DirecTV’s 28-year hammerlock on NFL Sunday Ticket ends in eight Sundays. For many, it can’t come soon enough.
Here’s what isn’t coming soon -- firm plans for the next iteration of the out-of-market viewing platform.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there’s no current timeline for making a decision on the future of Sunday Ticket. The source says that “multiple” companies remain in the mix.
Apple, Disney, Amazon, and Google have been linked to the product. The NFL has acknowledged that it will be a streaming-based product as of 2023.
Many believed the NFL would have a deal in place by now. In July, Commissioner Roger Goodell said a decision is coming this fall.
So what’s the delay? Presumably, the NFL has yet to get the number it wants.
And so the NFL waits. Really, the deadline doesn’t arrive until Week One of next season. Most of the candidates have the infrastructure in place to quickly slap together whatever needs to be done to fit the product within its current array of streaming options.