NFL accuses DIRECTV of ‘deceptive advertising’ after viewers complain over confusion about Sunday Ticket access
NFL accuses DIRECTV of ‘deceptive advertising’ after viewers complain of confusion over access to Sunday Ticket
The NFL had the second-largest audience for Thursday’s Kickoff Game since 2015, but all is not well for the league as many viewers for Sunday and Monday’s games have been duped in a possible case of false advertising.
Now that YouTube and YouTube TV have become the exclusive home of “NFL Sunday Ticket,” some viewers have been confused by DirecTV’s promotion that all NFL games can be watched on the service.
DirecTV has an ad on its web page featuring Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and referring to “access to every professional football game in and out of the market.”
DirecTV was home to “NFL Sunday Ticket” from 1994 until last season.
YouTube agreed to a seven-year deal last December to acquire the suite of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox.
Some NFL fans who subscribe to DirecTV have complained about the network’s advertising that all NFL games can be watched on the service
DirecTV was home to ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ from 1994 until last season, when YouTube took over
“YouTube and YouTube TV are the only place fans at home can subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket,” said NFL EVP Communications Jeff Miller. ‘We are aware of the confusion among consumers as a result of advertising in the market. The NFL wants its millions of fans to know where they can get an NFL Sunday Ticket and we stand against misleading advertising.”
Technically, DirecTV isn’t wrong when it comes to accessing ‘Sunday Ticket’ on its service, but it requires reading the fine print.
DirecTV customers can access YouTube and YouTube TV online through the receivers, where they can log in and watch the games. It’s the same way viewers should access the “Thursday Night Football” games from Amazon Prime Video or other streaming platforms.
While DirecTV lost residential rights, it distributes the package to commercial companies that have its service. The only place where DirecTV residential customers can order the package directly from the satellite service is Puerto Rico.
“If consumers are confused, it’s because where to watch which football matches is more fragmented than ever. Our advertising is clear, and just as we have done for 30 years, we will continue to provide access to the national, regional and local sports our customers want without having to switch inputs on their TVs,” said Jon Greer, DirecTV’s Head of Communications.
Last December, YouTube agreed to a seven-year contract with the league worth more than $2 billion per year
Another problem for the NFL is the impasse between Spectrum/Charter and Disney Entertainment. Spectrum subscribers in New York City could see a blackout Monday night against Buffalo when watching Aaron Rodgers’ Jets debut, as ESPN and WABC went dark on August 31.
Buffalo also has a large presence of Spectrum subscribers, but they will be able to watch the game because the ABC channel is not owned by Disney. That’s the same situation in Milwaukee and Green Bay, where Rodgers played 18 seasons before being traded to New York this offseason.
In good TV news for the league, Detroit’s 21-20 win over Kansas City averaged 26.8 million viewers on NBC, Peacock and the league’s digital properties, a 24 percent increase over last year’s opener when Buffalo defeated the Los Angeles Rams.
Thursday night’s crowd was just shy of the 26.9 who watched the 2021 opener, when Tampa Bay defeated Dallas with a last-second field goal.