Amazon is the current front-runner to land the next NFL Sunday Ticket contract with current holder DIRECTV uncertain whether to make a bid, according to a CNBC report.
The report says Amazon is in talks to secure the contract after DIRECTV’s current deal with the NFL expires after the 2022 season.
The etailer “is seen as the front-runner by others involved in talks with the league, according to people familiar with the matter,” CNBC states.
The financial news network adds that ESPN and Apple are also interested in purchasing the Sunday Ticket contract, but the Comcast-owned Peacock streaming service does not appear serious about obtaining the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
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DIRECTV has offered the Sunday Ticket as an exclusive since its inception in 1994, but CNBC reports that the satcaster is still weighing whether it’s financial sound to seek a renewal. The NFL may want as much $2.5 billion a year in the next Sunday Ticket agreement, CNBC says.
“DIRECTV is still considering its options but may not have the balance sheet to compete with Amazon or Apple whose market valuations are close to or above $2 trillion, two of the people said,” states the report.
At $2.5 billion a year, CNBC estimates that DIRECTV would need 5 million subscribers at $300 each to be profitable. The satellite TV service now charges $293 a year for the base Sunday Ticket package, which is estimated to have between two and three million subscribers.
The Wall Street Journal and other publications have reported that DIRECTV agreed to pay roughly $1,5 billion a year when it signed an eight-year contract for the Sunday Ticket in 2014.
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Still think it’ll be split between sat and streaming
if ESPN get’s it may just end up on Directv for commercial licenses only with Joe Hand Promotions
Too many people in areas that don’t have cable or steaming at this time for them not to put it on Sat broadcast. IMO
Amazon will win because AT&t and DirecTV do not have the money slipper Stevenson blew 180 billion dollars they don’t have any money left to pay their debt so Bank on Amazon for your NFL whatever
NFL??? What is that???….Oh Football. Stopped watching years ago as did just about everyone I know.
So if amazon gets the nfl they can charge us half the price or less because they have millions more customers right? i might pay $125.00 for a season but no way would i pay $300.00 come on your greedy NFL make the sunday ticket acessable to us regular folks!!!!
Approximately 50 percent of the nation’s households have Amazon Prime memberships.
That is a staggering amount of money for Amazon.
Amazon is in the position to reach a contractual agreement for NFL Sunday Ticket as had been the case with DirecTV [AT&T”s DirecTV].
Still missing the point. The NFL can maximize revenues by having a streaming partner AND a sat broadcaster.
You forgot, You are talking about AT&T.
Did you really expect those AIR HEADS
to do anything that makes sense ?
Who ever gets it if its not 4k then i could care less who gets it
If Direct was half smart, they would sell the games piecemeal, everyone wants games out of their location… I have moved to Oregon in 94 from east coast. No way am I going to be stuck just watching SeaChickens games