By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, do you know if YouTube TV will have more preseason games on the NFL Sunday Ticket? — Dale, Cincinnati.
Dale, the NFL Sunday Ticket normally doesn’t include preseason games, just regular season Sunday afternoon contests. But YouTube TV on Saturday night (August 19) conducted a test stream of the Minnesota Vikings-Tennessee Titans game for Ticket subscribers. There were no reports of widespread issues. But it was just one stream.
The decision to test some preseason games appears to be part of the streamer’s ramped up preparation for carrying the Sunday Ticket for the first time, starting with the first Sunday of regular season games on September 10. YouTube TV has suffered several technical issues with high-profile streams of sports in the last few months, which has prompted concerns from some football fans that the Sunday Ticket could experience the same issues. The preseason tests could help YouTube TV iron out any potential kinks in the NFL streams.
And this Saturday (August 26), YouTube TV will provide a greater challenge for its technical team when it streams three Sunday Ticket preseason games at the same time at 1 p.m. ET. The games will be the Buffalo Bills-Chicago Bears matchup; the Seattle Seahawks-Green Bay Packers game; and the Arizona Cardinals-Minnesota Vikings contest. Streaming one game can be difficult, sometimes triggering various glitches, particularly if it’s a highly viewed event. But doing three at the same time will definitely put the YTTV team to the test and perhaps give us a clue as to whether it’s up to doing up to eight games simultaneously on the first Sunday (September 10) of the regular season.
Dale, 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
