NFL Sunday Ticket is a sports television package that broadcasts many NFL games each week during the regular season. With Sunday Ticket, viewers can watch NFL games that aren’t available on local over-the-air television stations. However, Sunday Ticket doesn’t include every single NFL game.
What games are included?
NFL Sunday Ticket includes most, but not all, of the NFL’s Sunday afternoon games. Specifically, Sunday Ticket includes:
- All Sunday afternoon games that are broadcast on Fox or CBS, except for games shown locally in the team’s home markets
- Sunday afternoon games broadcast on the NFL Network channel
- A selection of Sunday morning and afternoon games broadcast on Fox or CBS in the participating teams’ local markets
So in summary, Sunday Ticket shows all out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on Fox and CBS. It also includes the national broadcasts on NFL Network. Additionally, subscribers get some in-market Sunday games depending on location.
What games are excluded?
There are some exceptions where games are not included in Sunday Ticket:
- Local team home games are blacked out in their local television markets. For example, if you live in Dallas, Sunday Ticket won’t show Dallas Cowboys home games on Fox or CBS since those are aired locally.
- Sunday night, Monday night, and Thursday night games are not included because they are broadcast nationally on NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network/Amazon respectively.
- Late Sunday afternoon and doubleheader games on Fox and CBS are not guaranteed to be shown. Sunday Ticket has limited slots for these games so not every market gets them.
- Some markets don’t have access to any in-market Sunday games on Sunday Ticket.
In summary, Sunday Ticket excludes all primetime games, local team home games, and some of the Sunday afternoon matchups depending on location.
Are preseason games included?
No, NFL Sunday Ticket does not include any preseason games. It only includes regular season matchups from Week 1 through Week 17.
Are playoff games included?
Playoff games like the Wild Card Round, Divisional Round, Conference Championships, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl are not included on Sunday Ticket. NFL Sunday Ticket is only for the regular NFL season.
What about other specialty NFL packages?
In addition to Sunday Ticket, DirecTV offers some other NFL packages that provide additional games:
- NFL Sunday Ticket Max – Includes all games on Sunday Ticket, plus the Red Zone channel and Fantasy Zone channel.
- NFL Sunday Ticket Red Zone – Shows live look-ins and highlights from around the league on Sunday afternoons.
- NFL Monday Ticket – Provides out-of-market Monday night games.
So if you want the most NFL action, you can complement Sunday Ticket with some of these extra packages. But even then, not every single game will be available due to broadcasting restrictions.
How many games are shown on Sunday Ticket in a typical week?
The number of games shown on Sunday Ticket varies from week to week, but here is a general estimate:
- Fox and CBS combined typically broadcast around 7-8 Sunday afternoon games each week.
- Sunday Ticket subscribers can see all of those games, minus what’s shown locally in-market.
- So in a typical week, Sunday Ticket likely shows around 14 of the 16 Sunday afternoon games.
- Additionally, Sunday Ticket includes the Sunday night game on NFL Network, bringing the estimated weekly total to 15 games.
In summary, in a typical NFL week, Sunday Ticket provides around 15 of the 16 Sunday matchups, excluding the games that air locally in each market.
What devices can you use to watch?
NFL Sunday Ticket can be streamed on several devices using the Sunday Ticket app or website:
Device | App Available? |
---|---|
Android Phones & Tablets | Yes |
Android TV | Yes |
Apple iPhones & iPads | Yes |
Apple TV | Yes |
Amazon Fire TV | Yes |
Roku | Yes |
PlayStation 4 | Yes |
Xbox One | Yes |
Web Browser | Yes |
So Sunday Ticket offers a lot of flexibility across mobile devices, streaming platforms, game consoles, and web browsers.
What are the subscription options and costs?
Here is an overview of the NFL Sunday Ticket packages available and their prices:
Package | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
NFL Sunday Ticket | $293.94/season | Included games described above |
NFL Sunday Ticket Max | $395.94/season | Sunday Ticket + Redzone + Fantasy Zone channels |
NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming | $293.94/season | Internet-only version, no satellite needed |
NFL Sunday Ticket Students | $100/season | For college students, streaming only |
NFL Sunday Ticket TV U | Free | For colleges & universities, streaming only |
Note that Sunday Ticket is only available to U.S. customers. And you must subscribe to a DirecTV satellite package or be a student to get the full season packages.
Are there any free trial options?
Unfortunately, DirecTV does not currently offer any free trials for NFL Sunday Ticket. The only way to get access is to purchase one of the full season packages outlined above.
However, students at select universities can receive Sunday Ticket for free through the TV U package. Check the DirecTV website for the list of eligible schools.
What are the key takeaways?
- NFL Sunday Ticket shows all out-of-market Sunday afternoon games broadcast on Fox and CBS.
- Local team home games are excluded from Sunday Ticket.
- Primetime games on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights are not included.
- Preseason, playoffs, and Super Bowl are not shown on Sunday Ticket.
- In a typical week, Sunday Ticket provides around 15 of the 16 Sunday matchups.
- Multiple subscription options are available, ranging from $100/season for students up to $395/season for the maximum package.
Conclusion
While NFL Sunday Ticket provides access to a high number of NFL games, it does not include every single game throughout the season. Local broadcasts and primetime games are excluded. Additionally, some Sunday afternoon games may be unavailable depending on the subscriber’s location. So while Sunday Ticket is extremely comprehensive, there are still some limitations on the content compared to watching every game across all networks and markets.