NFL Sunday Ticket: Will YouTube TV Have a Fantasy Channel?
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, Will You Tube have the Fantasy Zone Channel on the NFL Sunday Ticket as DIRECTV did? — Joe, town withheld.
Joe, the Google-owned YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels will carry the NFL Sunday Ticket starting this season after it was a DIRECTV exclusive for the previous 28 years. The switch has triggered numerous questions regarding what will be different this year. I’ve covered some of those questions here and here.
But what about a fantasy channel, you ask? DIRECTV offered an exclusive Fantasy Zone Channel as part of its $395 Max Ticket package. The channel provided last-minute roster tips, live updates on games and the day’s top point scorers. It was a great way to keep your personal fantasy team up to date.
Google has not said it will offer a dedicated channel to fantasy football. The company has said it will ‘integrate’ fantasy data in the interactive portion of the Sunday Ticket displays, which will include a multiview channel (four games at the same time on one screen.)
“On YouTube TV, members will have access to features like the brand new multiview as well as unlimited DVR storage, personalized recommendations, the ability to view key plays, NFL Fantasy data, real time stats and hide spoilers,” Christian Oestlien, Google’s vice president of product management for YouTube TV, wrote in a company blog last month.
With the emphasis on ‘data’ rather than channel, it would appear that Google will not do a dedicated fantasy channel. Unlike DIRECTV, the company isn’t doing its own RedZone channel, either, as DIRECTV did. Instead, it will use the NFL RedZone channel.
The TV Answer Man will monitor this situation and report back here if anything changes. But for now, no fantasy channel.
Joe, 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
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