Viewers continue to face issues with DirecTV's Sunday Ticket stream

The NFL football season got off to a rocky start last week, as viewers reported issues with both the NFL+ app and DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket stream. For DirecTV users, problems seem to persist with watching the games.

Within the past 24 hours, numerous people tweeted they can’t access the stream, saying either the match coverage won’t load at all or DirecTV interrupts the game with an error message.

Viewers via TV as well as mobile devices have reported the issues, along with general dissatisfaction with Sunday Ticket quality.

DirecTV told NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk last night, “While NFL Sunday Ticket on our traditional satellite service performed as expected over the past two weeks, some consumers were temporarily unable to stream. We apologize to our customers for this experience and for any inconvenience.”

Fierce Video reached out to DirecTV for further comment. A spokesperson replied, “We will begin to reach out to our customers who were unable to stream some of the games on Sunday to let them know we will automatically reimburse them for week two.”

The spokesperson reiterated the Sunday Ticket was down temporarily only for those streaming online or via the app. DirecTV’s satellite service wasn’t impacted.

Multiple football fans last week encountered a different error when trying to watch the Sunday Ticket stream. DirecTV would inform viewers they are “in or near a stadium,” preventing them from streaming the game.

DirecTV’s continuing technical glitches are notable, given the company next year plans to hand off Sunday Ticket rights to a streamer – likely Apple, Amazon or Disney.

It’s unclear when the NFL will announce the winner of the Sunday Ticket bid. But a Puck report from July, citing sources close to the negotiations, pegged Apple as the likely candidate to secure the football package – allegedly worth close to $3 billion.

That amount would be substantially higher than what DirecTV has paid for the Sunday Ticket, around $1.5 billion per year. Its deal with the NFL is set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 football season.

Amazon is one of the contenders familiar with NFL streaming rights, signing last year an 11-year deal for Thursday Night Football games. Prime Video is incorporating a slate of programming to complement the viewing experience, including a segment for sports betting.

The season’s first TNF game premiered last Thursday, featuring the Los Angeles Chargers versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Amazon tapped Nielsen to measure full coverage of the broadcast, including pre- and post-game programming.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand tweeted Friday Nielsen is expected to release full national ratings for Amazon’s stream sometime today.

Though TNF is streaming exclusively on Prime Video, Amazon and DirecTV struck a deal last month allowing bars and restaurants to stream the games to their patrons, via the DirecTV for Business service.