For football fans who can never get enough and need their fix wherever they are, some good news came Thursday. The NFL Network is now available on YouTube TV, as well as a “Sports Plus” Package that includes NFL RedZone. No more having to rush back home to catch a game – the action will be available almost anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

The NFL Network On YouTube

YouTube TV has added a large number of new channels.  Adding the NFL Network will give access to all things NFL, and the addition of the Sports Plus Package will give fans access to RedZone, which features as one of the greatest sports channels ever created. Besides these new sports channels, the rest of the Viacom network could go live in a short time, as well.

NFL Network and it’s signature live Sunday channel, NFL RedZone, had been virtually non-existent on streaming services since last December, when PlayStationVue went dark. But with a week to go before the start of the 2020 season, YouTubeTV has come to the rescue.

A report first surfaced Wednesday as part of several reddit posts in the YouTube TV subreddit, where an important number of users went through many listings of new channels while they were doing searches.  For instance, by doing a search for “sports plus” network, it showed what was being captured at the top of the post.

By looking at that image, people can see an advertisement for Sports Plus, with icons for RedZone, GOLTV, TVG, Stadium, Fox Soccer Plus, MAV TV and even more. Some additional searches also included temporary listings for beIN, NFL Network, MLB Strike Zone.  And it also showed missing Viacom networks like Nick Jr., NickToons, MTV2, MTV Classic, etc.

Later, the NFL and YouTube both confirmed the changes to the lineup.  The rest is football history, and there’s no longer a need to be forced to miss that wild catch by Courtland Sutton or when Tom Brady is sacked for a 20-yard loss.

NFL To Take YouTube To A New Level

The updated list of sports networks for YouTube TV include NFL Network, NFL RedZone mentioned prior, also Fox College Sports, GOLTV, MAVTV, Stadium, and TVG. All of these are  part of the new tier.

By clicking on each channel on the list, the customer will be able to get the pop-ups that the platform has included there. This looks to be a very good competitive strategy against cable companies. However, live-streaming platforms and devices still cannot replace regular cable or satellite television everywhere because of current broadcast agreements and costs. The prices offered by YouTube TV might not sound as attractive to disconnect your cable service and pass to this new modality of watching sports.

The Google platform, in confirming the new additions, added that the NFL Network will be included in the $65-per-month base package. NFL RedZone, which mostly covers Sunday afternoon games, will be included as an add-on that will also bring Fox College Sports, GolTV and Fox Soccer Plus. This component, Sports Plus, will reportedly be available for another $10.99.

In fact, one reddit user informed he was able to get trial information on the Sports Plus network package that indicated a 5-day free trial, with a $15 monthly cost afterward. So, there may still be some confusion about the cost.

The struggle here is to imagine a scenario where NFL Network and some of the non-sports package channels could be added without paying too hefty a price. But maybe that’s too good to be true. Any user of YouTube TV can proceed to add RedZone and other sports networks when these become available and when Google officially announced its available to the subscriber.  In the meantime, it won’t be available.

TV Streaming Gets Real

With the addition of the NFL Network, YouTube TV is competing with Fubo TV, previously the only other streaming service that offered NFL games. It provides the option as part of its base package, while other alternatives, such as AT&T TV Now and Hulu Plus Live TV, have the ability to provide access to some local broadcasting affiliates, giving access to a limited number of games.