IRVING, Texas — Owners will receive an update on the NFL Sunday Ticket negotiations on Wednesday, and there’s a sense a deal for the league’s out-of-market TV package isn’t too far off.
But a source with knowledge of the negotiations told Front Office Sports that a deal may not be finalized until next month. Apple remains the frontrunner for the package DirecTV has held exclusively since 1994.
Beyond Apple, Disney, Amazon, and Google have also been vying for Sunday Ticket in recent months.
DirecTV, which isn’t among the bidders, pays $1.5 billion per season under its current deal that expires at season’s end. The NFL is looking for as much as $3 billion annually with a new deal.
One hang-up over an NFL-Apple deal for Sunday Ticket is how Apple would distribute it, which was first reported by the New York Post.
Apple had sought to put it on its Apple TV+ service with no markup over its regular $6.99 fee. Apple TV+ is also offered as part of Apple’s popular Apple One bundle.
That’s a steep discount from the nearly $300 charged per season by DirecTV, and NFL’s TV partners have voiced concerns over Apple offering Sunday Ticket for such a low price.
Apple and the NFL have already linked up for one deal this year. In September, it was announced Apple Music would replace Pepsi as the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show partner.
