DirecTV Keeps NFL Sunday Ticket Rights For Restaurants, Bars

AT&T Inc's DirecTV on Thursday announced a multi-year deal to broadcast the Sunday Ticket package of National Football League (NFL) games for commercial locations including bars, restaurants and casinos in the United States.

The satellite television provider, which had the rights to Sunday Ticket until the end of the 2022 season, said the agreement is set to begin with the upcoming 2023 NFL season.

The company has partnered with EverPass Media, backed by equity firm RedBird Capital Partners and NFL, for the deal.

Sunday Ticket allows subscribers to watch all local and out-of-market U.S. games of the day, while football fans otherwise in any given market can only watch a limited number of games.

With sports being one of the biggest attractions for live viewing and NFL games becoming the most prized sports media asset in the U.S., several companies are now seeking to grow their dominance in live sports streaming.

Google-owned YouTube in December signed a deal to exclusively stream NFL's Sunday Ticket package of games in the United States.

DirectTV also distributes other sports content such as commercial rights for Major League Baseball's "Friday Night Baseball" as well as NFL's "Thursday Night Football" via Amazon's Prime Video.