Youtube Lands NFL Sunday Ticket

The NFL continues to extend its reach and its profits. The league announced a $2.5 billion per year deal with Google and Youtube for NFL Sunday Ticket, a service that allows fans to view out-of-market games. Beginning in 2023, fans will be able to purchase the package as an add-on to Youtube TV or a standalone option for Youtube Primetime Channels.

NFL announces deal with YouTube for Sunday Ticket, starting in 2023. https://t.co/pzejjqIJES

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 22, 2022

Youtube will retain exclusive rights in the USA for NFL Sunday Ticket. Previously, DirectTV paid $1.5 billion per year for the service and charged fans $300 for a full season. Youtube is not expected to substantially reduce the price. Sorry, football fans.

An extra $1 billion in yearly revenue is a massive boon for the NFL and will have an immediate impact across the league. Various reports pegged the NFL's total revenue in 2021 at $18 billion, so the Youtube deal immediately represents an almost 6% increase in the league's gross. Given the revenue split between the teams and the players, the deal should single-handedly increase the salary cap by nearly $16 million. So, any players poised to hit free agency in the coming years should be feeling pretty good about themselves.

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