Last December, online NFL sportsbooks produced odds for the company, which would secure the next NFL Sunday ticket deal after their contract with satellite television provider DirecTV expired.
Ten months ago, it looked like Disney/ESPN/ABC would be the front runner according to betting futures.
NFL Sunday Ticket betting odds for the next provider
- Disney/ESPN/ABC +150
- Amazon +200
- Comcast +300
- Google/YouTube +450
- WarnerMedia/HBO Max +500
- PornHub +500
- Direct TV +600
- AppleTV+1000
- Netflix +1500
- DAZN+2000
Although the NFL prop bet above is no longer being posted online, bets placed last December are still awaiting the final word on which company will become the new Sunday Ticket host.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in July that an announcement regarding the Sunday Ticket package would be made in the fall, so an official statement should be made in less than 90 days.
Current rumors now make Apple the lead dog in the hunt for the NFL’s elusive package. Apple TV’s +1000 NFL moneyline placed it among online pornography purveyors in the likelihood of striking a deal with the NFL, but entertainment pundits who took action this past December may end up having the last laugh.
The current Sunday Ticket provider, DirecTV, is listed in the above odds as the seventh-highest winner with a +600 payline, but its performance in the first four weeks of the 2022-23 NFL season was poor due to numerous absentees.
DirecTV has already informed subscribers with technical difficulties that they will receive prorated refunds, not a good sign for a company trying to make an impression on Roger Goodell and the National Football League.
lol…#SundayTicket gave me a $11 refund for two weeks of non-service. What a scam. https://t.co/3b1HOlsDQW pic.twitter.com/Ehla2GjRcU
— Matt Patterson (@mjpesquire) October 3, 2022
The current package costs between $293 and $396 per season, depending on whether subscribers opt-in to the NFL Redzone/DirecTV Fantasy Zone upgrade, which delivers all Sunday afternoon regular-season games to television networks across the country.
Unless you live in an area not supported by DirecTV, an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription also requires satellite equipment. This exclusivity is in direct contrast to other major professional sports leagues, which make their products available through a variety of cable, satellite, and streaming services.
In comparison, NBA League Pass offers a full season for a single device for $99 or $129 for two devices, with the option to follow a single team for $89. The same three services can be purchased monthly for $14.99, $19.99, and $13.99, respectively.
It’s highly unlikely that NFL season packages will drop to prices below $200 a year, especially at the league’s asking price of $2.5 billion a year.
However, it’s not unreasonable to hope that the host could provide package breakdowns that allow for single-team subscriptions, monthly allowances, or perhaps single-game purchases.
“I definitely believe that we’re going to move to a streaming service… I think that’s best for consumers at this point.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
The real losers in this equation are the thousands of sports bars across the United States that will be outfitted with useless satellite equipment and unable to attract pro soccer fans on Sunday afternoons.
Fans and bettors will enjoy games on their smartphones, tablets and smart TVs rather than venturing into a smoky wing bar just to catch their favorite NFL franchise.
Some will complain, but here at SBL we call it progress. Stay tuned because Commissioner Goodell should name a new NFL Sunday ticket provider in the coming weeks.
NBC Pro Football Talk, Yahoo! news