If NFL Sunday Ticket is Eventually Shuttered, Which Streamer is the Best Choice for Out-of-Market Game Distribution?
If NFL Sunday Ticket is Eventually Shuttered, Which Streamer is the Best Choice for Out-of-Market Game Distribution?
It could be years before the NFL is forced to take any action with Sunday Ticket, but if it has to dismantle the service teams should give Prime Video a long look.
Any NFL lawyers who were hoping to have a quiet July 4th weekend likely saw those hopes dashed this week. On Thursday afternoon, a jury found the NFL guilty of violating antitrust laws in the way it distributes out-of-market games on NFL Sunday Ticket. The league could end up paying as much as $14 billion+ in damages to the plaintiffs if it cannot successfully appeal the ruling, and the verdict could also have lasting changes on how the league distributes out-of-market games. The shutdown of NFL Sunday Ticket is even a possibility, and if that happens there is one streaming service that stands out among potential out-of-market partners for the NFL: Amazon’s Prime Video.
Key Details:
- Prime Video already partners with the NFL for “Thursday Night Football” streams.”
- The Prime Video Channels digital store would allow teams that partner with Amazon to distribute their games with ease.
- It could be years before the league is compelled to make any changes to Sunday Ticket.
The ruling in the Sunday Ticket case found the NFL violated antirust laws by forcing NFL fans to purchase a service that carries all out-of-market games, instead of offering smaller packages or providing another way to see NFL games not appearing on broadcast channels in-market.
That would seemingly threaten the existence of Sunday Ticket, at least in its current form. However, there’s basically no chance Sunday Ticket shuts down in 2024. The NFL has a range of legal options available to it, including petitioning the presiding judge to make a judgement notwithstanding the verdict, or appealing the ruling. That process could take several years to complete, so it’s possible that Sunday Ticket is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Why is Prime Video the Perfect Out-of-Market NFL Partner
If NFL Sunday Ticket does eventually shut down, however, it’s likely that NFL teams will be able to make out-of-market broadcasting deals for themselves, or that the league will be compelled to sell several out-of-market rights bundles featuring a small number of teams. The NFL already has the bones of a plan in place for such an outcome; in 2017, it created a plan to send out-of-market games to popular cable channels like ESPN, FS1 and TNT. That model was viable in 2017, but in 2024 the decline of pay-TV means that the league would be better off seeking streaming partners to help it broadcast games currently found on Sunday Ticket.
So which streamer would serve the NFL’s needs best in that eventuality? Netflix stands out as a top choice, as it’s the most recognized brand in streaming and is due to become an NFL broadcasting partner for the first time in 2024, having secured the rights to a Christmas Day doubleheader of games. But Netflix is still very new to live streaming, having offered exhibition golf and tennis tournaments but nothing else in the category of sports thus far.
That’s why Prime Video, with its 200 million+ subscribers is the ideal partner for the NFL to distribute out-of-market games. It has years of experience with NFL streaming, and took over exclusive national broadcasts of “Thursday Night Football” in 2023 after streaming them simultaneously with linear broadcasts since 2017. The streamer surrounds its coverage of “TNF” with multiple alternate broadcasts such as the stats-based “Prime Vision” stream and even “ManningCast”-style options featuring the crew from Dude Perfect.
On the technical side, Prime Video has worked hard to ensure that audiences who stream sports games on its platform don’t have to contend with lengthy delays between live action on the field or court, and when viewers see it on their screen. This is a key factor in live sports distribution, as lengthy delays may cause viewers to see the result of a play online or hear it from a friend before they actually watch it happen.
The Prime Video Channels digital store offers the perfect platform for splitting up the league’s out-of-market rights. It already allows Prime Video subscribers to purchase streaming subscriptions to services like Max, Paramount+, STARZ and many others, and keep all of their bills in one place. That would make it incredibly easy if the Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins sold their out-of-market rights to Prime Video; viewers could just go to the Prime Video Channels store and add the package to their streaming lineup with a few clicks.
The NFL wouldn’t be able to send all of its teams’ out-of-market rights to Prime Video Channels; that’s what got it in trouble with Sunday Ticket in the first place. But if the league had smaller team packages to sell, or if teams were able to sell their rights as individuals going forward, Prime Video would be an ideal distributor.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.