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Now that the contract has ended between DirecTV and the National Football League, the NFL Sunday Ticket premium sports package is heading over to streaming service YouTube TV in the fall of 2023.
While YouTube hasn’t yet released the full price breakdown, there are some details available about what the sports package will entail for the upcoming football season — and which viewers will be eligible for discounts.
Below is what we know so far about the NFL Sunday Ticket’s move to YouTube TV. And if you need to scratch your sports itch while you wait for the 2023 football season to begin, check out these totally legal free sports streaming sites.
How does NFL Sunday Ticket work?
The YouTube sports package includes all out-of-market regular-season NFL games that are not regionally broadcast by your local FOX or CBS affiliate. The package will not include Thursday Night Football (currently on Amazon Prime Video), Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football games.
What games are considered “out of market” depends on the customer’s billing address and streaming access. So if you live in the New York metropolitan area, for example, you’d potentially be able to watch a Miami Dolphins or an Arizona Cardinals game, since those events would not be broadcast in the local market. However, since the New York Giants game would air on your local FOX or CBS affiliate, those games would be blocked from the service.
With the NFL Sunday Ticket, you can stream NFL games via YouTube TV (a separate app/website from regular YouTube) via computer, tablet, smartphone, game console, Roku, web browser, or another connected streaming device.
How much does the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription cost?
YouTube will release pricing information for the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription later in 2023, ahead of the fall football season. The exact pricing is unknown at the moment, but the Sunday Ticket will be available as two different options:
- A stand-alone package that doesn’t come with the larger YouTube TV streaming service.
- An add-on to the $65-a-month YouTube TV package (expect YouTube to incentivize this option by making the add-on cost less than the stand-alone cost).
As part of their big NFL announcement, YouTube TV is running a sale on the NFL Sunday Ticket for new subscribers who sign up for the television service. Your first three months will cost $54.99, and then the price will go up to $64.99 a month. Pricing has not yet been released for existing YouTube TV members, but those customers will be eligible for special offers, according to YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket website.
Are playoff games and the Super Bowl included in the NFL Sunday Ticket?
No, the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription only includes out-of-market games that are played on Sunday afternoons during the regular season. You would not be able to watch the games that are broadcast nationally as part of Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, or Monday Night Football.
Since the subscription only includes live regular season games, NFL playoff games and the Super Bowl are not included. NFL playoff games and the Super Bowl air nationally on broadcast television, which means that those games are blocked out from the NFL Sunday Ticket season pass.
If you’re a streamer and you’re wondering how to watch the Super Bowl for free, we’ve listed your options.
Will the NFL Sunday Ticket offer discounts for college students?
When NFL Sunday Ticket was part of DirecTV, they offered college students a massive discount with the “Sunday Ticket University” program — $300 off the regular price!
YouTube hasn’t said anything yet about whether they’ll continue a college discount, but they’re hinting at other potential price breaks. The NFL’s chief media and business officer, Brian Rolapp, recently shared that the NFL is exploring the possibility of offering a “lighter” and stripped-down option for subscribers — perhaps “fewer games for a lesser price,” he said.
If you’re looking for college student discounts, we’ve got a bunch of those.
Is the NFL Sunday Ticket worth it?
If you live and breathe professional football or are a dedicated fan who needs to see every single game that your favorite team plays, then the NFL Sunday Ticket is worth it.
But like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, or any other premium streaming service, viewing the programs offered comes at a price. What that price is, however, has yet to be announced for the 2023 NFL Sunday Ticket.
