Tuesday, August 24, 2010

DirecTV to Stream NFL Sunday Ticket

In the emerging online video entertainment business, content rights remain a key stumbling block. Lots of people might like to buy their professional video on a more customized basis. Lots of people might prefer to buy programming they want on a more a la carte basis, rather than paying for traditional multichannel video service.

Now DirecTV says its exclusive "NFL Sunday Ticket" service will be sold as a streaming service, costing $350, without the need to buy the regular DirecTV service as well. When DirecTV subscribers buy NFL Sunday Ticket, they pay $300 on top of a DirecTV subscription.

The still-unnamed service will mean fans can get a full slate of games without switching their current cable, telco or satellite providers. The service will not offer the full resolution of the DirecTV-delivered service.

"We will make a full 720p HD resolution stream available online, but most viewers won't be able to experience the service at that resolution," says  Jon Gieselman, DirecTV spokesman. The picture quality will depend on a user's Internet connection.

For broadband Internet access providers, the implication is that chance to upsell connections featuring higher speeds that will increase the odds that the full 720p picture can be viewed properly. Latency and congestion issues can still pop up, and users might have to work harder at creating a setup able to send the streamed pictures to a TV set for viewing. For some, it will be worth it.

The larger point is that latent demand for viewing alternatives will not develop robustly until rights issues are settled and the whole process becomes nearly as easy as watching plain old TV.

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1 comment:

danielle.royster said...

It's great that they are deciding to stream it, but at the same time, you need to be a DIRECTV customer who already subscribes to the package. I work and subscribe to DISH Network and I have the Multi Sports package which I think gives me a ton more value. I get to see a variety of sports year round and it's significantly less than the NFL Season Ticket. I love it and I invite people to come and explore the possibilities with DISH Network.

*Danielle

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