So, can someone explain to me

[orange79]

Why the NFL keeps signing with DirectTV to provide solely the NFL ticket? Scooch maybe? I know that DTV pays the NFL $1.5B per year for exclusivity, but couldn't they make twice that much opening it up to all the cable/Dish/FIOS users? Honestly, I just don't get it.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/10/01/nfl-directv-extend-deal-sunday-ticket-package

 

[pfister1]

I feel like the value of the Sunday Ticket has been watered down some with the NFL reducing the number of games that overlap each other every week. They have moved games to Thursday and Sunday evenings and introduced the byes over the years and that reduces the number of games only available via the Ticket. Also I feel like a lot of those overlapping Sunday matchups tend to be less interesting matchups with the better games being moved to the featured time slots. I know there are a certain percentage of fans that want access to every game, but I personally feel like I get access to more than enough games currently through what is available to me on network and cable broadcasts. I didn't always feel that way.

I wonder how much of the $1.5 billion value is attributable to the exclusivity and the draw it creates to the DIRECTV platform, as opposed to the money that can be made in sales on the Ticket subscription.

 

[orange79]

For me, the issue is out-of-market games. I get to see a fair amount of Giants' games, but certainly not all. I would like the ability to purchase the Ticket without changing everything over to DTV. I was just wondering about whether or not the league could earn more money by having a non-exclusive contract and opening it up to cable/Dish/FIOS users in addition to DTV. It seems they could make more money, but I don't know.

 

[TDTOrange]

It's value is in it's exclusivity. DirecTV has to be losing money if just going off of Sunday Ticket subscriptions v. payout to the league. It's value to DirecTV is that it gets them extra subscribers and a marketing opportunity. I mean, they basically give the ticket away to new subscribers and just about anyone who wants to haggle on the phone with the retention department for a few minutes.

Just doing quick math, it would take over 4.2M subscribers to a full price Sunday Ticket at $350 to make more than the $1.5B. And that's if every cent went back to the NFL from that deal. I know the NFL is popular, but I can't see that many individual subscriptions to a service that loses it's necessity more and more each year with the extra national games, RedZone, Verizon Wireless access, etc.

 

[upperdeck]

directv is vastly over paying.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

It's so easy to illegally stream the product now. I watch Red Zone all day Sunday and don't pay for anything but my internet access.