AT&T has informed DirecTV Now and U-Verse TV customers that they no longer have access to NFL Network.
In a website posting, AT&T said both the NFL Network and the Red Zone Channel remain available on DirecTV satellite-TV service. “However, as we continue to manage content costs, we could not reach an agreement with the NFL to continue to carry their channels on U-Verse TV and DirecTV Now,” the posting said.
The announcement follows AT&T’s major revision and pruning of DirecTV Now programming tiers last month.
Related: ‘GoT’ and Masters Viewers Faced Usual Live Stream Challenges Sunday
AT&T trimmed the number of DirecTV Now bundle options from four to two, upping the price of the base tier from $45 a month to $50 a month, while trimming the channel selection from more than 60 networks to 47.
AT&T subsequently reached a carriage renewal agreement with Viacom and added six of the conglomerate’s channels to the the virtual MVPD’s base bundle.
Bloomberg reported last month that the NFL is seeking a streaming platform for its "NFL Sunday Ticket" out-of-market game package, which it currently distributes exclusively through DirecTV's satellite platform.
“We’re having great discussions with DirecTV and AT&T,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Bloomberg News. “We’ve had a 25-year partnership and we want to continue that partnership, but we also are looking to see how we can change the delivery.”
