NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the NFL football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts at Hard Rock Stadium on October 3, 2021 in Miami, FL.
Andrew Bershaw | Sportswire icon | Getty Images
The National Football League plans to select a streaming service as its new Sunday ticket partner and will choose a winner by the fall, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday.
“I have a strong belief that we’re going to move to a streaming service,” Goodell told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin in an exclusive interview at the Allen & Co. Sun Valley conference. “I think that’s what’s best for consumers at this point.”
Apple, Amazon and Disney, which owns ESPN+, have all submitted bids to become the league’s exclusive Sunday ticket retailer, CNBC reported last month. Goodell confirmed talks have been going on for over a year to find a new partner to replace DirecTV, whose deal with the league ends after this season.
Sunday Ticket is the only way for fans to watch live NFL Sunday afternoon games outside of what’s being broadcast on CBS and FOX in their local markets. DirecTV paid $1.5 billion for the annual rights. The NFL now wants more than $2 billion a year, CNBC reported.
Contract language with CBS and Fox would prevent any streaming service from charging fans significantly less than the current $300 Sunday ticket cost, CNBC reported.
DirecTV is not offering to renew the package but is willing to work with the winner, CNBC reported. Under its current agreement with the NFL, DirecTV requires customers who sign up for Sunday Ticket to also sign up for its pay-TV service, with rare exceptions. That requirement will be removed with a new streaming service partner, potentially bringing Sunday Ticket to a much wider audience.
Goodell noted that many people who watch games through a streaming service don’t subscribe to traditional pay-TV, which allows the league to reach a wider audience by moving Sunday Ticket to a digital provider.
“We really believe these new platforms give us an opportunity to innovate where we are today,” said Goodell. “It obviously makes it more accessible to our consumers, especially the younger demographic, which is what we’re really trying to achieve. I think that will make it more accessible to fans. I think it will be a better experience for fans.”
NFL+ confirmed
Goodell also confirmed that the league will launch its own streaming service called NFL+ in September, in time for the upcoming season. He didn’t give details on pricing or what will be available for the service, but he did stress that NFL+’s content will likely improve over time.
“It’s really in the early stages,” Goodell said. “I think it will continue to grow over the years. It will be an important strategy for us in the future.”
The Sports Business Journal reported in May that NFL+ is expected to start later this month.
WATCH: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin in Sun Valley