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By Torrey Hart
Over-the-top live TV streaming service YouTube TV is expanding its offerings for sports fans, and specifically, fans of the NFL.
The service is adding the NFL Network to its base membership, and introducing a “Sports Plus” add-on for $10.99. The add-on includes NFL RedZone, Fox College Sports, Fox Soccer Plus, GOLTV, MAVTV, Stadium, and TVG. The NFL Network is available as of Sept. 3.
According to the announcement, YouTube TV customers will also have access to both the NFL Network and RedZone through NFL.com and the NFL app on smartphones, tablets, PCs and connected TV devices “soon.”
In June, Sling TV dropped both NFL channels, making fuboTV and Vidgo the only live TV streaming services that still carried them.
“We are excited to bring NFL Network and NFL RedZone to YouTube TV subscribers, just in time for Kickoff of the NFL’s 2020 season,” said Hans Schroeder, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NFL Media. “The opportunity to give NFL Network and NFL RedZone the broadest distribution as possible to our fans remains a top priority for us, so we’re pleased to bring our lineup of exclusive live games, informative shows and award-winning content to the YouTube TV channel lineup.”
YouTube TV has emerged as of late as a top streaming destination for sports fans, but raised its prices by 30% in June, to $65, to the dismay of many cord-cutters. It marked the third major price hike for the service after going from $35 to $40 for new customers in March 2018, then from $40 to $50 in March 2019.
Through the NFL app, the NFL RedZone Pass 2020 alone costs $35. YouTube TV also already carries a variety of other sports content via Turner Networks, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, MLB Network and MLB.TV.
“Sports fans have been some of our most passionate members since we launched YouTube TV, so we’re thrilled to introduce NFL Network to our line-up of more than 85 channels, plus NFL RedZone as part of our new Sports Plus add-on package,” said YouTube TV Global Head of Partnerships at YouTube TV Lori Conkling. “This partnership further demonstrates our commitment to offer a premium portfolio of content to our members.”
The NFL is unequivocally the most popular content on TV; in 2019, it accounted for 47 of the top 50 and 73 of the top 100 telecasts. The league also increased its average viewership by about 800,000 per game from 2018, to 16.5 million.
