TV Answer Man, I am thinking of getting the Sunday Ticket from DIRECTV, but a friend told me it will be free the first week. Could that really be true? — Jerry, Big Spring, Texas. 

DIRECTV has held a free preview of the NFL Sunday Ticket on the first Sunday of the regular season for years. And I am happy to report that the satellite TV service will do so again this Sunday, September 12, the first week of the 2021 season.

The free preview will be for the Max edition, which means it will include all the out-of-market games as well as features such as the Red Zone Channel, the Fantasy Zone channel, and Game Mix which offers up to eight games on one screen at the same time.

The free preview will be available in DIRECTV’s channel 700s. (Note: The Sunday Ticket base price is $293.96 while the Max edition is $395.96.)

This Sunday’s afternoon games will include Seattle vs Indianapolis, Jacksonville at Houston, Philadelphia at Atlanta, San Diego at Washington, Pittsburgh at Buffalo, San Francisco at Detroit, Minnesota at Cincinnati, New York Jets at Carolina, Arizona at Tennessee, Cleveland at Kansas City, Miami at New England, Denver at New York Giants, and Green Bay at New Orleans.

By the way, the streaming edition of the NFL Sunday Ticket also includes a one-week free trial. The online Ticket is available to university students, people who can’t get DIRECTV at their residences, and some people in select areas regardless of whether they can get DIRECTV at their homes. You can check your eligibility here.

Hope that helps, Jerry. Happy viewing, and stay safe!

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— Phillip Swann