Football fans watch the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks at a sports bar in New Jersey on February 2, 2014.
Jem Ozdell | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
DirecTV has entered into a multi-year deal to continue broadcasting the National Football League’s Sunday Ticket package in commercial establishments, including bars and restaurants.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Earlier this year, the NFL sold the commercial rights to “Sunday Ticket” to EverPass Media, a joint venture owned by private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners and the NFL. The companies confirmed the Sunday Ticket deal on Thursday afternoon.
The deal, which runs through the 2023 season, gives DirecTV the ability to use its satellite TV network to connect sports bars, casinos, restaurants and hotels across the U.S. with Sunday Ticket, as it has in previous years, the people said.
While this is EverPass’ first commercial rights deal, the contract does not guarantee exclusivity, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The joint venture could enter into a separate agreement with other cable or streaming companies that may want a commercial connection outside of satellite TV, the people said. EverPass could also create its own commercial tie-up in the coming years and bypass third-party licensing, one of the people said.
DirecTV has been the sole provider of “Sunday Ticket,” the off-market Sunday package of NFL games, since 1994. Bars and restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters rely on the “Sunday Ticket” to get big crowds on Sundays during the NFL season.
The NFL signed a seven-year deal with Google“Sunday Ticket” residential rights to YouTube TV in December. The agreement is effective at the start of the 2023-24 season.
YouTube TV paid $2 billion a year to win the housing rights for “Sunday Ticket,” a price DirecTV was unwilling to pay.
DirecTV is co-owned by private equity firm TPG and AT&Twith AT&T owning 70% of the company.
In recent months, the satellite TV provider has focused on the commercial sports rights business as a companion to non-commercial rights streaming services. DirecTV announced in March that it will broadcast Major League Baseball “Friday Night Baseball” and Major League Soccer “Season Pass” games to its network of more than 300,000 restaurants, bars, lounges, retail stores and other commercial venues. Both packages stream on Apple TV+ at home.
DirecTV also has the commercial rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football. These games are streamed on Amazon Prime Video for households.
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