NFL Sunday Ticket Headed to YouTube?

[Ian]

Interesting article on that:

Google CEO Larry Page Discusses TV Package with NFL Head Roger Goodell - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

 

[Kontradiction]

I would happy if that happens. I get out of my DirecTV contract next year (specifically planned it out for the bidding, since I figured DirecTV didn't want to keep paying $1 Billion out of pocket for the right to have Sunday Ticket) and would like to switch back to Comcast, even though they're also a bunch of crooks. DirecTV just really sucks. If there's a single dark cloud in the sky hovering over my house, the signal craps out. Comcast always pulled the old bait and switch, but at least their service is somewhat consistent. The bid for Sunday Ticket going to Google, who has more money than God, would be excellent for me as I'm an Xbox owner.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Xbox, Google TV, TiVo and a plethora of others including most recent TVs all have YouTube display capability. Wicked Pissah!

Pay per view is coming this decade for NFL, etc.

 

[Kontradiction]

Xbox, Google TV, TiVo and a plethora of others including most recent TVs all have YouTube display capability. Wicked Pissah!

Yep. And the good news is that Google is probably going to win the bidding, since I don't see another entity emerging between now and next year that could possibly outbid them.

 

[patchick]

I think this would be fascinating in the abstract, and potentially very good for me as a football fan who watches almost no television except football. (As the first preseason game approached I actually had to go around asking my family, "Has anybody seen the tv? Do you remember where we put it?")

 

[patchick]

Yep. And the good news is that Google is probably going to win the bidding, since I don't see another entity emerging between now and next year that could possibly outbid them.

Or, more cynically, a public flirtation with Google would be a natural first salvo in renegotiations.

 

[Sivy]

I think this would be fascinating in the abstract, and potentially very good for me as a football fan who watches almost no television except football. (As the first preseason game approached I actually had to go around asking my family, "Has anybody seen the tv? Do you remember where we put it?")

That's crazy, I love TV.

 

[Kontradiction]

Or, more cynically, a public flirtation with Google would be a natural first salvo in renegotiations.

Yeah, but that assumes that the NFL wants to continue the deal with DirecTV. Google could, and probably would, open up the Sunday Ticket package to those that don't want to and/or can't (i.e. - me at my old address, because of trees that surrounded my house) get DirecTV. The NFL, at least IMO, would stand to gain a potentially much bigger profit out of a deal with Google than it would with DirecTV.

 

[JMC00]

Google would probably get triple the subscribers just because people won't have to be a DirecTV customer to get it.

 

[JMC00]

Or, more cynically, a public flirtation with Google would be a natural first salvo in renegotiations.

If the rumors are true DirecTV wants no part of an exclusive contract anymore.

 

[MassPats38]

If the rumors are true DirecTV wants no part of an exclusive contract anymore.

At this point, I would assume a fair percentage of DirecTV customers, like myself, have the service only for the Sunday Ticket. I wonder what the loss of that exclusive service would signify to them (never quite sure who has the Dish Network, and infrequently see those dishes around anymore), specifically if they could afford to lose the service and therefore have any bargaining leverage whatsoever? If this rumor is true, I suspect they pay whatever is demanded by the NFL or face financial ruin. I would prefer the latter with a pure Internet option for the games, provided the cost isn't ridiculous.

 

[Kontradiction]

At this point, I would assume a fair percentage of DirecTV customers, like myself, have the service only for the Sunday Ticket. I wonder what the loss of that exclusive service would signify to them (never quite sure who has the Dish Network, and infrequently see those dishes around anymore), specifically if they could afford to lose the service and therefore have any bargaining leverage whatsoever? If this rumor is true, I suspect they pay whatever is demanded by the NFL or face financial ruin. I would prefer the latter with a pure Internet option for the games, provided the cost isn't ridiculous.

It would depend on what the contracts look like for the subscribers, I would guess. My specific contract is up next year and I too only have DirecTV for Sunday Ticket. But there are thousands of people that will be stuck with DirecTV contracts after that. Google can show the NFL that they can give them more of a profit with the conceivable ability to outbid anyone else interested in entering the negotiations. For DirecTV to outbid Google could cause financial ruin in and of itself. Additionally, DirecTV was doing alright even before Sunday Ticket became available.

 

[sb1]

Interesting! Would love to see the ability to order games a la carte.


Hopefully they don't get any ideas from MLB TV's idiotic blackout rules

 

[patsinthesnow]

So lemme get this straight.....

One would sign in to their youtube account, pay for the Sunday ticket, and every game on sunday would be available on the PC and your smartphone/tablet (without needing directTV) ?



Really hope this happens. I can't deal with the quality of streams.

 

[Kontradiction]

So lemme get this straight.....

One would sign in to their youtube account, pay for the Sunday ticket, and every game on sunday would be available on the PC and your smartphone/tablet (without needing directTV) ?



Really hope this happens.

Also on GoogleTV and Xbox. :rocker:

 

[Big-T]

Most/all Smart TV's have a Youtube app too.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Most/all Smart TV's have a Youtube app too.

Yup, and xbox/xboxone, /ps3/ps4 too. So I assume you could just plug in your game system to get it on your TV.

 

[TruthSeeker]

At this point, I would assume a fair percentage of DirecTV customers, like myself, have the service only for the Sunday Ticket. I wonder what the loss of that exclusive service would signify to them (never quite sure who has the Dish Network, and infrequently see those dishes around anymore), specifically if they could afford to lose the service and therefore have any bargaining leverage whatsoever? If this rumor is true, I suspect they pay whatever is demanded by the NFL or face financial ruin. I would prefer the latter with a pure Internet option for the games, provided the cost isn't ridiculous.

I signed a 2-year DirectTV deal when I moved (had Dish Network and then canceled when I lived in temporary housing and then couldn't get Dish Network back at a reasonable rate until 90 days had passed). which included free Sunday Ticket last year. This year I'm going to settle for 6 or 7 NFL games a week instead of 15 or so. I can hardly wait to get back to Dish Network because it's a much better viewing experience (less delays when skipping ahead/back; flexibility in not needing wires; ability to see/do everything from all TVs, not just the primary TV, etc.)

 

[deters]

NFL is dumb at selling their product. If they just made Sunday ticket available like their preseason live package, they would make sooo much more money and more people could watch their games. Directv sucks ass and I will never own that garbage.

 

[Big-T]

Yup, and xbox/xboxone, /ps3/ps4 too. So I assume you could just plug in your game system to get it on your TV.

Laptops too, newer ones will have HDMI out so just plug that into the TV and older ones have VGA out so that + a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable for sound from the Laptop to TV would work too.

It would be a great move by Google to get the service and if it weren't for things such as adblock they would have probably had a platform in which to make it free on.

I'd like to see them get the rights to Gamepass too, although the client itself is good there is an in-built delay and the cost puts a lot of people off (especially here in the UK when the games broadcast on Sky get blacked out so people without Sky miss out on those games).