NFL Sunday Ticket: Who NFL Fans Want to Win The Bid
NFL Sunday Ticket will soon have a new streaming home, but will fans follow? It may depend on the destination.
The Streamable discovered that nearly half of NFL fans definitely will or are likely to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket when offered by a major streaming provider. This means Sunday Ticket’s winning bidder can potentially win big, especially if the price is right.
With the announcement of Sunday Ticket’s new home draws near, we wanted to learn what streaming service NFL fans hope will win the rights to this major sports media rights deal.
To do this, The Streamable surveyed 5,018 NFL fans, asking two specific questions regarding what streaming services fans would be most likely and least likely to sign up for if it won the NFL Sunday Ticket bid.
1,527 of these fans surveyed expressed a preference among the four major bidders:ESPN+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.
Key NFL Sunday Ticket Findings:
- Nearly two-thirds of NFL fans said they are most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket if it lands on one of two platforms: YouTube (35% of fans) or Amazon Prime Video (29% of fans)
- Despite being discussed as a frontrunner to win the bid, Apple TV+ is the last place fans want Sunday Ticket to be. It placed last for the service fans would be most and least likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on
- More than twice as many fans prefer YouTube over Apple TV+ (122% more fans) and 80% more prefer Amazon Prime Video
- Amazon Prime Video had the fewest fans say they would be least likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on it (20% of fans), 32% fewer than Apple TV+
- ESPN+ lagged behind YouTube and Amazon Prime Video as the most preferred service, but still beat out Apple TV+ in both the service fans would be most likely (20% of fans) and least likely (25% of fans) to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on
YouTube is the most preferred service for Sunday Ticket
More than a third of NFL fans prefer YouTube (35% of fans), making it the most preferred service of the current bidders.
In comparison to the other bidders, YouTube was selected as the service fans were most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on by:
- 23% more fans than the runner-up, Amazon Prime Video
- 73% more than the third-place ESPN+
- 122% more than the bottom-ranked Apple TV+
The runner-up, Amazon Prime Video had more than a quarter of fans chose it as the service they would be most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on. Beating out the 3rd and 4th ranked services with:
- 40% more fans than ESPN+
- 80% more fans than Apple TV+
While the third-ranked service, ESPN+, had 29% more fans chose it as their preferred service in comparison to Apple TV+.
Although Amazon Prime Video may have been the runner-up for most preferred service, it had the fewest number of fans say it was their least preferred service. In comparison to Amazon Prime Video:
- 50% more fans chose Apple TV+ as their least preferred service
- 25% more fans chose ESPN+ as their least preferred service
- 20% more fans chose YouTube as their least preferred service
Conclusion
As our previous study regarding NFL Sunday Ticket revealed, the increased accessibility of NFL Sunday Ticket on a streaming service could prove to be a major scorefor the winning bidder. With that said, not all streaming services are created equal in that regard.
It is likely that NFL fans who are already using a platform would be more likely to prefer it. That’s because they are already familiar with the service, actively use it, and pay for any base subscription.
This makes the idea of purchasing and watching Sunday Ticket feel less expensive as they are already paying for any base package, all while making the process of purchasing and using the add-on a simpler and more seamless experience. Giving a clear advantage to YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and ESPN+.
Therefore, services with a much smaller subscriber base than their competitors (Apple TV+) are at a disadvantage when it comes to fan preference.
What this means for Apple TV+
While Apple TV+ may be in the best position to win NFL Sunday Ticket rights, fans’ reluctance to use the service could be a major hurdle.
Few households are willing to pay for more than four streaming subscriptions. Those who don’t already have Apple TV+ might not want to pay for another service, especially since the Sunday Ticket package will be a premium price on top of the regular monthly fee.
Although Apple TV+ is the last place fans may want to win Sunday Ticket, it highlights just how valuable winning this bid could be for the up-and-coming streaming service as it has the potential to drive new subscribers to their base plan.
In the process, Apple TV+ has the opportunity to showcase itsplatform and content, working to make the streaming service a “default” option that users continue to use in the future.
About NFL Sunday Ticket
The number of options for how cord-cutters can watch NFL games live without cable has been increasing over the years. One thing that has not changed is that NFL Sunday Ticket is the only way to watch all out-of-market NFL games on Sunday afternoons.
Whether Sunday Ticket switches to a streaming service or not doesn’t change that, but it does increase how accessible the service will be to a larger market of NFL fans. For those interested in adding Sunday Ticket to enhance their NFL viewing experience, our NFL Sunday Ticket review provides a breakdown of everything from the cost, free-trial options, compatible devices, features, and more.
About The Streamable
The Streamable is an authoritative source of news, information, and resources about streaming services and devices. Our goal is to offer our readers trusted and comprehensive coverage of the latest streaming technologies, streaming service providers, and streaming device options. We provide information and resources to hundreds of thousands of cord-cutters every month on what the best live TV streaming services are that will allow them to stream their favorite sports live without cable and keep their favorite channels in the process with our live TV streaming services channel comparison.