Football fans watched NFL Super Bowl XLVIII at a New Jersey sports bar on February 2, 2014. Traditionally, bars and restaurants could only show “Sunday Ticket” NFL games via DirecTV satellite service. However, EverPass Media, a joint venture with RedBird Capital Partners and the NFL, now allows commercial establishments to stream these games through their acquisition of the UPshow platform. This expands how bars, restaurants, and other venues can offer “Sunday Ticket” games starting this NFL season.
EverPass is set to change the game for commercial streaming, aligning with trends of live sports moving to online platforms. Previously, DirecTV had control since 1994, but a shift occurred when Google’s YouTube TV took over residential rights for a seven-year, $2 billion annual deal. Concurrently, Amazon secured exclusive rights for “Thursday Night Football,” and NBCUniversal streamed an NFL playoff game on Peacock. EverPass also aims to expand into global markets and other content, boosted by new investments like TKO Group Holdings.
To elevate its offerings, EverPass first partnered with UPshow to provide access to NBCUniversal’s Peacock Sports Pass, which includes the NFL and other sports leagues. With this move, EverPass plans to globalize its streaming services, supported by strong partners like the NFL and TKO, setting the stage for innovative sports content delivery in and beyond local markets.
