DirecTV raises price for NFL Sunday Ticket

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/02/19/directv-raises-price-for-nfl-sunday-ticket/

DirecTV raises price for NFL Sunday Ticket
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 19, 2018

Being a hard-core NFL fan is getting more expensive.

DirecTV is raising prices on its NFL Sunday Ticket package, which is the only way to watch every NFL game. The retail price will reach an all-time high of $293.94 in 2018, with the package that includes Red Zone Channel increasing to $395.95.

Many subscribers don’t pay full price, as DirecTV often offers discounts to entice new subscribers, or to convince current subscribers to renew. But the base price of the package is higher than ever.

And that may point to the future of the NFL on television: For many years, the NFL has thrived by reaching as broad an audience as possible. But with audiences shrinking the last two years and advertising revenue down last year, the league may seek to make more money off fans who are paying more money to see games. That includes fans who buy the Sunday Ticket package and fans who pay for the cable Red Zone Channel.

Although there were scattered reports of people canceling Sunday Ticket last year to protest players protesting during the national anthem, DirecTV can likely continue to raise Sunday Ticket prices for some time and lose few subscribers. It remains a popular package, one that millions of fans think is well worth a few hundred dollars a year.

 

[OldSchool]

Glad I dropped them. I wonder how much it’d cost if they stopped these expensive sponsorships.

 

[nighttrain]

Glad I dropped them. I wonder how much it’d cost if they stopped these expensive sponsorships.

i sure am hoping the streaming is as good this coming season, was great last season
train

 

[fearsomefour]

$18 a game? (For 16 Rams games)
Still a bargain to me.
If I went to the sports bar to watch I would spend more. It is entertainment to me. Going to a movie costs more if you dare get even a small popcorn.
Easy choice for me.
Nothing to complain about here. In fact, in terms of entertainment, it is still one of the better values out there to me.
I don't like Redzone channel either. It's garbage to me.

 

[fearsomefour]

i sure am hoping the streaming is as good this coming season, was great last season
train

Haven't tried that but I'm sure that is where more viewers are headed.
I prefer the current t set up.

 

[fearsomefour]

Glad I dropped them. I wonder how much it’d cost if they stopped these expensive sponsorships.

Apples and oranges, but, I hear ya.

 

[gabriel18]

It's worth it to me , since I haven't missed watching a game for at least 10 years or longer. Much more enjoyable this year

 

[snackdaddy]

They used to give it to me for free. Last year they said no so I cancelled it. Streaming is much better than it used to be. With their recent success I think we will see more prime time games and probably more game of the week matchups. I'm in the 49ers and Raiders market. I'll definitely be able to watch those games when they play them. Might only be half the games I'll have to stream.

 

[fearsomefour]

It's worth it to me , since I haven't missed watching a game for at least 10 years or longer. Much more enjoyable this year

I came close to dropped bf it twice.
It related to the pathetic play of the Rams not the Ticket product.
Last year was a joy, you are right!!

 

[DaveFan'51]

The way the games, for the Rams, went last year I only had to watch them once on "Sunday Ticket" they where all on either CBS or FOX Locally for me.
I really was thinking of Dropping it last year. But I don't want to take the chance of missing even one Rams Game! So I guess they have me for one more year anyway!

 

[HeiseNBerg]

$18 a game? (For 16 Rams games)
Still a bargain to me.
If I went to the sports bar to watch I would spend more. It is entertainment to me. Going to a movie costs more if you dare get even a small popcorn.
Easy choice for me.
Nothing to complain about here. In fact, in terms of entertainment, it is still one of the better values out there to me.

Exactly - back in my apartment-dwelling days, me and the Mrs. would hit the sports bar every weekend to watch the Rams game. We would easily drop $60-75 a pop to watch the Rams game with the sound muted.

Some things in life are worth the price: air conditioning, GOOD beer, and Sunday Ticket make that list for me.

I don't like Redzone channel either. It's garbage to me.

I actually like DirecTV's RedZone channel (hosted by Andrew Siciliano), which is different from the one produced by NFL Network (hosted by Scott Hansen.....white bread personified). We're usually watching Siciliano during the Sunday slot the Rams aren't playing.

 

[Psycho_X]

$18 a game? (For 16 Rams games)
Still a bargain to me.
If I went to the sports bar to watch I would spend more. It is entertainment to me. Going to a movie costs more if you dare get even a small popcorn.
Easy choice for me.
Nothing to complain about here. In fact, in terms of entertainment, it is still one of the better values out there to me.
I don't like Redzone channel either. It's garbage to me.

If I could just pay that for all NFL games I would every single year. But forcing me to pay for a garbage directv sub in order to get it is not worth it. Suddenly I'm paying $1k-$1500 a year for the privilege to purchase the NFL package. No thanks, will keep streaming until they offer their product unattached to other bullshit.

 

[Jacobarch]

i sure am hoping the streaming is as good this coming season, was great last season
train

What did you use to stream Rams games?

 

[fearsomefour]

Exactly - back in my apartment-dwelling days, me and the Mrs. would hit the sports bar every weekend to watch the Rams game. We would easily drop $60-75 a pop to watch the Rams game with the sound muted.

Some things in life are worth the price: air conditioning, GOOD beer, and Sunday Ticket make that list for me.




I actually like DirecTV's RedZone channel (hosted by Andrew Siciliano), which is different from the one produced by NFL Network (hosted by Scott Hansen.....white bread personified). We're usually watching Siciliano during the Sunday slot the Rams aren't playing.

I agree with your list of things worth the money.
The worst was going to a casino to watch the game. Big sports book. The Rams were terrible so almost always on a small tv. If you wanted a chair you had to get there hours early....like 730 am for a 10 am kick off. If not you were standing and dealing with it being jammed packed. It sucked.

 

[den-the-coach]

I have actually found Direct TV easy to deal with, I contact them every August to negotiate and I have no issue getting terms that are fair and conducive to my budget. My wife gets me this gift every year for my birthday which falls in September and Direct TV allows us to shut it down in January and does not charge a seasonal fee like other companies...Several of my Ram comrades join me every Sunday, so it is still equitable for me to enjoy my team and hopefully I will again be successful in negtionating a fair deal, but streaming is what everybody does now and I foresee that as the norm when the NFL negotiates its next deal.

 

[fearsomefour]

If I could just pay that for all NFL games I would every single year. But forcing me to pay for a garbage directv sub in order to get it is not worth it. Suddenly I'm paying $1k-$1500 a year for the privilege to purchase the NFL package. No thanks, will keep streaming until they offer their product unattached to other bullcrap.

Yeah so it goes.
Products cost money.
Worth it to some, not to others.
Streaming is an option that wasn't there a few years ago so that's a good thing.

 

[fearsomefour]

I have actually found Direct TV easy to deal with, I contact them every August to negotiate and I have no issue getting terms that are fair and conducive to my budget. My wife gets me this gift every year for my birthday which falls in September and Direct TV allows us to shut it down in January and does not charge a seasonal fee like other companies...Several of my Ram comrades join me every Sunday, so it is still equitable for me to enjoy my team and hopefully I will again be successful in negtionating a fair deal, but streaming is what everybody does now and I foresee that as the norm when the NFL negotiates its next deal.

It will be interesting to see how that plays out and how it impacts the salary cap.

 

[VeteranRamFan]

Crap, I bet they are now going to up my employee discount! (you really don't want to know what I pay for my Direct TV with NFL Sunday package).

Real world problems.

Joking aside, I love the Red Zone with Andrew when the Rams arn't playing. I fun a confidence pool each year so keeping current on the games is part of the fun for me.

Since the Rams were on the major networks (free TV) all the time in the LA area, no need for Sunday Ticket but I still like it. Now if the NFL blacks out the home games this season that may affect some in the LA area. The past two seasons all NFL teams home games were not blacked out.

 

[Adi]

I have used them for the last 2 years and i love the program, saves me money instead of going to the bar.

This now seems ridiculous, any other streaming ideas that you guys used this past season ?

Y can't we just pay for rams games? Seems like a simple concept that I'm sure direct tv can offer

 

[Adi]

Hulu offers live games, any reviews ?