NFL Sunday Ticket remains up for grabs, with only two media giants left in the race for the coveted football package following Apple’s decision to back out of negotiations.
Apple had been tipped as the favorite to take over from DirecTV once the latter’s contract runs out in 23 days, yet they have opted to remove themselves from the bidding war because they “don’t see the logic.”
“I’m now told that Apple, once seen as a frontrunner for the rights, has also backed out of those negotiations — not because they can’t afford it, but because they don’t see the logic,” Dylan Byer of Puck.news was quoted as saying (H/T ProFootballTalk). “So it’s down to Amazon and Google, and there’s certainly a logic there for both companies: Amazon can use it to drive Prime subscriptions; Google can use it to fuel its YouTube TV business.”
This would mean that Disney (and ESPN) have removed themselves too.
DirecTV has had Sunday Ticket since the product launched in 1994 but is set to relinquish its hold either due to the price being hiked up or the limitations placed thereon.
Negotiations At A Critical Point
Earlier this week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters negotiations over the package were at a “critical point.”
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“I would say it’s in a very critical point for us,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of interest in this, and we continue to. Our decisions are not based on timelines. They’re based on it being the best outcome with the best party.”
Sunday Ticket will become a streaming package after it leaves DirecTV. As mentioned above, Apple was widely regarded as the frontrunner. Now, it appears Amazon or Google will be in charge of the service by next month.
Amazon currently has a deal allowing them to stream Thursday Night Football.
