Will YouTube TV increase the ratings of NFL Sunday Ticket?

The NFL Sunday Ticket has been a bedrock of football fandom in the United States since the package was launched in 1994. The out-of-market games have been exclusively available on AT&T subsidiary DirecTV from inception. However, a shift is expected next season, as the game will now be exclusively available on Google-owned streaming network YouTube TV.

The NFL struck a seven-year deal with tech giants Google in December 2020, which saw a transition of the Sunday Ticket from Cable TV to streaming media. The deal will see Google pay $2 billion annually for the exclusive rights to broadcast the out-of-market games. A question going around the air is whether YouTube TV will improve the ratings of the Sunday Ticket package.

YouTube TV and its penetration

Google launched YouTube TV in April 2017 in five major American media markets. The service offers a selection of live, linear channel feeds and on-demand content from over 100 television networks. The service has spread throughout the United States and can be accessed on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart televisions.

YouTube TV currently has over five million subscribers across the United States. The streaming service has been the presenting partner of the World Series and the NBA Finals since 2017. YouTube TV has become relatively popular in the United States, but with the exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket, a surge is expected in the number of its subscribers.

Will the service increase NFL Sunday Ticket ratings?

DirecTV has been the home to the NFL Sunday Ticket since its inception in 1994, and the Cable TV provider has two million customers subscribing to the Sunday Ticket package. However, it is expected that switching the out-of-market package from traditional cable TV to streaming media might affect its rating due to some factors.

NFL Sunday Ticket on a streaming network might appear strange to fans at first when it kicks off next season. However, there's confidence from every angle that Google will deliver a brilliant experience to users. The tech company is largely expected to introduce features and functionalities that will improve the watching experience for fans.

Cable TV has also witnessed a massive decline in the United States over the last decade. At the same time, streaming media has seen sporadic growth within the country, mainly due to its flexibility and convenience. In essence, an increased TV rating is widely expected in the viewership of the Sunday Ticket when it arrives on YouTube TV.