By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels today have dropped the price of the NFL Sunday Ticket by 50 percent with 10 weeks left in the regular season. The base price for the Ticket on YouTube TV is now $174 (previously $349) while the bundle plan with the NFL RedZone channel included is $194 (previously $389). The YouTube Primetime Channels’ base Ticket plan is now $224 (previously $449) while the YouTube Primetime Channels’ bundle package (NFL RedZone included) is now $244 (previously $489).

All four plans include all out-of-market NFL Sunday afternoon games (those not airing on local channels). YouTube TV’s Ticket plans require a subscription to the live streaming service’s base plan, which is $72.99 a month. (YouTube TV is now running a promotion with the first three months available for $52.99 a month.) The YouTube Primetime Channels’ plans do not require a subscription to YouTube TV or any other service besides the Ticket.

The price cut comes three days after YouTube suffered its first widespread technical glitch while hosting the Ticket. (The Google-owned streamers took over the Ticket’s rights this year after it was an exclusive on DIRECTV for 28 years.) Numerous fans complained of buffering and black screens while trying to tune to games. YouTube’s X customer help team acknowledged the issue during the games on Sunday and said it would post a follow-up when it was resolved. However, the streamer never posted the follow-up or issue a credit/rebate to customers for experiencing the technical problems. The streamer told some customers in responses on Sunday that there are no refunds for the NFL Sunday Ticket, although the refund remark did not specifically address Sunday’s technical difficulties.

Although the new pricing comes after Sunday’s technical nightmare, the two may not be connected. Mary Ellen Coe, YouTube’s chief business officer, said a month ago that a mid-season price discount was likely. “That’s something that’s in the mix. Ultimately, we want to make sure that pricing is relative to what the user-value proposition is,” Coe told Deadline. In addition, DIRECTV last year shaved approximately $70 off the price with 11 weeks left in the season.

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— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman