Whether already signed up to NFL Sunday Ticket or considering signing up, it is important to understand how many devices you can watch on at the same time.
While the number of simultaneous streams probably won’t be an issue for homes that only follow one team, it could be for those wanting to watch multiple games at once, or those in a home where different household members might be watching on different devices.
The first thing to be aware of, and especially for those that have yet to sign up, is Sunday Ticket is now offered through YouTube. While DirecTV was the provider in the past, the 2023 NFL season marks the start of YouTube’s stewardship and this also means that customers can actually choose between subscribing with a live TV plan (YouTube TV) or without a live TV plan (YouTube).
Sunday Ticket concurrent streams, explained
In terms of the number of concurrent streams, it doesn’t matter whether you are signed up through YouTube or YouTube TV. Sunday Ticket includes the ability to stream on an unlimited number of devices at the same time at home.
| Sunday Ticket streams | |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Unlimited |
| YouTube TV | Unlimited + base plan |
The unlimited nature of Sunday Ticket streams isn’t impacted by the device type either. As a result, Sunday Ticket subscribers can stream on as many smart TVs or smartphones as they like at the same time.
Sunday Ticket streams while away from home
It is important to note that the unlimited number of Sunday Ticket streams only apply when accessing the service from the home network. If accessing Sunday Ticket while away from home, subscribers can only stream on a maximum of two different devices at the same time.
There is currently no option to increase the number of outside-the-home simultaneous streams, so two is the maximum a subscriber will have access to while away from their home network.
Multiview and Sunday Ticket Streams
YouTube also now offers a multiview feature that makes it possible to watch more than one game on the same screen at the same time.
As this multiview feed brings together multiple streams on the same screen, it does not affect the number of streams. In other words, even if watching four games at the same time with multiview, these four feeds will only count as one stream, whether at home or away from home.
At present, multiview is only available in a reduced capacity. With YouTube making available pre-selected streams, it is not currently possible to select which streams to watch in multiview mode.
Sunday Ticket streams and YouTube TV
For those that sign up for Sunday Ticket through the standard YouTube service, the number of streams is fairly straightforward. However, as YouTube TV comes with its own simultaneous streams limitations, it is worth understanding how Sunday Ticket’s limitations affect the YouTube TV experience.
Sunday Ticket streams are considered totally separate from YouTube TV streams. So, regardless of how many Sunday Ticket streams are in us at a time, YouTube TV members will still have access to their three live TV streams.
This is good news for homes with members that are unlikely to be interested in watching the football on game day.
Sunday Ticket + RedZone bundle
For those signing up to the NFL Sunday Ticket + NFL RedZone bundle, watching RedZone will count as one of the Sunday Ticket streams.
As Sunday Ticket does offer an unlimited number of streams, the fact RedZone uses up a stream shouldn’t matter too much. However, the same rule also applies when away from home.
If watching NFL RedZone outside of the Home network then this will count as one of the two away-from-home Sunday Ticket streams.
For reference, NFL RedZone is also available as part of the separate Sports Plus add-on, and Sports Plus subscribers are eligible to watch on up to three devices at the same time, and regardless of whether they are at home or away from home.
Recording Sunday Ticket games on YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers one of the best cloud DVRs around, with each member getting access to an unlimited and personal recording space.
The good news for Sunday Ticket subscribers is that the DVR doesn’t impact the streaming limit. As a result, YouTube TV subscribers can record as many games as they want, and watch as many games as they want, at the same time – so long as they are home.
If watching any of the DVR recordings while they are still being recorded, and while away from the home network, then this will count as one of the two away-from-home streams.
Basically, watching two recordings on different devices while away from home would stop anyone else from watching any live Sunday Ticket streams.
Sunday Ticket streams – recap
Whether signing up to the standalone subscription through YouTube, or as an add-on through YouTube TV, the limit is fairly straightforward, with subscribers having the option to watch on as many devices as they like at the same time. However, this is while connected to the home network, as only 2 concurrent streams are available when away from home.
Even though YouTube TV comes with its own simultaneous stream limitations, Sunday Ticket is mostly considered to be a totally separate subscription. Regardless of how many streams a YouTube TV household currently gets, they will still have access to an unlimited number of Sunday Ticket streams. In addition, while recording a game won’t affect the number of Sunday Ticket streams, watching the recording can.
Sunday Ticket subscribers can actually cut down on the number of streams they use by taking advantage of YouTube’s Multiview feature. Multiview offers the ability to watch up to 4 feeds at the same time (on one screen), with those four feeds counting as one Sunday Ticket stream.
