Google’s YouTube is nearing a deal to acquire the rights to the National Football League’s Sunday Ticket package of games, according to three people with knowledge of the talks, a deal that would bring a staple of traditional television into the streaming realm.
Google has discussed paying about $2.5 billion a year to the league, $1 billion more than DirecTV, which had the rights for years, according to two of the people, who would speak only anonymously to discuss confidential negotiations.
The league could receive additional payments based on the number of YouTube subscribers that Google is able to add, as well as other performance benchmarks, the people said. The length of the contract is unclear.
The deal with YouTube, if it goes through, could result in a sudden influx for YouTube TV, its premium streaming product. DirecTV has 1.5 million to two million Sunday Ticket subscribers, who pay an additional fee for access to every game on Sunday afternoons except those broadcast in their local markets. YouTube said in July that YouTube TV had more than five million subscribers and trial users of the product, which costs $64.99 a month.