YouTube TV Makes ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ More accessible this season with new monthly plan
I was watching yesterday’s Chargers-Chiefs matchup from São Paulo, Brazil when, at one point, a commercial aired in which Jason Kelce is seen crying endlessly because NFL Sunday Ticket now can be had on a month-to-month basis. The spot grabbed my attention because Sunday Ticket historically has been expensive; a season pass for YouTube TV subscribers is $276. Opting for the monthly plan, however, the price is $85.
Obviously, the news struck me as being a more accessible way for a disabled football fan—someone who must count their pennies but also lives and breathes for Sundays—to keep up with the NFL by making Sunday Ticket more economically feasible. Better to break up the cost month-to-month than be forced to plunk down nearly $300 all at one time. What’s more, as with YouTube TV proper, Sunday Ticket can be cancelled anytime. In an accessibility context, flexible payment options—paying smaller amounts of money over a longer period—means those in the disability community potentially can have more “fun” with what disposable income is available to them because, in Sunday Ticket’s case, NFL games can be enjoyed for mere morsels relative to its total cost.
As a devout YouTube TV subscriber—with the 4K Plus option, natch—I’m feeling mighty tempted by Sunday Ticket’s new pay-as-you-go option. I watch the NFL every week during the season, and loved watching the aforementioned Chargers-Chiefs game on my 77-inch LG C3 OLED TV. The picture quality was spectacular whilst the sheer bigness of the screen made watching the action (as well as reading the graphics) eminently more accessible. A nice touch for last night’s game was YouTube TV replacing the stock circular playhead in the scrubber with the Brazilian flag (🇧🇷) to pay homage to the event. YouTube TV does this with other programming too—e.g., The Simpsons has a donut while Law & Order: SVU uses a gavel—and Google is to be commended for incorporating whimsy into the software’s user interface design. My only gripe with YouTube TV is they don’t carry MLB Network and NHL Network to complement NFL Network and NBA TV.
YouTube TV acquired Sunday Ticket in 2023, for which Google pays $2 billion annually.
Los Angeles beat Kansas City, 27–21. The newly-engaged Travis Kelce caught a touchdown pass. He finished the game with 2 catches for 47 yards in the loss.
