Could Google be making a bid for NFL Sunday Ticket?

[Moo Cow]

The Deadspin link I initially saw this info on, followed by the source link and a quote from the source link:

NFL Sunday Ticket On YouTube? That Could Happen
Google CEO Larry Page Discusses TV Package with NFL Head Roger Goodell - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

As I?ve noted before, the DirecTV deal ends at the end of the 2014 NFL season, which would mean it would make sense for the league to start talking to potential bidders now.
And it is. Today, according to sources, Google CEO Larry Page, along with YouTube content boss Robert Kyncl, met with a delegation from the NFL led by commissioner Roger Goodell. And the Sunday Ticket package was among the topics of discussion, according to people familiar with the meeting.
A Google rep declined to comment, and I?m still waiting to hear back from an NFL rep.
An informal chat is a very long way from a deal, so there?s no need to invest too much in the conversation quite yet. And I?m told that Goodell and other NFL executives are meeting with multiple Silicon Valley companies on this trip, which is one they make annually.
That said, Google plus the NFL is an intriguing concept. Google could certainly afford the rights, which currently cost DirecTV $1 billion a year.

Now, in addition to the above, also keep in mind that this bidding process could see DTV try to re-up somehow (because without NFLST, what does DTV truly have to set itself apart?) Or, the cable providers (read: inDemand, which has MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS packages already and many companies like FiOS, Comcast and Time Warner/Bright House use) could sneak in and take advantage. There will also be some push from CBS and FOX as well, as they are the ones who want to protect the investments of their Sunday afternoon packages they currently have.

But let's say for the sake of conversation that Google DOES get it. Let's say YouTube becomes the source for watching these games. What else could we expect with a Google-ized NFL? And since Google has Android, would there be any NFL content that is exclusive for Android OS phones and tablets? How would this impact any Verizon-only deals the NFL currently has? Lots of interesting questions on that front.

I know a lot of this is very early speculation, but it is getting to the time the NFL wants to lock in a future carrier deal for NFLST, and we also know money talks, so if Google comes away from these chats with any inkling they can make a push, well, it's going to make things mighty interesting.

 

[Golfdriver97]

The Deadspin link I initially saw this info on, followed by the source link and a quote from the source link:

NFL Sunday Ticket On YouTube? That Could Happen
Google CEO Larry Page Discusses TV Package with NFL Head Roger Goodell - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD



Now, in addition to the above, also keep in mind that this bidding process could see DTV try to re-up somehow (because without NFLST, what does DTV truly have to set itself apart?) Or, the cable providers (read: inDemand, which has MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS packages already and many companies like FiOS, Comcast and Time Warner/Bright House use) could sneak in and take advantage. There will also be some push from CBS and FOX as well, as they are the ones who want to protect the investments of their Sunday afternoon packages they currently have.

But let's say for the sake of conversation that Google DOES get it. Let's say YouTube becomes the source for watching these games. What else could we expect with a Google-ized NFL? And since Google has Android, would there be any NFL content that is exclusive for Android OS phones and tablets? How would this impact any Verizon-only deals the NFL currently has? Lots of interesting questions on that front.

I know a lot of this is very early speculation, but it is getting to the time the NFL wants to lock in a future carrier deal for NFLST, and we also know money talks, so if Google comes away from these chats with any inkling they can make a push, well, it's going to make things mighty interesting.

It would be interesting to see what happens. Especially since it would mean ad money going into Google's pocket.

Sent from a SlimROM S3.

 

[Moo Cow]

More insight on the early rumors surrounding Google on NFLST:

NFL's Sunday Ticket Is a Case Study for Internet TV - Barrons.com

Some see Google's (ticker: GOOG) interest as a game-changer for pay TV. If viewers can get access to the NFL via the Internet, it would be one less reason to subscribe to satellite or cable, or so the thinking goes.

But, "the chances are this is considerably overblown," says Matthew Harrigan, a media analyst for Wunderlich Securities. "Companies like Google look at everything."

The search giant has virtually unlimited resources, but it would have to be prepared to absorb big losses if it took on Sunday Ticket. Harrigan estimates that DirecTV (DTV) loses between $450 million and $600 million a year on Sunday Ticket?making it a loss leader for recruiting NFL-loving cable subscribers. Google, on its own, could lose $850 million annually, Harrigan says. He thinks Google would be more likely to partner with DirecTV in any possible deal.

 

[Moo Cow]

More Google rumblings surrounding the NFL...

Report: NFL exploring possibility of adding more Thursday games - CBSSports.com

In the most recently negotiated television contract -- finalized in December of 2011 -- the NFL was given the power to pull some Sunday afternoon games to create a new package of games. The NFL could also take the NFL Network's Thursday package and sell that as a package to a different provider.

Google and Netflix could both be potential buyers of a new package, according to the report. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell raised some eyebrows in August when he met with Google CEO Larry Page. Goodell and Page were believed to be discussing the Sunday Ticket package, a package that Directv currently owns the rights too, but Directv's rights expire after the 2014 season.

 

[madisonjar]

as long as I can get my steelers for a reasonable price I am a happy man....heck if google wants to stream it free on my phone (to chromecast) then I am good with that for sure!