NFL Sunday Ticket Is Linchpin of AT&T, DirecTV Deal

Renewal of must-have content and exclusive rights required for merger

DirecTV's rights to NFL Sunday Ticket—a football package that gives subscribers access to every NFL game that plays on Sunday—is so important that it is a key clause in the deal with AT&T.

If DirecTV is unable to keep exclusive rights to the premium sports package, AT&T retains the right to back out of the $48.5 billion transaction.

Boy, does the NFL have leverage now.

DirecTV's current agreement with the NFL, for which it pays about $1 billion per season, expires at the end of the year.

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