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YouTube TV clarifies features, limitations for NFL Sunday Ticket

NFL Sunday Ticket can be streamed on two devices at once and shared with immediate family members living in the same household.

NFL Sunday Ticket can be streamed on two devices at once and shared with immediate family members living in the same household.

Officials at Google-owned cable replacement YouTube TV this week offered more insight on the features and limitations of its forthcoming NFL Sunday Ticket package.

The clarification comes about a week after YouTube TV and its sister service, YouTube, opened up the NFL Sunday Ticket package to pre-orders with a $100 discount from the regular price of $350 (YouTube TV, with TV subscription) and $450 (YouTube). 

Late Tuesday evening, a community manager for YouTube TV offered more information about how NFL Sunday Ticket will work on their platform, including limitations on the number of simultaneous streams available with NFL Sunday Ticket and whether the games can be recorded to a user’s cloud DVR.

Here’s some of the topics that were covered by YouTube TV officials this week:


How many people can watch NFL Sunday Ticket at once?

While YouTube TV typically allows three devices to stream live and recorded television content at once, the NFL Sunday Ticket package will only allow customers to stream to two devices at once. If a customer pays $40 more to include NFL RedZone with the NFL Sunday Ticket, streaming NFL RedZone counts toward the two-device limit.

Update: On May 25, YouTube said it was no longer limiting streamers to two channels or devices at once when they watch games through NFL Sunday Ticket on their home network (which also applies to NFL RedZone when purchased through NFL Sunday Ticket). Additionally, YouTube said it will allow streamers to watch NFL Sunday Ticket events on two simultaneous devices when they are away from their home network. These features apply to both YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. To learn more, click or tap here


Can NFL Sunday Ticket be shared with friends and family members?

YouTube TV allows an account holder to share YouTube TV with up to five family members, housemates or friends who live in their immediate household, as long as they have their own Google or YouTube account. When the primary subscriber to YouTube TV purchases the NFL Sunday Ticket package, the package also becomes available to all family members who are connected through YouTube TV’s family group feature. To learn more about the feature, click or tap here.

If the primary account holder is streaming NFL Sunday Ticket on two devices at once, other users who are part of the family group will not be able to watch live NFL Sunday Ticket programming until one or both devices stop streaming.

Update: On May 25, YouTube said it will no longer cap the number of simultaneous streams for NFL Sunday Ticket programming when viewers watch on their home networks, and will limit out-of-home streaming to two devices at once. Friends and family members who live in the same household and stream NFL Sunday Ticket games on the same home network will not have device or simultaneous stream limitations. To learn more, click or tap here


Is there a way to pay for more than two simultaneous streams of NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV?

Not right now, but YouTube TV officials say they’ve heard feedback from customers who want the option to pay for more than two simultaneous streams at once, and Google is considering ways to make that possible. YouTube TV subscribers who pay for the 4K add-on package typically have the ability to stream on as many devices as they want within their household at one time, but NFL Sunday Ticket is exempt from this feature. To learn more about how stream limitations affect NFL RedZone, click or tap here.

Update: On May 25, YouTube said it was no longer implementing a simultaneous stream or device limitation for NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers who watch content on their home networks, but will still limit out-of-home streaming to two devices at once. There is still no way to purchase additional simultaneous streams for out-of-home viewing. 


Can the NFL Sunday Ticket be purchased in monthly installments through YouTube TV?

When the NFL Sunday Ticket was offered by DirecTV, subscribers had the option of paying for the package all at once (a yearly commitment of between $200 and $400, depending on features) or monthly with a multi-month commitment.

Google currently isn’t offering a monthly subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket through either YouTube or YouTube TV, but YouTube TV’s community manager says they’re “looking into more payment formats to use in the future.” There’s no guarantee a monthly installment option will be offered between now and the start of football season.


Can NFL RedZone be added to NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV?

Yep! NFL RedZone is available through YouTube TV for an extra $40. That’s a one-time charge for the entire season. When subscribers purchase NFL RedZone through NFL Sunday Ticket, streaming NFL RedZone counts toward the limit of two simultaneous streams at once.

NFL RedZone can also be purchased separately through the Sports Plus add-on package, which costs $11 a month and includes about a dozen other sports channels like Mav TV, Stadium and BeIN Sports. If a subscriber purchases NFL RedZone through Sports Extra, streaming NFL RedZone will not count toward the two-streams-at-once limitation.

Update: On May 25, YouTube said streamers who purchase NFL RedZone through NFL Sunday Ticket will be allowed to watch NFL RedZone on unlimited devices simultaneously while on their home network, and will be limited to two simultaneous devices when watching NFL RedZone content outside their home network.


Will there be a multi-view feature for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV?

Yes, YouTube TV officials say multi-view — which is also known as “mosaic mode” — will be coming to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. It isn’t known if multi-view will allow users to select the games they want to watch, or if it will simply offer a selection of games to stream from a single screen. YouTube TV says more information will be made available as things get closer to the start of the NFL season.


Will YouTube TV allow subscribers to record NFL Sunday Ticket to their cloud DVR?

Yes, all NFL Sunday Ticket programming can be recorded to the cloud DVR offered by YouTube TV. Users can record as many games as they want, all at once, without incurring the two-device stream limitation. The limitation only kicks in if a subscriber decides to switch over to a game that is currently being recorded, or watches a recorded game after it airs.


Is there a discount for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV?

From now until June 6, YouTube TV subscribers can save $100 by pre-ordering the NFL Sunday Ticket, which brings the cost of the package down to $250 for the season (or $290 if subscribers pre-order NFL Sunday Ticket with RedZone).

After June 6, the price of NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV goes up to $350 for the season (or $390 if subscribers pre-order NFL Sunday Ticket with RedZone).

YouTube TV isn’t currently offering discounts for students, first responders or members of the military. There’s also no option to pay less simply to follow a single team through NFL Sunday Ticket.

Update: The original discount on NFL Sunday Ticket is no longer being offered, but streamers who purchase NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube Primetime Channels or YouTube TV can now get $50 off the package if they order before September 9. To learn more about the discount, click or tap here.


Which devices support NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV?

Google says it plans to support most popular streaming devices and platforms when subscribers pay for NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV (and the same applies for non-YouTube TV subscribers who buy NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube’s PrimeTime Channels marketplace).

Here’s a small list of devices that are expected to support NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels:


Where can I learn more about NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV?

To learn more about NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, click or tap here.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys covers the business of broadcast and streaming TV, radio broadcasting, social media, technology and telecommunications. A journalist for over 15 years, Matthew previously worked at Thomson Reuters, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTXL in Sacramento and McNaughton Newspapers. He received 9 California Journalism Awards between 2018 and 2020, and is a member of IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors).
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