DirecTV extended and expanded its deal with NFL Media, adding NFL RedZone to its lineup for the first time.

RedZone, along with the NFL Network will be available on DirecTV via satellite, DirecTV Stream and U-verse. 

Financial terms were not disclosed.

DirecTV used to exclusively carry the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-marketPrime ticket package, but that moves to YouTube this season.

“DirecTV  was an initial launch partner of NFL Network over 20 years ago and we're thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership which caters to millions of DirecTV customers who are NFL fans," said Hans Schroeder, executive VP  of Media Distribution for the NFL. “This renewal will provide fans across all DirecTV platforms the ability to watch NFL Network's award-winning coverage of America's most popular sport while also giving greater access to the wildly popular NFL RedZone."

“With this agreement, DirecTV continues a long-standing partnership with the NFL and maintains our sports leadership position by delivering the best of sports content to our customers," said Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV. “This deal strengthens our NFL relationship as it includes expanded carriage of NFL Network and all the best action from Sunday's games with NFL RedZone, which is now available to customers across all three DirecTV platforms."

DirecTV customers now have access to an enhanced DirecTV Sports Pack and DirecTV Stream subscribers will be offered a DirecTV Sports Pack for the first time, in each case featuring NFL RedZone.  NFL RedZone will be offered through the HD Premium Tier to U-verse customers. 

The National Football League plans to launch its own streaming service in July, according to a report from the NFL owner meeting by Sports Business Journal.

NFL Plus will feature live games on mobile phones and tablets and is expected cost about $5 monthly. The games would be the same game fans can see on TV in their local markets.

Also: Amazon Prime Video and NFL Set Full 'Thursday Night Football' Schedule

The service would replace the games that were available via Yahoo and other mobile carriers. Those deals have expired.

NFL Plus would have other content, possibly including radio, podcasts and team-created content, SBJ said. Having its own direct-to-consumer streaming service would give the league more data on its fans.

The service is separate from Sunday Ticket, the out-of-market service that has been with DirecTV for years, but is now most likely heading to either Amazon or Apple.

Amazon and Apple are also in talks to acquire a stake in NFL Media, which includes the NFL Network. 

NFL Plus could be folded into NFL Media, the report said.  ■

NFL Media said Tuesday that it has reached a multi-year carriage agreement with Hulu that will bring its NFL Network and NFL RedZone to Hulu Plus Live TV subscribers beginning Aug. 1. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal comes on the heels of the league’s landmark 11-year, $95 billion TV deal inked in March. 

"We are excited to bring NFL Network and NFL RedZone to Hulu + Live TV subscribers," said Hans Schroeder, NFL Media executive VP and chief operating officer, in a press release. "One of our top priorities as a League remains broadening the distribution platforms for NFL content, and so we're very pleased to bring our lineup of award-winning shows and live games to Hulu's live subscribers starting in the 2021 NFL season."

Also Read: What the New NFL Rights Deals Say About the Future of Sports on ‘TV’

NFL Network will give Hulu Plus Live TV subscribers access to live games and shows like Good Morning Football, NFL GameDay Morning, NFL Total Access and NFL Now, and original series such as A Football Life, NFL 360 and America's Game. NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson delivers every touchdown from every game to fans on Sunday afternoons during the NFL regular season.

"With the addition of NFL Network and NFL RedZone to our channel lineup, Hulu + Live TV continues to be the ultimate destination for sports fans to watch thousands of hours of live sports programming," said Reagan Feeney, Hulu senior VP, live TV content programming & partnerships, in a press release. "Starting with the 2021 NFL season, our viewers will have a front row seat to exclusive live games, original shows and other NFL content year-round."

When this year’s National Football League season kicks off in September, a number of networks and digital players will be betting heavily that greatly improved fantasy football offerings will help them run up some impressive audiences and digital revenue.

Much is at stake in those efforts, which are particularly focused on improved mobile apps, cross-platform features and expanded fantasy football programming. With sports rights already well into stratospheric levels, a passionate fantasy sports fan base has helped create larger audiences for televised sports and digital platforms, executives say.

Overall there are some 56.8 million fantasy sports players in the U.S. and Canada today, double the 28.4 million that played in 2009, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Its research shows that football is by far the most popular fantasy sport, ranking as the favorite among 73% of the players.

“I like to call fantasy sports the greatest second-screen product of all time,” said Marc DeBevoise, executive VP and general manager of CBS Digital Media at CBS Interactive (CBSi). “We have millions of people coming to the site on a monthly basis and we have millions of people playing fantasy sports on the platform.”

While CBSi is one of the few players focused on subscription products, fantasy players also have a major impact on the digital traffic and advertising that supports most offerings. “About 40% of the people who come to our sites and apps play fantasy sports, but they drive 70% to 80% of the engagement,” DeBevoise said. “Fantasy players view seven times more pages than non-fantasy users and they spend seven times more time using our products. It has a huge benefit for both our subscription and our transaction and ad media businesses.”

Others agree. “Fantasy football is a very important part of our overall digital business,” and for the NFL’s overall popularity, explained Cory Mummery, VP of business services for NFL Media. “If you have a member of your fantasy team playing on Monday night, you might watch a game with two teams you might normally not be interested in. It means they are consuming more content, which is definitely good for the league.”

To build on the recent growth, all the major players are putting much more emphasis on mobile as a way of reaching fans. “Three years ago, mobile was used more as a way to follow your team,” said Mummery. “But in the last 18 months, we’ve seen a large transition of activity from desktop to mobile,” which he adds has helped boost engagement and activity.

Such cross-platform efforts have also moved onto connected TVs, where players can increasingly access fantasy sports apps on the big screen. The NFL’s alliance with Microsoft’s Xbox One game console, for example, allows “players to watch the content we are delivering to the platform at the same time they are following their fantasy match,” Mummery explained. “We are really trying to push the boundaries on connected devices and synching up next-generation stats to improve the viewer experience.”

Meanwhile, companies such as ESPN, CBSi, Yahoo and the NFL that provide fantasy football platforms are also ramping up their programming relating to fantasy sports.

ESPN, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1995 launch of ESPN Fantasy Football, is debuting a new “Fantasy Football Kickoff” episode each Tuesday. Like other players, ESPN has added a number of new features on its app, which has been downloaded more than 16 million times.

While all of this has increased competition, the NFL’s Mummery stressed that the rapid growth in fantasy football has been great news for both the league and the various networks that televise its games. “Our competitors, Yahoo, ESPN and others do a great job of growing the overall fantasy fan base, which we think helps the league as a whole,” he said.