RedZone, a popular feature that allows fans to follow Sunday games when teams come into scoring range, will no longer be available on DirecTV, but the NFL will continue to produce its own version of the broadcast, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak in public. That feature will be available to users through cable providers, such as Comcast, or through their Sunday Ticket subscription to YouTube.
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In recent months, the league has been exploring the sale of a stake in the NFL Network, its media arm, as part of its Sunday Ticket package. Those talks did not result in a deal and the NFL will continue those talks, the two people familiar with the matter said.
Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and chairman of the league’s media committee, said the NFL has used emerging technology to reach fans, including cable and satellite television, for decades. He added that YouTube would also provide NFL fans with seamless access to game stats and fantasy football results.
“Now is the time to move to a new platform to reach younger fans and YouTube makes the most sense,” Mr Kraft said.
The Sunday Ticket package could prove to be a boon for YouTube, which has been eager to expand its subscriptions as its main business – advertising – has stalled. Football matches could attract more sports fans to YouTube TV, which is already the most popular Internet-based pay-TV service. The company said in July it had five million subscribers, more than Hulu + Live TV.
YouTube makes most of its revenue from ads on videos uploaded by users. Stubborn inflation and a slowing economy have prompted advertisers to cut spending, causing YouTube’s ad sales to shrink nearly 2 percent in the past quarter, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported in October.
The disappointing results have given more urgency to a years-long plan for YouTube to expand in other ways. The company said in November it had 80 million paying subscribers for its music and ad-free premium services, up from 50 million a year earlier. YouTube said this year that YouTube TV had more than five million paid and trial users.
