Why I Canceled the NFL Sunday Ticket

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, I think you have the Sunday Ticket, right? What do you think? Should I get it based on your experience with YouTube last year? — Daniel, Boulder, Colorado. 

Daniel, I subscribed to the NFL Sunday Ticket last year via YouTube TV. I was surprised at how good the picture was and there were relatively few technical issues, which is not always the case with high-profile streaming events. I also thought that Google (the owner of YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels) did a good job of marketing the package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games. In its first year as the Ticket’s exclusive carrier (replacing DIRECTV), the price was just $249 if you ordered it three months before the season and bundled it with YouTube TV. Despite all the talk about the Ticket being too expensive, $249 was about $45 less than what DIRECTV charged for its base Ticket plan.

However, despite my praise for the Ticket’s performance in 2023, I cancelled it this year. And I have no regrets.

It’s not only that the price is higher this year ($379 with the YouTube TV bundle; $479 purchased separately with YouTube Primetime Channels.). But last year I found that most of the games that I wanted to watch were available on local broadcast TV. Sure, there was the occasional matchup that wasn’t, but most must-view contests were.

In addition, while watching the Ticket, I often would scoot over to the NFL RedZone channel for 30 minutes or more at a time. Before the afternoon was over, I would say I spent at least half of my time watching the RedZone channel. With the RedZone channel available for just $14.99 a month on NFL Plus Premium, the league’s streaming service, spending hundreds of dollars on the Ticket just doesn’t make sense to me anymore.

I understand the Ticket is the best way to ensure that you can catch every Sunday afternoon game (if you get a pay TV sub and/or an antenna), which is particularly important if you live out of market from your favorite team. But if you just want to watch the best games, the Ticket is an unnecessary luxury.

Daniel, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

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