In the aftermath of last week’s multi-billion-dollar verdict in the Sunday Ticket case, the NFL has some decisions to make about the future of the out-of-market game package.
Here’s a decision that was already in the works. Sunday Ticket will finally be available to bars, restaurants, and other businesses not only via satellite dish but also by streaming.
The news comes from a Tuesday press release announcing the acquisition of UPShow by EverPass Media.
“As part of the integration of UPshow into EverPass, businesses will now have the option to stream NFL Sunday Ticket for the first time ever starting with the upcoming 2024 NFL season,” the release explains. “EverPass and UPshow are currently partners for Peacock Sports Pass, a sports package offering commercial businesses access to select events from Peacock’s live sports content library, including Big Ten football and basketball, Premier League and the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Brazil.”
The question becomes pricing. Specifically, will the league mandate minimum pricing, as it has in the past? Which has, based on the recent verdict, created a $14.088 billion liability that the league will now attack aggressively — first with the trial judge and then on appeal.
There are two prongs to the pricing question. First, if the NFL doesn’t change its ways and ultimately loses the Sunday Ticket case, it has additional liability for 2023, 2024, and beyond. Second, even if the NFL ultimately turns $14.088 billion into zero dollars and zero cents, the league has to absorb the P.R. consequences of consumers realizing that the league has deliberately overcharged for Sunday Ticket in order to dissuade them from taking advantage of the option to see something other than whatever games are available on their local Fox and CBS affiliates.
Of course, that fallout has been muted by the fact that, other than here, few if any media outlets are pointing out that, antitrust violation or not, the NFL has been ripping off its customers since Sunday Ticket first debuted 30 years ago.
By rigging the price, many of us have paid more than we should have for Sunday Ticket. Many more who would have rather watched a different game than the game on their local Fox or CBS affiliate were not able to make that choice, because they couldn’t afford (or didn’t want to pay for) the full out-of-market package for the entire season at a grossly inflated price.
But, hey, football is family. Even if your family has paid way too much for the football games it wanted too watch. For three decades.
