WFAN's Craig Carton broke some huge media news on Thursday afternoon: the NFL has reached a new TV deal that, when it begins in 2024, means the end of NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV and Thursday Night Football on television period.
Per Carton's sources: DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket package is now going to ESPN+, and Amazon Prime will become the exclusive out-of-market home for Thursday Night Football. Thursday games will be on over-the-air in local markets (for example, Giants and Jets games will likely be on WPIX or a similar channel, as their Thursday night games have been) – but Amazon prime will produce those games themselves.
Also, FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN will all re-up their deals and continue Sunday and Monday broadcasts as is.
“This is an 11-year deal, with an opt-out after seven years – which is 2030, because the current deal expires in 2023,” Carton said, “and the Amazon deal is in the neighborhood of a billion dollars.”
Carton and co-host Evan Roberts further discussed the merits of the package – for instance, password sharing issues, or how non-Amazon Prime users are out of luck on Thursdays – but Roberts believes it’s a step forward.
“This is a great thing for fans,” Roberts added, “because you either had to go that route and sign up for DirecTV, or be able to prove to them you couldn’t get the service so you could get the streaming package, or hope someone you knew had it so you could get the digital log-in.”
ESPN+ and/or Amazon Prime will still be more cost-effective, as Carton noted; Amazon Prime yearly subscriptions run $100-$120, while ESPN+ can be purchased in multiple packages for $20 a month maximum – but even that largest outlay, $360, gives users the other benefits of the services beyond the NFL.
Follow WFAN's afternoon team on Twitter: @CartonRoberts, @Craigcartonlive, @EvanRobertsWFAN, @TommyLugauer, and @CMacWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram