Written by Ben Koo | 25 March 2009

Generally speaking, DirectTV is a viewed as a product and service that is believed to be for the large part superior to most cable providers. Verizon and ATT are doing their best to change that, but the likes or Time Warner and Comcast are not doing much to help that sentiment. One of the most compelling features of DirectTV is their exclusive deal with the NFL to offer the NFL Sunday Ticket. For those of you who don't know about the Sunday Ticket, its essentially like crack for football fans.

Ordering the Sunday Ticket,which DirectTV has had for 15 years, allows viewers to watch every NFL game on a given Sunday. Without the package viewers usually get to watch 3 games during the day in addition to the NBC night game. With package viwers get about 10-12 games each Sunday. Its awesome. Over the years DirectTV has evovled the package as well as raised the price tag as every extension of the exclusive deal has been renegotiated at higher rates. To the dismay of cable subscribers, the DirectTV and NFL renegotiated their deal again and extended it until 2013.

"The National Football League has reached a four-year contract extension with DirecTV to remain the TV home of the Sunday Ticket package through 2014.

Sunday TicketAnnounced Monday during the NFL owners meeting in Dana Point, Calif., the pay-per-view pact, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, is valued at about $1 billion annually from 2011-2014. DirecTV currently pays some $700 million annually on its Sunday Ticket contract that expires after the 2010 season.

However, the agreement opens the door to a wider reach for the out-of-home package, which will become available to broadband subscribers that can't receive DirecTV. The satellite leader will aim this broadband game service at those who reside in multi-unit dwellings or DirecTV customers with poor exposure to a satellite signal.

This broader broadband service, according to league officials, would kick off no later than 2012. Currently, broadband coverage of the games is limited to those who purchase Sunday Ticket, and then pay an additional $99 for the broadband Super Fan package."

The takeaways are :

1) Sucks if you like football and have cable. Some areas cannot have DirectTV and renters need to receive permission to install the service. Its painful to want something soooo much but not have the ability to get it. My apartment search last fall was actually dictated by DirectTV.

2) Not mentioned above is that starting in 2012, cable providers will have the ability to offer the Red Zone Channel which shows live highlights of games in critical moments. The RZC has a special place in my heart and is something I have a secret project around. The NFL will bundle this channel along with the NFL network which is still looking for wider distribution which is a brilliant move. 3) DirectTV wins keeping the lucrative package as an exclusive package. Cosumers lose because their is a lack of option to get the package, and the high pricetag on the extension will by passed along to subscribers who are already wary of paying $200-$300 for the package. Honestly I don't care. Its a part of my life at this point. In other news The Cardinals are rumored to be a lead candidate to be HBO's revered Hard Knock series. As long as it comes back, I don't really care who is on it. Having Boldin and James be unhappy on it would be cool though I guess.