NFL Sunday Ticket

Husbands love it...wives hate it. But no matter what side of the fence you fall on, the NFL Sunday Ticket is undeniably the premium sports package in America today. With more than 18 million subscribers, Direct TV is the exclusive provider of Sunday Ticket, which doesn't endear them to many who are stuck with cable television service.

So why is the professional football package one of the more controversial subjects in sports today? Those who have Direct TV complain about the high price of the NFL Ticket. Those who don't have Direct TV complain that they either can't get satellite service, or that the price for the package is too high, even though they don't have it. All the while Direct TV continues to grow by leaps and bounds - with the Sunday Ticket package being one of the primary reasons they grow. Us Americans...sometimes we just like to complain!

So why do customers who have Sunday Ticket complain? Mainly because of the high price. For the 2009 NFL season, the package was $300. That translates to about $75 a month for the September through December NFL campaign. While the $300 is certainly a high price to pay, bigger complaints came from the fact that if you want to watch the games in high definition, you had to open up your wallet and drop another $99 for the Superfan bundle.

The Superfan add on was only available to those that buy the Sunday Ticket package to start with. With this additional bundle, you received access to the RedZone channel as well as Sunday Ticket online.

For the 2010 season, it looks like subscriber complaints have finally been heard by Direct TV. This years package is going to cost a little more at $315, but HD games will finally be included without having to buy the Superfan package. Direct TV has instead decided to separate the mobile aspect of Sunday Ticket and will charge $50 for those who want online or mobile phone access to the games. This should satisfy many fans who decried the HD charge which was on top of their regular $10 a month high definition charge they were already paying.

But what about the others who can't get Direct TV? Many who live in condominiums or apartments are locked out from satellite service. Others rent homes and the landlord does not want a satellite dish on the house. Is there any hope for these lost football souls?

Not really. The NFL and Direct TV extended the Sunday Ticket contract last year for another four years. Direct TV will pay the league a cool $1 billion dollars a year for the exclusive rights to the package. That means if you are a Dish Network, Comcast or Time Warner cable customer you still can't get the football package. Direct TV did begin offering the package as a stand alone online product to a very limited area last year, just those living in Manhattan. It is expected to be offered to everyone though the internet this season, but no official statement or price has been released.