Comcast, ESPN, Amazon and DAZN have shown interest in bidding for the next NFL Sunday Ticket contract, according to a new report from Sports Business Daily.
The article, written by veteran journalist John Ourand, says AT&T may not want to pursue a Sunday Ticket renewal for its DIRECTV satellite TV service. DIRECTV has had an exclusive deal with the league to carry the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games since 1994.
The satcaster signed an eight-year contract with the NFL in late 2014, which would seemingly take the current agreement through the 2022 season. Several news reports at the time said the eight-year contract would go through 2022. But the Sports Business Daily report says the deal will expire after the 2021 season.
Ourand writes that the next round of negotiations for the Sunday Ticket should be competitive with multiple bidders possible. He says it may be a few months before serious talks begin because the league is still working on its new deals for the broadcast and cable networks.
“When the league opens its Sunday Ticket negotiations, it should expect a lot of activity, especially since AT&T, which owns DIRECTV, has made it clear that it’s willing to give up exclusivity, or possibly, the entire package altogether,” the article says. “Sources expect the Sunday Ticket to be primarily a digital service in its next deal.”
Ourand adds: “Amazon Prime, ESPN+, (The Comcast-owned) Peacock (streaming service) and DAZN (the sports streaming service) have shown some interest, though none have entered into formal talks.”
To understand why Comcast might want to add the Sunday Ticket to Peacock, see our article, NFL Sunday Ticket: Who Will Get It Next?
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