DirecTV, NFL Extend 'Sunday Ticket' Package

DirecTV reached a deal with the National Football League to continue broadcasting its prize "Sunday Ticket" package of football games for the next eight years, clearing the way for AT&T's $49 billion purchase of DirecTV.

DirecTV agreed to pay an average price of $1.5 billion a year, according to a person familiar with the matter. That is 50% higher than the satellite-TV provider's previous "Sunday Ticket" deal, which called for average payments of $1 billion a year over four years. A DirecTV spokesman said that the new deal includes a 6% increase per year, which is "on the low end of our guidance."