DirecTV and the NFL Sunday Ticket

[LesBaker]

By next contract, do you mean the one thats up after 2014? Last time they signed a 5 year deal. So are you thinking for 2015 or 2020?

2020 or so. Probably earlier I think.

By then the tech will easily support all the control and everything.

TV, as we know it, will be nearly dead, like everything else that becomes outdated.

The internet is the biggest game changer since fire and the wheel.

 

[LesBaker]

Probably. I paid that much for Sunday Ticket anyway, but I rarely watched any other games, so....

That's about where I land too. I fork over 20 bucks to see my guys.

Which means they will charge 25 because they know we will cough up the extra 5 bucks. Hahaha.......

 

[-X-]

That's about where I land too. I fork over 20 bucks to see my guys.

Which means they will charge 25 because they know we will cough up the extra 5 bucks. Hahaha.......

lol. No doubt. Gotta get that extra jab in for us suckers.

 

[Sum1]

Since I'm in St.Louis the Sunday Ticket does nothing for me.

The ONLY reason I have TV service anymore is for Fox Sports Midwest so I can watch Cardinals and Blues games. I watch a lot of other shows, but I'd just assume be a year behind and watch them on Netflix than gush out the money I do.

I'm not big on doing any illegal streaming or IP address masking otherwise I'd be golden.

 

[ChrisW]

Since I'm in St.Louis the Sunday Ticket does nothing for me.

The ONLY reason I have TV service anymore is for Fox Sports Midwest so I can watch Cardinals and Blues games. I watch a lot of other shows, but I'd just assume be a year behind and watch them on Netflix than gush out the money I do.

I'm not big on doing any illegal streaming or IP address masking otherwise I'd be golden.

Get yourself a VPN and delete trackers and you're golden for downloading torrets....there's still a really small chance you can be caught, but you still have three strikes before you get in any trouble.

 

[Prime Time]

Report: NFL Sunday Ticket deal coming soon
Posted by Mike Florio on May 20, 2014

It’s highly unlikely that AT&T would publicize a purchase of DirecTV that hinges on DirecTV renewing the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket unless DirecTV had a pretty good idea that the rights will be renewed.

According to the Wall Street Journal (viaSportsBusiness Daily), they will be. Soon.

According to Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times, the negotiations have lagged over the issue of expanded digital rights. The combined companies presumably will want to extend NFL Sunday Ticket to AT&T’s U-Verse package.

As explained by the Wall Street Journal, AT&T has been trying to expand its relationship with the NFL. Last year, the company purchased the naming rights to the billion-dollar stadium where the Cowboys play. Now, AT&T will be spending much more than $1 billion per year to extend — and possibly to enhance — the NFL Sunday Ticket arrangement.

That said, the deal won’t be done until it’s done. If someone else wants to take away the package that DirecTV has owned for two decades, the clock is ticking.

 

[ChrisW]

Report: NFL Sunday Ticket deal coming soon
Posted by Mike Florio on May 20, 2014

It’s highly unlikely that AT&T would publicize a purchase of DirecTV that hinges on DirecTV renewing the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket unless DirecTV had a pretty good idea that the rights will be renewed.

According to the Wall Street Journal (viaSportsBusiness Daily), they will be. Soon.

According to Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times, the negotiations have lagged over the issue of expanded digital rights. The combined companies presumably will want to extend NFL Sunday Ticket to AT&T’s U-Verse package.

As explained by the Wall Street Journal, AT&T has been trying to expand its relationship with the NFL. Last year, the company purchased the naming rights to the billion-dollar stadium where the Cowboys play. Now, AT&T will be spending much more than $1 billion per year to extend — and possibly to enhance — the NFL Sunday Ticket arrangement.

That said, the deal won’t be done until it’s done. If someone else wants to take away the package that DirecTV has owned for two decades, the clock is ticking.

U-verse is shit...give me streaming rights!

 

[RamzFanz]

I thought they made that illegal?

It's illegal to prevent you from receiving a signal in an area over which you have exclusive use like a patio or balcony. They can restrict or ban mounting to the building.

 

[Rambitious1]

I refuse to get Satelite based on the fact that I love cable internet too much. And being a gamer, and Netflix junkie...I can't get by on DSL.

I have both.

 

[fearsomefour]

I'll give you my thoughts; fewer choices. Less competition. Higher prices and less consumer say.

First Comcast and Time Warner. Now AT&T and Directv.

Comcast and AT&T now control this space.

Land based networks are split into service territories (based on landline phone and Internet) and regulated by the FCC. So a person in one side of a city might be in an ATT territory and on the other side of the city it's a Verizon territory, but, satalite is not land based (obviously), so anyone in either territory could get any satalite provider.
This is why I don't think the monopoly argument is going to apply. This deal would not effect any other provider or their service areas.

 

[fearsomefour]

I have no idea why the NFL doesn't offer a pay-per-view service for games. There has to be more to it than it just being a dumb oversight. I'd pay $9.99 per game to see every Rams game (as would most any other out of market fan). That's less than $160 for a full season. I really never used it to watch other teams play, so that would be fine. Actually better than the $300 or whatever I was paying before for games I didn't even watch.

I would think the reason the NFL wouldn't want to do it is this would get into profit sharing. If the whole league, every game, is purchased as a whole there is no argument between owners regarding sharing the money.
If the Cowboys get (let's say) an average of 5 million weekly subscribers and the Jaguars get 50,000 you better believe Jerry ain't gonna wanna share that money.
Charging for the whole thing increases revenue (if your team is 1-9 you've still spent your money and can't just stop buying the games week to week) and prevents revenue squabbles and lawsuits. Also Im sure the costs of producing and airing the games is shared with Directv as opposed to the NFL carrying all of the production costs.
Also, remember the NFL gets paid from Directv whether the Ticket is profitable or not. It is up to Directv to find enough subscribers to make it profitable.

 

[fearsomefour]

The blackout rules are applied by the NFL.
The problem they have is the tv product is so much easier, more affordable ect. they have helped reduce ticket buyers to their own events.

 

[-X-]

I would think the reason the NFL wouldn't want to do it is this would get into profit sharing. If the whole league, every game, is purchased as a whole there is no argument between owners regarding sharing the money.
If the Cowboys get (let's say) an average of 5 million weekly subscribers and the Jaguars get 50,000 you better believe Jerry ain't gonna wanna share that money.
Charging for the whole thing increases revenue (if your team is 1-9 you've still spent your money and can't just stop buying the games week to week) and prevents revenue squabbles and lawsuits. Also Im sure the costs of producing and airing the games is shared with Directv as opposed to the NFL carrying all of the production costs.
Also, remember the NFL gets paid from Directv whether the Ticket is profitable or not. It is up to Directv to find enough subscribers to make it profitable.

Good points. I didn't look at it that way.

 

[fearsomefour]

B

Good points. I didn't look at it that way.

Believe me I like your idea better. I pay for ticket solely to watch the Ram games. I just don't think that model is going to change.

 

[Prime Time]

AT&T could offer Sunday Ticket to wireless customers
Posted by Michael David Smith on June 6, 2014

Getty Images

The NFL Sunday Ticket package is only available to DirecTV subscribers, meaning millions of fans who don’t have the ability to put a satellite dish on their roofs are shut out. But that could change if AT&T succeeds in its attempt to purchase DirecTV.

The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T is floating the possibility of offering Sunday Ticket to all its wireless phone customers.

That would be great news for football fans who don’t have DirecTV but do have AT&T, and it would make the Sunday Ticket package even more valuable. But by even discussing this possibility, AT&T may be putting the cart before the horse: The NFL hasn’t even agreed to renew the Sunday Ticket package with DirecTV, with or without the possibility of also making it available to AT&T wireless customers. And Verizon, which is both a partner of the NFL’s and AT&T’s biggest competitor, would probably have some objections to AT&T customers getting NFL games that Verizon customers don’t get.

More than anything, the fact that AT&T is discussing this idea is an indication of the power of the NFL. This year’s Fortune 500 listed AT&T as the No. 11 company in America, and DirecTV at No. 98, and the NFL is so important that if it doesn’t re-up with DirecTV for Sunday Ticket, the whole deal could fall apart. Exclusive access to Sunday afternoon NFL games is enormously valuable — so valuable that it could be one of the central pieces of a deal worth nearly $50 billion.

 

[DR RAM]

The ATT purchase shouldn't even be allowed to happen.

Agree, customer service isn't even close to being on the same level.

 

[lockdnram21]

U-verse is crap...give me streaming rights!

i love U-verse. there a little expensive but i like it

 

[SierraRam]

B

Believe me I like your idea better. I pay for ticket solely to watch the Ram games. I just don't think that model is going to change.

I got the ticket right after we won the Super Bowl and have had it ever since. I remember how happy I was cutting ties with the Cable bastards.

It took a few years, but DirecTV is now exactly like the company they replaced: A monopoly with horrible customer service. I'd drop them in a minute if I wasn't a hopeless Ram fan.

 

[DR RAM]

i love U-verse. there a little expensive but i like it

I hate uverse, the system is complicated and numbering system is silly. Internet wise they offer good speed at a reasonable price, as long as you have them come back about 6 times to get it right, or fix it yourself.

 

[MTRamsFan]

It's about time to make my annual call to DirecTV to "cancel" my service in order to get Sunday Ticket price lowered or for free. In the last three years, I paid $0.00, $199.00, and $99.00.