Hunter Henry (85) of the New England Patriots tight end celebrates his run against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium, Oct. 16, 2022.
Scott Galvin | USA Today Sports | Reuters
The National Football League is finalizing a deal for the rights to the subscription-only game package known as Sunday Ticket with… The Google YouTube TV, according to people familiar with the matter.
The league has been in negotiations for months to acquire the rights to the package, which has long been held by DirecTV, with the goal of striking an agreement with the streaming service to expand the NFL’s reach and partnership.
However, the deal will not include a stake in NFL Media, which includes linear cable channels NFL Network and RedZone, which the league has been shopping for along with the rights to Sunday Ticket, one of the people said. The sources asked not to be named because discussions are ongoing.
The Wall Street Journal I mentioned the current status of the talks earlier. An NFL spokesperson declined to comment, and Google did not respond to requests for comment.
NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell previously said that while the NFL was packing a minority stake with Sunday Ticket, it might decide to sell each property individually.
People said the terms of the deal were still being settled on Tuesday. DirecTV has been paying out $1.5 billion annually since 2015. The NFL has been looking for a buyer for Sunday Ticket willing to pay between $2 billion and $3 billion.
Goodell said earlier that the league aims to announce a rights deal with Sunday Ticket by the end of the fall. The Sunday Ticket package was the only set of media rights in the NFL not to be renewed through 2030.
The deal with YouTube TV follows various media players, including AmazonAnd the an Apple And the Disney ESPN considers the property rights.
People said the NFL was in close talks with Apple until recently. However, current restrictions around Sunday Ticket have slowed negotiations with Apple in recent months, CNBC previously reported.
The league was looking to diversify its partnerships with media companies and have a greater presence in live broadcasting.
Watch: I think the NFL media rights will move to broadcasting
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