According to multiple sources, DIRECTV and the NFL are on the brink of making a deal to renew their agreement regarding the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package. The agreement that has been reached is only in regards to the price and length of the deal which means there are several issues that still require negotiation. Issues such as over-the-top rights, which DIRECTV already has plans to roll out this season and other digital rights agreements, remain.
The agreement reportedly includes a renewal period that will last until either 2021 or 2022, but those details aren’t clear at this point. It has also been reported that the deal includes an average annual rights increase to between $1.3 – $1.4 billion over the next decade.
Talks of a renewal have been relatively “close” for most of the past year despite the potential complications with things such as a potential AT&T – DIRECTV merge. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and DIRECTV’s CEO Michael White have expressed their confidence in the two sides striking a deal in regards to the digital rights that still need to be agreed upon.
DIRECTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package currently has around 2 million subscribers. DIRECTV declined to comment on the agreement and an NFL spokesman said discussions are ongoing.