Q. My buddy told me that DIRECTV is giving away the NFL Sunday Ticket for free. Is that true? And if it is, does it mean that I will get it for all the time I am a DIRECTV subscriber? — Vic, Blaine, Minnesota. 

Vic, there is a two-part answer to that question. Let me explain.

DIRECTV is including the 2020 NFL Sunday Ticket for free to new customers who order any programming package labeled ‘Choice’ or above. The Choice plan, which features more than 185 channels, is $69.99 a month for the first year, and it also includes a free year of HBO Max.

Choice’s monthly price for year two jumps to $115 in year two, which serves as a reminder that DIRECTV requires you to sign a two-year agreement. If you cancel service before the two years are up, you are required to pay $20 a month for every month left in the agreement.

The 2020 Sunday Ticket is also included in more expensive DIRECTV plans such as Ultimate ($84.99 a month in year one; $142 a month in year two); Xtra ($79.99 a month in year one; $131 in year two); and Premier ($134.99 a month in year one; $197 a month in year two).

However, note that DIRECTV does not include the Sunday Ticket in its base ‘Select’ package which starts at $59.99 a month. (All packages, however, require a two-year agreement.)

The deal only entitles you to get the Sunday Ticket for free this season. In 2021, you would have to pay the regular rate, which is $293.94 this year for the base plan. So if you continue to subscribe to the Ticket in 2021, your bill will be dramatically higher then considering that your year two package price will nearly double.

Now, part two of your question.

DIRECTV earlier this year sent e-mails to some existing subscribers saying they will get the Sunday Ticket for free this year if they opted-in to do so. There seemed to be no reason why some customers got the e-mail while others didn’t. (I asked AT&T, but a spokesman wouldn’t provide details.)

So, yes, Vic, both new and existing DIRECTV customers this year are getting the Sunday Ticket for free. But not everyone.

And speaking of not everyone getting access to the Sunday Ticket, see our exclusive article, ‘Why Is DIRECTV Selling Sunday Ticket to Non-Subscribers?’

Need to buy something today? Please buy it using this Amazon.com link. This site receives a small portion of each purchase, which helps us continue to provide these articles.

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann