On Friday , CNBC reported that the front-runner appears to be Amazon, who acquired exclusivity for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package as part of the league’s new round of TV deals.
DirecTV owns the Sunday Ticket rights through the end of next season, but given the company’s sale and general upheaval, a possible renewal seems slim. Per CNBC, the rights fee for Sunday Ticket is expected to land somewhere in the range of $2 billion to $2.5 billion per season. DirecTV is currently paying $1.5 billion per season as part of an eight-year deal.
Amazon already has exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football starting in 2022. The company has been streaming Thursday Night Football games on its Prime Video platform for the past few seasons, but it was doing so in conjunction with a traditional broadcaster, like Fox. The new deal marks the first time a streaming platform will be the sole home for Thursday games without a traditional TV partner (though games will still air on local TV in teams’ home markets).
The NFL is expected to ask between $2 billion and $2.5 billion a year for the Sunday Ticket package, according to CNBC. Previous reports have suggested that Disney and Apple had expressed interest in Sunday Ticket. The NFL reportedly wants to finish up discussions before this season ends in February.
Shawn Stewart is a Founder/CEO for Sports 4 America , you can follow Shawn on Twitter and Instagram @S4AStewart