NFL: Combine

NFL fans are unhappy about how much it will cost to watch the entire 2024 season. With the league giving various broadcasters the rights to telecast the games live, fans need a variety of packages to see the matches.

NFL commentator Dov Kleiman tweeted via Awful Announcing the total cost of watching the 2024 season. It includes $72.99 for Youtube TV, $8.99 for Prime Video, $5.99 for Peacock, $10.99 for ESPN+, $6.99 for Netflix and a whopping $349 for NFL’s Sunday ticket. That brings up the total to more than $850.

Fans were disappointed by the whole thing and replied, saying that it’s a scam, while others called the league greedy. Here are some of the responses.

Others pointed out that such exorbitant costs are why there’s a rise in piracy in the first place. Here are some reactions on X:

“And they ask why people pirate”

“Basically forcing us to be pirates at this point”

“Yeah I ain’t paying all that, illegal streams for the win”

NFL using its popularity to charge the prices they want on all fronts

NFL is the most popular sports league in the USA, and they are able to get away with charging the prices they want because they know that there will always be people who can afford the costs even when they rise.

For example, ticket prices have risen from $62.38 on average in 2006 to $120.94 in 2023 as per Statista.com. That’s nearly double in less than 20 years. The effect is even more pronounced when it comes to Super Bowl tickets.

As per Techopedia.com, Super Bowl prices were $12 in 1967, which would be $80 adjusted for inflation. Instead, in the latest Super Bowl, price ranges began at $5,000 at the lower end, going up to $50,000 cases in some cases.

The NFL also doesn’t have any incentive to change in any way either because it has never been as profitable. The sales of the Denver Broncos and the Washington Commanders to valuations exceeding $4.5 billion each shows just how lucrative the league is.

Therefore, they can keep doing what they do. By accurately assessing their popularity, they can effectively choose whom to award the games to and they know that the broadcasters will pay through the nose to telecast any NFL game.

And the networks and streaming services are willing to do that because they know that there will be a significant amount of consumers who can afford it to give them their money back.