Direct TV Will Continue to Stream Sunday Ticket to Restaurants and Bars

​DirecTV and EverPass announced a multiyear deal that will allow DirecTV for Business to continue streaming Sunday Ticket to restaurants, bars, and other businesses. DirecTV for Business will continue to offer other games as well through NFL RedZone, ESPN+, MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, MLS Season Pass, and more.
 
What does this mean for Wisconsin? This is great news for the thousands of restaurants and bars across Wisconsin that rely on DirecTV to stream games that bring in guests. Without this deal, these businesses were facing the choice of skipping NFL Sunday Ticket games or investing as much as $40k in new equipment that may not have been reliable in every market. Plus, they would have needed additional subscriptions to stream other games.
 
This is the power of advocacy: When the WRA learned DirecTV for Business would no longer have the distribution rights for Sunday Ticket, we joined forces with the National Restaurant Association to advocate for our members. 

• We engaged with Representative Scott Fitzgerald, Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, who is leading a congressional investigation into NFL's media practices that dramatically raise prices for businesses who stream NFL games.
• We activated our membership, who sent emails to their lawmakers outlining the damage that would be done to local businesses.

• We raised awareness in the media with interviews by Johnny Kavanaugh from LJ's Sports Tavern in Madison, and Kristine Hillmer, WRA President & CEO, in various local, state and national media outlets.

 
In the end, EverPass worked out a deal with DirecTV to protect restaurants and bars’ existing streaming option.
 
What’s next?

• We don’t have all the details of the deal yet, but as additional information becomes available, we will keep our members updated.   

• In the meantime, let’s celebrate this win. In a tough business environment, this is a tangible reminder that, by working together, our industry can deliver powerful results. 

 
Support the WRA’s ongoing advocacy efforts by sharing this message with a colleague who isn’t a member and encouraging them to join, or by investing in our future wins today.  
 
Learn more about the NFL Sunday Ticket partnership deal here.
 
Thank you to Johnny, our partners at National, and every one of you who spoke out on this issue. Together, we made a difference.

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