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

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

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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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