# Directv post NFL Sunday Ticket



## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

What's going to happen to Directv after they no longer have an exclusive with the NFL. I know it's the only reason I'm still around. I believe it's exclusive through the 2010 season. I can't imagine that the NFL would want the contract to remain exclusive after that. If my cable company ever offers Sunday Ticket, it's goodbye Directv, hello TiVo S3.


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## cowboys2002 (Jun 15, 2001)

Ahem.....

I haven't subscribed to NFLST in 3 seasons and I have been a customer since 1997...

The NFL will grant the exclusive to the highest biddder. DTV has raised the price over the years, added new features and then raised the price.

I stick with DTV because I can't stand the cable companies. Annual price increases, poor service, add your comment here.

With the pending DTV price change in March and we all know the cable co's change prices 1-2 times a year, it all boils down to services offered and price.

Many of us on this board, are tivo junkies. DTV has cut it ties with Tivo, although they will continue to support us legacy users. Comcast (I think) is adding the tivo software to its dvr boxes. If you have HDTV (especially multiple sets), it is getting more cost effective to go with cable over DTV in terms of channels avaialble, price, and set-up ease.

That said, I believe the agreement lasts through 2011. That's 4 more seasons (of which I still won't subscribe to NFLST). Bad experience in LA (with zero teams) and blackouts. DTV blames NFL. NFL blames the local stations, etc. I made my choice with my wallet and said no. With the $300 x 3 years, I have technically saved enough to actually buy a 32 inch HDTV!


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## Billy66 (Dec 15, 2003)

That is without a doubt DTV's most valuable franchise now. Back in the day there were advantages in PQ and the live guide etc. Cable closed all of those gaps. Now, unless DTV really does come through with many more HD channels etc, they need something like NFLST to weather times when their users are less satisfied.

I've been with DTV since fall of 95 and when I get pissed I stay for the football. There are plenty like us.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

I think DirecTV overpays the NFL for Sunday Ticket.

Sure, the NFL could go to cable, but then they would have to deal with dozens of cable companies to get the same coverage. Look how poorly received the NFL Network is on cable.

And Dish certainly won't pay the $$$s that the NFL wants. Charlie is a cheapskate. Plus he's smart enough to know that DirecTV is overpaying by a large amount.

All IMO


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

LOL. People have been saying this for over a decade now. Every time the contract is up DirecTV makes the highest bid and it's a done deal for 5+ more years. And now with DirecTV scooping up exclusive Extra Innings and Nascar expect the same in 2010 with Sunday Ticket.


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## bigpuma (Aug 12, 2003)

jbernardis said:


> What's going to happen to Directv after they no longer have an exclusive with the NFL. I know it's the only reason I'm still around. I believe it's exclusive through the 2010 season. I can't imagine that the NFL would want the contract to remain exclusive after that. If my cable company ever offers Sunday Ticket, it's goodbye Directv, hello TiVo S3.


Why wouldn't the NFL want the contract to be exclusive? I think that is exactly what they want. I don't see DirecTV giving that up any time soon.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

bigpuma said:


> Why wouldn't the NFL want the contract to be exclusive? I think that is exactly what they want. I don't see DirecTV giving that up any time soon.


My cable company offers ESPN Game Plan, ESPN Full Court, MLB Extra Innings, MLS Direct Kick, NASCAR In Car, and NHL Center Ice. These are obviously non-exclusive; why wouldn't the NFL want their product to be more widely available. DirecTV might not have a choice in this matter.


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## Joe C (Jul 8, 2002)

I've been with Directv since 1995 and right now the only thing that is keeping me is the DTivo. NFL ST means nothing to me. Cable in my area has caught up to Directv in every aspect EXCEPT the DVR.


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## old7 (Aug 7, 2002)

jbernardis said:


> My cable company offers ESPN Game Plan, ESPN Full Court, MLB Extra Innings, MLS Direct Kick, NASCAR In Car, and NHL Center Ice. These are obviously non-exclusive; why wouldn't the NFL want their product to be more widely available. DirecTV might not have a choice in this matter.


You might want to double check MLB Extra Innings. DirecTV has negotiated a contract to make MLB EI exclusive.

The NFL would want to make it exclusive when they can get more money from DirecTV than they would get if they allowed everyone access. DirecTV has been very willing to pay the NFL this type of money.


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## Squonk (Jun 8, 2005)

Do you always worry about things that are 3+ years away?


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> My cable company offers ESPN Game Plan, ESPN Full Court, MLB Extra Innings, MLS Direct Kick, NASCAR In Car, and NHL Center Ice. These are obviously non-exclusive; why wouldn't the NFL want their product to be more widely available. DirecTV might not have a choice in this matter.


As noted, Extra Innings is now a DirecTV exclusive.
Nascar Hotpass is also a DirecTV exclusive.

There have been many threads over many years about NFL Sunday Ticket and how they should make more money if everyone had it.

The bottom line is this: The NFL is about the best there is at making money. If they thought they would make more money by offering Sunday Ticket to everyone then they obviously would.


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## bguppies (Jun 29, 2003)

Sunday Ticket will be on DirecTV until DirecTV is no more......

With DirecTV's acquisition of MLB Season Pass beginning this season, they are clearly trying to set themselves up as the undisputed stop for sportsfans...
Letting the NFL, their premier draw for the past decade, go elsewhere would be catastrophic.

Bill


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## ScubaCat3 (May 19, 2005)

bguppies said:


> Sunday Ticket will be on DirecTV until DirecTV is no more......
> 
> With DirecTV's acquisition of MLB Season Pass beginning this season, they are clearly trying to set themselves up as the undisputed stop for sportsfans...
> Letting the NFL, their premier draw for the past decade, go elsewhere would be catastrophic.
> ...


I agree 100%. The NFL Sunday Ticket is the ONLY reason they have any customer retention. I will confess to being among that group.


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## snickerrrrs (Mar 31, 2006)

Directv is depending on these offerings (NFL NASCAR MLB) to keep them in business. Directv used to be great! Reasonable prices for my favorite channels, easy pay per view, Tivo dvrs!

Then they started acting like the cable companies. Raising prices, released inferior dvrs, nickle and dimeing you on everything, $20 for an access card that they force you to use. $5 each to add an additional receiver (that you already own). With all the fees I'm paying $65 a month for Total choice. Just like cable they want you to pay for channels you'll never watch. How many of you watch Logo? Nobody? You're paying for it. galavision, telemundo? No? You're paying for it. I'd love to have ala carte programming. Go to a web page check the boxes for the channels I want and only pay for those. I'm rarely out of the 200's with the exception of local channels and the occasional visit to speed channel. Instead D* wants to offer me game channels if I use their dvr. I have a game system I don't want to pay for theirs. 

Good service, a good dvr and low prices thats why I signed up with Directv and that's the only thing that will keep me.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

The NFL wants to be exclusive because they don't want over-penetration. If too many people get Sunday Ticket, it devalues their true money maker, the network contracts via local stations on CBS and Fox.


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

TonyD79 said:


> The NFL wants to be exclusive because they don't want over-penetration. If too many people get Sunday Ticket, it devalues their true money maker, the network contracts via local stations on CBS and Fox.


Ding...Ding...Ding...
We have a winner!


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## Markman07 (Jul 18, 2001)

What did he win?


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

Markman07 said:


> What did he win?


Nothing. But he posted the *real* reason why Sunday Ticket is exclusive and not available to everyone. The money they rake in from CBS and Fox would be a lot less if it weren't exclusive and the difference would mean they would make less money.
By keeping it exclusive they can rake everyone over the coals and they all bend over and pay it. Sunday Ticket is chump change compared to what the networks pay.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

bonscott87 said:


> Sunday Ticket is chump change compared to what the networks pay.


DirecTV pays about the same as each broadcast network pays each year. Only ESPN pays a lot more than DirecTV.

Here is a link showing what the networks pay. Take Wikipedia with a grain of salt, but if you have better figures feel free to edit the Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_CBS

CBS, Fox, ESPN, NBC pay $622, $712, $1100, $650 million per year. DirecTV pays $700 million. Hardly what I'd call chump change.

Here is a link with DirecTV's announcement of what they're paying.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=641794&highlight=


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

With NFL Network being on cable and now showing NFL games, and the new setup of multiple game options for Sunday or Monday night, the Sunday Ticket itself is less of a selling point than it once was anyway.


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

Phantom Gremlin said:


> CBS, Fox, ESPN, NBC pay $622, $712, $1100, $650 million per year. DirecTV pays $700 million. Hardly what I'd call chump change.


CBS and Fox threw a fit a few years ago when cable had the opportunity to bid because the product they pay for to show on their local affiliates would be highly diluted. You can easily expect them to not even pay half of what they are paying now if ST were on cable.

If Sunday Ticket was available to all you can bet that the total price paid may not even add up to 700 million. Even if it does it would have to then add up to more to make up for the loss in revenue from CBS and Fox.

But it's all conjecture on our part to be honest, but is inferred from several news articles over the past few years.

To think the NFL hasn't run the numbers on this and then decided to make less money by making ST excusive is well...not being smart. NFL are experts at making the most money from their product. Again, to think they have done otherwise...


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

bonscott87 said:


> To think the NFL hasn't run the numbers on this and then decided to make less money by making ST excusive is well...not being smart. NFL are experts at making the most money from their product. Again, to think they have done otherwise...


We can agree that the NFL is very, very, very smart. I'm just surprised at how dumb both ESPN (nee ABC) and DirecTV are. They could have, IMO, each paid far less for their pieces of the product.


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## RS4 (Sep 2, 2001)

I was trying to see what the prices were going to be for NFLST & Superfan this year. It looks like it's going to be 249 + 9.99/month for hd. Looks like they have final priced me out of the market. That's something in the area of $20 per week because I don't have hd right now - I use the HR10-250 for my locals OTA.

I'm glad it's so expensive - makes the decision easier to leave when my contract is up in the fall.


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## bigpuma (Aug 12, 2003)

RS4 said:


> I was trying to see what the prices were going to be for NFLST & Superfan this year. It looks like it's going to be 249 + 9.99/month for hd. Looks like they have final priced me out of the market. That's something in the area of $20 per week because I don't have hd right now - I use the HR10-250 for my locals OTA.
> 
> I'm glad it's so expensive - makes the decision easier to leave when my contract is up in the fall.


Actually NFLST with HD is $249 + $99 for the season.

ETA: I agree it is too much.


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## RS4 (Sep 2, 2001)

I think they might have changed the HD this year:

From the D* site:
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=900044

"Add SuperFan to NFL SUNDAY TICKET and get over 150 games in eye-popping HD. It's a must-have for hardcore NFL fans. ...

 To access DIRECTV HD programming, a triple-LNB Multi-Satellite dish, along with a DIRECTV HD Receiver, HD television equipment and HD Access fee ($9.99/mo.)"


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## bigpuma (Aug 12, 2003)

RS4 said:


> I think they might have changed the HD this year:
> 
> From the D* site:
> http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=900044
> ...


Right but you need Superfan to get the HD games on NFLST so it is $249 + $99 for SF. They now charge $9.99 per month if you activate any HD receiver so you would have to pay that charge as well unless you were grandfathered in.

ETA: I would assume most people who have an HD receiver are already paying the $9.99 fee for the HD pack anyway.


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## RS4 (Sep 2, 2001)

Thanks for the info: I still don't see any pricing on the D* site about Superfan:

"Not Currently Available

The NFL SUNDAY TICKET SuperFan package is not available at this time. Please check back closer to the start of the season to order. "

That would make the whole package cost someone like me $400 because I don't have the HD package - that's way too much. I was struggling justifying $300, but $400 makes the decision real easy - no thanks - you out-priced me.

I would love to get that message to D* - enough already.


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## 94SupraTT (Feb 17, 2005)

I called today and inquired about NFLST Superfan. I let them know that $99 was too much for the package. I informed them if they intended to charge me for it I would cancel the package. I was polite to the CSR. They removed the $99 charge. This is the 3rd year I've called to have them remove the $99 charge for Superfan. This year it took 2 calls to retention to get it done.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Amen to that. I got tired of paying for all those channels and then only really watching about 5 of them.

They lost me once my bill got to $70 a month.



snickerrrrs said:


> Directv is depending on these offerings (NFL NASCAR MLB) to keep them in business. Directv used to be great! Reasonable prices for my favorite channels, easy pay per view, Tivo dvrs!
> 
> Then they started acting like the cable companies. Raising prices, released inferior dvrs, nickle and dimeing you on everything, $20 for an access card that they force you to use. $5 each to add an additional receiver (that you already own). With all the fees I'm paying $65 a month for Total choice. Just like cable they want you to pay for channels you'll never watch. How many of you watch Logo? Nobody? You're paying for it. galavision, telemundo? No? You're paying for it. I'd love to have ala carte programming. Go to a web page check the boxes for the channels I want and only pay for those. I'm rarely out of the 200's with the exception of local channels and the occasional visit to speed channel. Instead D* wants to offer me game channels if I use their dvr. I have a game system I don't want to pay for theirs.
> 
> Good service, a good dvr and low prices thats why I signed up with Directv and that's the only thing that will keep me.


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