AT&T execs looked ahead at extending DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket to its mobile subscribers and not charging their data caps for streaming games.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday on an analyst meeting AT&T hosted last week, where the carrier suggested NFL Sunday Ticket could fit into future product bundles should the proposed AT&T-DirecTV merger go through.
AT&T is currently pursuing a $49 billion deal to acquire DirecTV, and as part of the transaction the carrier has reserved the right to squash the deal should DirecTV not be able to renew its NFL rights.
But DirecTV’s NFL mobile streaming only goes out to paid subscribers of the satellite-TV provider and, in the direction the deal is currently heading, AT&T wouldn’t have any “separate or expanded” rights to the NFL, according to the report.
Verizon currently offers NFL Mobile, a service that allows subscribers to watch on their mobile devices local market games on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays. Verizon last year reportedly paid $1 billion for four years of limited mobile access to NFL games.
AT&T could potentially differentiate by leveraging NFL Sunday Ticket to offer more than just local market games to mobile subscribers.
DirecTV is currently working on renewing its deal with the NFL. The service can cost subscribers up to $300 per season and DirecTV pays the NFL $1 billion per season for the rights.
Filed Under: Carriers
