'NFL Sunday Ticket without satellite' sounds too good to be true, and for many it is
Today AppleInsider uncovered a promotion page for DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package that proudly promises what many cord-cutting football fans have been waiting to hear: "Stream NFL Sunday Ticket live online. No satellite required!" Sounds simple, sign up for the exorbitantly-priced package, sit back and wait for all the out-of-market football games you can handle, right? Not so fast -- as it turns out, this package is set up the same way NFL Sunday Ticket has worked online since DirecTV started offering it that way back in 2010. While the bold text promises football without a DirecTV account, digging into the FAQ reveals it's only for people in "select areas, residence types, and enrolled in select universities."
To find our if you're eligible, you need to put your info in a form. Naturally, there's a (by default checked) box asking if it's OK to sign you up for info on DirecTV services. If you live in an apartment building where satellite dishes are banned, or are in college, you'll be offered a streaming package of your liking -- the same as was available in years past, just on a few more devices now. But if you live in a house or somewhere DirecTV thinks it can get you as a potential customer? You're out of luck, and we wouldn't be surprised if a sign-up fliers will be headed your way. I gave it a shot and unsurprisingly found my current address (a home) was ineligible, while my previous address (an apartment) was eligible.
All is not lost of course, since things sound like they're staying the same as previous years. In that case, you can probably still call DirecTV and sign up on the basis that for some reason, you can't get service where you are. We're not telling you to lie, but we are going to mention that in past years no one has reported DirecTV actually checking to see if their reasoning was legit. Assuming you can sign up, Sunday Ticket will run $200 for viewing on PCs, tablets and phones (iOS, Android with Flash -- so only stuff with Ice Cream Sandwich, Kindle Fire) or $240 if you want to watch (only) on game consoles (PS3, PS4, Xbox One). To watch on any of those devices, get DirecTV's Red Zone Channel and the new Fantasy Zone channel with looks at Fantasy Football-impacting plays, it's $330 total.
