DirecTV will intensify its rivalry with cable Monday by giving cable subscribers in Manhattan first crack at buying the satellite company's exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket games to view via broadband.
"Sunday Ticket is a big part of what DirecTV is all about — it's a core piece of our franchise," says Jon Gieselman, senior vice president for advertising and public relations. "There's a big business there, and we want this to be a complement to that."
About 2 million of DirecTV's 18.3 million subscribers pay $299 a season to watch Sunday Ticket games on TV. For an additional $100 subscribers get a Superfan package that includes broadband.
The NFL wanted to expand the arena of fans who could watch the games and added the broadband-only provision to the $4 billion contract it signed with DirecTV in March. It runs through 2014.
The New York offering is a test for the program that will kick off nationally next year.
Customers here will pay $349 to watch any Sunday game on broadband during the regular season. But it will be available just to people who can't receive the satellite signals.
That makes New York an ideal market. DirecTV has few customers here because skyscrapers block signals coming from satellites orbiting the equator. Also, many landlords and co-op boards don't allow residents to get a satellite service.
"A lot of the buildings (that can't get DirecTV) we already have in databases because they've got exclusive contracts with cable guys," says Derek Chang, executive vice president for content strategy and development.
To see the games, broadband customers will download a special video player and punch in a code. Users can install the software on multiple computers, but only one will be able to stream the games at any particular time.
Games with New York's Jets and Giants, which air on broadcast TV, will be available only when the customer's computer is outside the New York area.
Cable operators won't just play defense in the battle for football fans. Comcast will announce today that it will offer the NFL Red Zone Channel to customers of its Sports Entertainment Package. On Sundays, the channel will display football statistics with audio from Sirius XM Radio's program "Around the League" — and go live to certain games when the ball is within 20 yards of the goal.
