Despite losing subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2017 and reportedly providing refunds to customers angry over NFL anthem kneeldowns, it appears DirecTV will be increasing the price for the Sunday Ticket package in 2018.
According to Phillip Swann’s TV Answer Man site, the out-of-market NFL Sunday Ticket will increase to $293.94 for the next regular season, and that’s just for the basic package. It means an increase of 4.2 percent. Last season, the cost if you subscribed before the 2017 season was $281.94.
Since 2016, the cost of NFL Sunday Ticket has increased by 14 percent, despite lower ratings for the NFL during that period.
The basic package does not include the Red Zone Channel nor the Fantasy Zone Channel, which come at a higher cost. To get those channels, you have to subscribe Sunday Ticket Max, which totaled a whopping $377.94 last season. For 2018, Sunday Ticket Max will increase by $18.00 to $395.95.
DirecTV has confirmed the increase on its website. But for those who remember when the package used to cost $99 for the entire regular season, paying almost $400 for the NFL is a hard pill to swallow.
With DirecTV holding the rights to Sunday Ticket into the next decade, there’s no incentive for the company to lower its price. But this isn’t just for the NFL. The hike for Sunday Ticket also reflects a similar increase for all of DirecTV’s programming tiers.
While DirecTV is in the midst of hiking costs across the board, the increase for its high-profile NFL Sunday Ticket package is going to be rather painful. The satellite provider is obviously hoping that football fans will be willing to pay the price to watch out-of-market NFL games.
About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.