC and WWE), with Mark Shapiro joining its board of directors as a result. EverPass also announced its acquisition of out-of-home media provider UpShow.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=2024-07-02 |title=UFC & WWE Parent TKO Group Invests In EverPass Media, A Distributor Of NFL Sunday Ticket And Other Sports Properties To Commercial Businesses |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/ufc-wwe-parent-tko-everpass-media-nfl-sunday-ticket-1235999696/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Winslow |first=George |date=2024-07-02 |title=EverPass Media Acquires UPshow |url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/everpass-media-acquires-upshow |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=TVTechnology |language=en}}

The concept of NFL Sunday Ticket was largely invented by Jon Taffer during his three-year term on the board of NFL Enterprises, along with NFL Chief of Marketing Michael Miller.{{cite web |title=Midwest Venture Holdings Information Statement, SEC Archives |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1085819/0001157523-03-000040.txt |access-date=2013-10-02}} NFL Sunday Ticket was launched in 1994 and was initially available on C band and {{Ku band}} satellites, for which the receiving dishes are larger in size.{{Cite news |date=1994-04-12 |title=NFL offers new television plan to bars |pages=12 |work=The Burlington Free Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106173809/nfl-offers-new-television-plan-to-bars/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} DirecTV would become involved later in the 1994 season, airing the NFL Sunday Ticket package in the last 5 weeks of the regular season, before beginning to air the package in full the following year.{{Cite news |date=1994-10-28 |title=Dish Is Selling Like 18-Inch Hot Cakes |pages=203 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106171851/dish-is-selling-like-18-inch-hot-cakes/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} In 1998, the service became available to cable systems in Canada, with the first systems to offer the service being Rogers Cable in Ontario.{{Cite news |date=1997-12-18 |title=NFL hunts for Canadian viewers |pages=22 |work=Star-Phoenix |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106174054/nfl-hunts-for-canadian-viewers/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} The exclusivity of Sunday Ticket to cable providers resulted in a complaint from ExpressVu (now Bell Satellite TV) to the CRTC, seeking to force the NFL to open the service to Canadian satellite providers; the CRTC dismissed the complaint.{{Cite news |date=1998-08-06 |title=Rogers deal puts ball in CRTC court |pages=5 |work=National Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106174623/rogers-deal-puts-ball-in-crtc-court/ |access-date=2022-07-23}}{{Cite news |date=1998-08-15 |title=Rogers scores a touchdown with CRTC ruling |pages=7 |work=National Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106174689/rogers-scores-a-touchdown-with-crtc/ |access-date=2022-07-23}}

DirecTV was under contract to carry NFL Sunday Ticket until the end of the 2022 season. The service and its majority owner, AT&T, were on the record as questioning the value of the package with less than half of the subscribers DirecTV would need to break even using Sunday Ticket plus the league adding more games outside the traditional Sunday afternoon windows. On opening weekend of the 2021 season, CNBC reported that the league was interested in partnering with a streaming service for future rights, along with a stake in NFL Network. This would end DirecTV's relationship with the NFL after nearly three decades.{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Alex |date=September 10, 2021 |title=Amazon likely front-runner for multiyear NFL Sunday Ticket deal, sources say |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/10/amazon-likely-front-runner-for-multi-year-nfl-sunday-ticket-deal-sources.html |access-date=2021-09-10 |website=CNBC}} In July 2022, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC that the league would select a streaming service to host Sunday Ticket, with the winning service being announced that fall. Leading streaming providers Amazon, Apple Inc., and ESPN were all candidates to win the contract.{{Cite web |last=Boorstin |first=Julia |last2=Sherman |first2=Alex |date=2022-07-08 |title=NFL will select new Sunday Ticket partner by fall, Commissioner Roger Goodell says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/nfl-will-select-new-sunday-ticket-partner-by-fall-commissioner-roger-goodell-says.html |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=CNBC |language=en}} That month, the New York Times reported that YouTube had also submitted a bid for Sunday Ticket.{{Cite news |last=Mickle |first=Tripp |last2=Draper |first2=Kevin |last3=Mullin |first3=Benjamin |date=2022-07-24 |title=Why Big Tech Is Making a Big Play for Live Sports |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/technology/sports-streaming-rights.html |access-date=2022-07-25 |issn=0362-4331}} In October, CNBC reported that Apple wanted flexible and unrestricted global streaming rights, something that the NFL cannot offer due its existing deals with CBS and Fox that guarantee exclusivity of local games.{{Cite web |last=Sherman |first=Alex |date=October 14, 2022 |title=NFL Sunday Ticket still up for grabs as Apple pushes for flexibility with game rights |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/14/nfl-apple-are-at-odds-sunday-ticket-talks.html |access-date=December 17, 2022 |work=CNBC}}

On December 22, 2022, the league announced that NFL Sunday Ticket would move exclusively to YouTube TV and YouTube's recently launched Primetime Channels service for residential customers.

In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers, alleging that the NFL, its member teams, its broadcast partners, and DirecTV engaged in a conspiracy to violate antitrust law, by granting DirecTV exclusive rights to sell the Sunday Ticket product, thereby restricting competition and forcing viewers to pay supercompetitive prices to view out-of-market games.{{Cite web |last=Schofield |first=Mark |date=2024-06-06 |title=NFL’s billion-dollar antitrust case with ‘Sunday Ticket,’ explained |url=https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2024/6/6/24172875/nfl-antitrust-lawsuit-sunday-ticket |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240606180832/https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2024/6/6/24172875/nfl-antitrust-lawsuit-sunday-ticket |archive-date=2024-06-06 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=SB Nation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Reedy |first=Joe |date=2024-06-06 |title=Class-action lawsuit against NFL by 'Sunday Ticket' subscribers gets underway |url=http://hosted.ap.org/post-gazette/article/ab29c60b2cc7e05cafcaeafa7f7e285e/class-action-lawsuit-against-nfl-sunday-ticket-subscribers |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240607154329/https://hosted.ap.org/post-gazette/article/ab29c60b2cc7e05cafcaeafa7f7e285e/class-action-lawsuit-against-nfl-sunday-ticket-subscribers |archive-date=2024-06-07 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Associated Press |publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |language=en}}

In June 2024, arguments in the case began in federal court, with the class of plaintiffs covered by the lawsuit having grown to include more than 2.4 million residential and 48,000 commercial subscribers to NFL Sunday Ticket between 2011 and 2023.{{Cite web |last=Molski |first=Max |last2=Reardon |first2=Logan |date=2024-06-06 |title=NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit: Details, timeline and background |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/nfl/nfl-sunday-ticket-lawsuit-details-timeline-and-background/5482899/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240606145929/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/nfl/nfl-sunday-ticket-lawsuit-details-timeline-and-background/5482899/ |archive-date=2024-06-06 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=WNBC |language=en-US}} The suit is seeking $7.1 billion in damages, with potential treble damages amounting to $21 billion. On June 27, a jury in Los Angeles found that the NFL had violated antitrust law in setting the price of the package and ordered a penalty totaling more than $4.7 billion. With triple damages allowed under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could ultimately be liable for $14.39 billion. The league said it would ask the judge to set the verdict aside then appeal the verdict if needed.{{cite web|title=Jury rules NFL violated antitrust laws in 'Sunday Ticket' case|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40447020/jury-rules-nfl-violated-antitrust-laws-sunday-ticket-case|website=ESPN.com|date=June 27, 2024}} On August 1, Judge Philip Gutierrez overturned the verdict, ruling that two experts' testimony employed flawed methodologies.{{Cite web |last=Associated Press |date=2024-08-01 |title=Judge rules for NFL, overturns $4.7B 'Sunday Ticket' verdict |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40702839/judge-rules-nfl-overturns-47b-sunday-ticket-verdict |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=ESPN}} Without that expert testimony, the Judge ruled, "no reasonable jury could have found class-wide injury or damages."{{Cite web |last=Ostly |first=Ayrton |title=Judge overturns $4.7 billion Sunday Ticket verdict: Jury 'didn't follow instructions' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/08/01/nfl-sunday-ticket-lawsuit-overturned/74641373007/ |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}

NFL Sunday Ticket has also been available in Mexico, Latin America, Bermuda, The Bahamas and Canada. In most cases, alternate services like NFL Game Pass International have since replaced NFL Sunday Ticket in international countries and territories, though the service remains available internationally in limited circumstances as discussed below.{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Andrew |title=NFL Game Pass Expands Global Footprint to Australia, Brazil, India, Japan and Mexico |url=https://www.sporttechie.com/nfl-game-pass-181-countries-territories-football-overtier-streaming |website=SportTechie |publisher=Sports Business Journal |access-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901152058/https://www.sporttechie.com/nfl-game-pass-181-countries-territories-football-overtier-streaming/ |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |date=October 7, 2019}}

NFL Sunday Ticket was previously available in Canada through most major pay television providers, often in a bundle with other sports packages. In July 2017, it was announced that the streaming service DAZN had acquired the rights to the NFL's out-of-market package beginning in the 2017 NFL season. The games previously available through this service, as well as NFL Game Pass, are bundled with the provider's service in Canada.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/dazn-streaming-nfl-1.4214428|title=Self-professed 'Netflix of sports' app DAZN launches in Canada with all NFL games|work=CBC News|access-date=2017-07-21|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://business.financialpost.com/telecom/dazn-the-netflix-of-sports-launches-in-canada-with-exclusive-nfl-streaming-rights/wcm/db377e6d-185d-40ef-a727-e72041320f30|title=DAZN, the Netflix of sports, launches in Canada with exclusive NFL streaming rights|date=2017-07-20|work=Financial Post|access-date=2017-07-21|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2017/07/20/streaming-service-dazn-buys-canadian-nfl-rights|title=Streaming service DAZN buys Canadian NFL rights|website=Toronto Sun|access-date=2017-07-24}}

However, after DAZN's Canadian launch was met with frequent technical problems and user criticism, DAZN announced that it had begun to offer NFL Sunday Ticket to television providers as an alternative to its over-the-top product.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/football/nfl/dazn-working-on-making-all-nfl-games-available-via-cable-satellite-providers|title=DAZN working on making all NFL games available via cable, satellite providers|date=2017-10-07|work=National Post|access-date=2017-10-10|language=en-US}}

• Sky México

• Vrio

• Vivo TV

• Cable Bahamas

• NBA League Pass
• MLS Direct Kick
• MLB Extra Innings
• NHL Center Ice (U.S.)/NHL Centre Ice (Canada)
• NASCAR Hot Pass

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.nfl.com/nflsundayticket NFL Sunday Ticket]
• [https://www.directv.com/forbusiness/nfl-sunday-ticket/ NFL Sunday Ticket via DirecTV for Business]

{{National Football League on television and radio}}

{{Sports television in the United States}}

{{U.S. premium television services}}

{{Canadian premium television services (PPV)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nfl Sunday Ticket}}

Sunday Ticket

Category:Satellite television

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1994

Category:Out-of-market sports packages