TV Answer Man, will YouTube TV have the ability to watch several games of the NFL Sunday Ticket at the same time like DIRECTV did? That’s a big thing for me as a fantasy football fan. — Pete, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Pete, as you know, Google last December secured the next contract for the NFL Sunday Ticket starting with the 2023 season. The company will replace DIRECTV after the satcaster had the exclusive rights to the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games since 1994.
The Sunday Ticket will be available as an add-on plan (pricing not yet revealed) on YouTube TV and as a standalone offering (pricing now revealed for that, either) on YouTube.
With Google as a new carrier, I’ve received several e-mails from readers asking what the company has planned for football fans that might be different than what they experienced on DIRECTV. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s new CEO, yesterday touched on that in a letter to YouTube creators and other service partners.
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Mohan said YouTube TV this year will indeed launch a new feature that will enable Sunday Ticket subscribers to watch multiple games on one screen. DIRECTV has done this for years, but many football fans, particularly the fantasy audience, have been nervous about whether Google would continue the feature. The multi-game screen enables you to follow players from several different teams which is important if you have them on your fantasy team.
The YouTube chief yesterday also said:
“Subscribers will see features from YouTube TV — like the ability to watch key plays — added to the main YouTube app. And creators will connect with sports fans through coverage and commentary. Sunday Ticket will also come with ways to engage with other fans, including comments, chats, and polls. Coming later this year to YouTube TV: a new feature that lets viewers watch multiple games at once.”
As we get closer to the 2023 NFL season, YouTube will offer more details on its plan, including what people want to know the most: Pricing.
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Pete, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman