NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers will now have another option when it comes to paying for the expensive out-of-market package.
According to YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket landing page, subscribers to the package can now choose to pay for the service in “12 non-cancellable payments” rather than one large lump sum. Users that are also YouTube TV subscribers will be charged $31.50 per month, while non-YouTube TV subscribers will be charged a rate of $40 per month. Current lump sum pricing charges YouTube TV subscribers $378 per year and non-subscribers $480 per year.
Unfortunately, there is not an option in which users can purchase the package for just one or two months before cancelling. The new pricing options should simply be seen as a payment plan rather than a new offering from YouTube.
Per YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket pricing page, “If you purchase NFL Sunday Ticket through a monthly payment plan, you’ll be charged your first payment at the time of purchase, and you won’t be able to cancel your membership for the season you purchased. You will be automatically charged on a monthly basis for all remaining payments due for that season.”
On the bright side, however, this option will give fans that might not be able to afford a hefty upfront payment, or simply don’t want to pay for the package all at once, another way to access Sunday Ticket.
It should be noted, this option is unavailable in five states: Colorado, Maine, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Users in those states can instead split their Sunday Ticket subscriptions into four payments throughout the year.
NFL Sunday Ticket is undeniably a cost-prohibitive product, and intentionally so. Keeping Sunday Ticket prices high helps the NFL protect its broadcast partners at CBS and Fox.
While this new payment plan is nice and can help ease the burden for some fans, it’s not exactly what people are asking for. Fans would rather have the ability to purchase a single-team package, or even be able to purchase individual games throughout the season. Consumers won’t be doing backflips over the option to pay YouTube the same amount of money, just over a different period of time.
But for those that want it, the option is there.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.