The National Football League continues to secure lucrative rights deals, potentially a positive sign for the sports industry.
While the NFL perhaps is in its own category because of its massive popularity, it’s still positive to hear some good news about the health of the sports industry during the recession. According to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL extended its contract with DirecTV Group four years at $1-billion a year.
The newspaper said the contract represents a 43% increase annually for DirecTV’s popular Sunday Ticket package. The satellite subscription service has used Sunday Ticket to attract cable subscribers.
The article noted the deal bodes well for the NFL as it will begin talks with its broadcast partners on new agreements.