This combo made from file photos shows the AT&T logo on the side of a corporate office in Springfield, Ill., left, and a DirecTV satellite dish atop a home in Los Angeles. Priming itself for the age of Internet-delivered video, AT&T Inc. on Sunday said it would buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion in cash and stock, or $95 per share.LOS ANGELES – One of the hidden benefits of AT&T’s $48.5 billion planned purchase of DirecTV is that it raises the possibility of making DirecTV’s programming crown jewel, NFL Sunday Ticket, more broadly available on mobile devices.
Making exclusive live NFL game programming available on AT&T smartphones could trump Verizon’s deal with the NFL for certain live game streams on its phones, because NFL Sunday Ticket involves most NFL games, not just a handful on certain nights of the week.
Verizon’s NFL Mobile deal enters its fifth season later this year after the two sides signed a multi-year extension last June.
For $5 a month, Verizon’s NFL Mobile app allows live game streams on smartphones — not tablets — for Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday night games. It will add local Sunday afternoon games this coming season.
DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket allows for live broadcasts of most NFL games around the country. That allows displaced fan to follow their favorite teams if they’ve moved.