NFL Sunday Ticket to be available on internet, sans DirecTV

Yahoo! Sports

Mon Aug 23 12:53pm EDT

NFL Sunday Ticket to be available on internet, sans DirecTV

Good news for those of you who don't have DirecTV, but still want the NFL's Sunday Ticket package. You'll be able to get it this season over the internet, streaming any game you want, live in HD (maybe).

Now, you may be concerned that you won't be getting the full DirecTV experience, but don't worry about that. You'll still get the $350 price gouge.

Via The Score at the New York Daily News:

Company spokesperson Jon T. Gieselman tells The Score that DirecTV will soon announce a new package that will make its all-access NFL coverage available to anyone "with the right broadband connection or mobile phone."
"For the small number of people that can't get DirecTV service, we did want to provide an option for them to experience Sunday Ticket," says Gieselman.
You don't need to be a DirecTV subscriber to watch the games. You just need access to the internet (the service was tested in Manhattan last year, but will now be available nationwide.
[...]
"We will make a full 720p HD resolution stream available online, but most viewers won't be able to experience the service at that resolution," Gieselman said. The picture quality will depend on your internet connection.

Alright, so it's a mixed bag. At least they're trying. If it's anything like the $40 online preseason package the NFL is offering (and yes, I purchased it, because I'm a weak man without any sort of integrity), then it's true: the picture quality will be watchable, but short of what it should be.

Why this is, I don't know. MLB.tv, the gold standard in sports packages available online, manages to provide a fantastic picture, and that a similar NFL service wouldn't be able to duplicate that seems odd. Maybe one day they'll get there.

But that this package exists at all is a significant step in a fan-friendly direction, so I'll take it.

Gracias, The Huddle.