The NFL is about to retire Game Rewind, a paid service for users in the US that offers online streaming and apps for on-demand NFL games, and replace it with a revamped version of its Game Pass service that will bring full, on-demand games to Apple TV for the first time. Previously the Game Pass service was only available to users internationally and not available on Apple TV.
A note on the NFL’s webpage for Game Rewind warns users that “as of July 31, 2015 Game Rewind will no longer be available.” The message, however, notes that users will be able to access games with “the all new NFL Game Pass,” and more importantly, promises that the service will soon arrive on Apple TV.
Game Pass is already available for users through apps on mobile devices (the existing NFL Mobile app), but the NFL’s website for the revamped service coming July 31st notes that apps are coming to “Xbox One, Xbox 360, Apple TV, and more.”
The new Game Pass service coming to Apple TV will mark the first time that users have access to watch full NFL games on the device, although the service won’t offer any live streams of regular season, playoff, and Super Bowl game broadcasts. Currently, the Apple TV has an app called “NFL Now” that only offers access to breaking news, analysis, and on-demand highlights and video archives.
The service includes all 256 regular season games on-demand, some live out-of-market preseason games, and archives of games from 2009-2015 including Super Bowls. Pricing doesn’t appear to be listed yet for the US, but here in Canada the service offers a Season plan for $244.99 with every Preseason and Regular Season game, or a Season Plus plan for $305 that adds replays of 2015 playoff games and Super Bowl 50.
As for when you’ll get access to watch games on-demand: “Sunday morning and afternoon games (9:30am ET, 1pm ET & 4pm ET) are available at the conclusion of all Sunday 4pm ET games, and Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday and Saturday NFL games are available following the conclusion of the applicable game telecast”
The new NFL Game Pass service is available in the United States, Bermuda, Antigua, the Bahamas, any U.S. territories, possessions and commonwealths (including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands), and Mexico.
(Thanks, Tyler!)
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Why the hell would anyone want to watch an NFL game AFTER it has aired–and pay money for that option–is beyond me…Fail NFL…Fail…
Actually, NFL manias like myself would gladly pay to watch replays of the games, especially because I would miss several games by attending church during the broadcast.
I would pay for this, I live in Minnesota but born and raised in Wisconsin so I am a Packer fan. Since I am a cord cutter I currently cannot watch most Packer games. For me to watch all the games, I would need to pay for DirecTV service at about $100 a month plus pay about $300 for NFL Sunday ticket. Yes the games are delayed 3-7 hours depending on the start time but I can atleast save about $1,250!
I agree. Especially with Fantasy Football going on. Your phone starts blowing up from app updates and text messages from your buds telling you so and so are going crazy. You’re winning or losing big time! Your response is…yeah I’ll watch the game in 2-3 hours cause I’m lame and I paid way too much for this.
I wish I could replay the entire Patriots 2007 18-1 season especially the Monday Night game against the Ravens and the final regular season game against the Giants. I would gladly pay for this service.
Fair question @itsthelegend. I agree with you. I just did a search on the NFL Sunday Ticket website and their FAQ’s are updated with a 2015 answer for Apple TV. It looks like Sunday Ticket is expanding to XBOX 360, Roku, and Chromecast for live game streaming. Not for Apple TV.
Link: https://dmgnflott.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205157355-Can-I-watch-NFLSUNDAYTICKET-TV-on-my-Apple-TV-
My prediction is that Apple TV may get support if a new Apple TV is reported in time before the start of the NFL season. On this link, DirecTV does say “Additional devices may be added before the start of the season.”
Link: https://dmgnflott.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205157345-What-devices-are-supported-by-the-NFLSUNDAYTICKET-TV-app-
I’ve used Game Rewind in the past. It’s an excellent service. Game Pass, however, has always meant “live streaming games”, but because of DirecTV’s ironclad contract in the US, that has never applied to the US market (hence why the next best thing to Sunday Ticket has always been Game Rewind). From what I can tell, Game Pass US is essentialy the exact same service as Game Rewind, but with live pre-season games thrown in. Meh.
It’s way overdue for US to get non-DirecTV options for live regular season streaming games!
yeah, won’t be paying to watch games that have already aired. #Dumb
Many reasons many people did and many will continue to do so. People who are passionate about football care far, far more than the just final score. Watching (or re-watching) every single play is the only thing that feeds the need for die-hard fans. Studying NFL game film is an art-form in and of itself.
This service is especially huge for those who literally have no other alternative to watching their teams such as: out-of-market fans who either don’t want to pay for or are outside of DirecTV’s zones, or are on college campuses, or condos who prevent dishes, or those who travel extensively, or those who want to watch all 16 games by all 32 teams every single week, or those who want to go back and relive previous seasons of their own team and/or other teams, or those who want to watch condensed games, etc. #Perspective
Couldn’t have said it better. I would gladly pay to watch replays of my teams games, especially when I miss watching the live broadcasts.
What’s the difference? It’s still the same game. As long as you don’t go online to check scores, it’s pretty much a life game.
#nothanks
Why can’t they just sell live games for a particular team vs all teams? A team pass or buy individual games is what I want from the NFL on my AppleTV and devices.
Well, they sell live game at all because of their deal with DirecTV. It’s eseentially a monopoly
Fucking WordPress and its edit-less nonsense. Let’s try this again.
NFL can’t sell live games in the US at all because of their deal with DirecTV. It’s essentially a monopoly outside of the broadcast network arrangements. Game Rewind offered single team passes, and I’m assuming Game Pass will as well. But nothing can be live. You can’t even stream recorded games until all live games being played anywhere on the planet have concluded. It’s crazy, but that’s the contract the NFL signed.
When is the NFL’s contract with Direct TV over??…then maybe Apple will finally be able to stream live games…then it finally might make sense…I subscribe to MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice…the ability to watch live MLB and NHL games as well as replays IN ONE PACKAGE makes it well worth the price. Sticking with one satellite dish provider is prehistoric.
The current DirecTV contract that was just renewed in 2014 goes through 2022. NFL will perpetually renew that relationship all day and twice on Sunday until it concludes that the multiple billions DirecTV throws at them for exclusive rights wouldn’t be as much as they could otherwise get elsewhere. That’s the only way things will ever change.
Apple certainly has the cash to outbid DirecTV, but it would have to make fiscal sense.
$245 to watch archived games? N0 thanks! I stick with my $129.99 MLB.TV Premium subscription which lets me watch more than 2,400 LIVE games as well as archived content.
The NFL is the sports world equivalent to the old Microsoft, they just don’t get it and happily collect their licensing fees thinking most people have cable and the NFL package. People want to watch any game they decide to and might not live were there home team airs. MLB has been working on doing it right for years now. How damn hard can it be? Meanwhile fans out in the cold either stream games of some shady sight or suck it up and “bro down” at whatever nearby sports bar plays their teams game.
I really don’t get that… Pay to watch a game that already happened. FOR ME it’s something totally useless.
FIA and FIM need to jump on the Apple TV bandwagon too and provide us with feeds for Formula1 and MotoGP races respectively. I don’t care if the races are not live or delayed. I only watch a few races live, not because I’m not a die-hard fan, I am actually, but I have a very active social nightlife, and I’m at the nightclubs or music festivals till the wee hours of the morning, so I’m not home to watch the races live. Most of these races I download from torrents when I get home. I’ll gladly pay a season pass to have these races on demand on Apple TV though.
I’m sure a lot of football fans would rather watch a delayed game, than not be able to watch it at all.
just stupid why would i pay 305 dollars for a game that already end, plus you already know who won the game is just stupid nfl should follow the mlb steps, they give you all the games except for the ones that you local tv air for just 130 dollars. but thanks to those stupid who pays the nfl pass for no reason we are still stuck in a bullshit region restrictions and we all know that nfl and direct tv are extremely close, their making money from stupid fans and give them nothing but bullshit every fan should demand a better service!
I feel like this is a huge let down. I would honestly pay $10-15 per game (a la carte) just to see the Patriots play each week. If you want to force me into a season pass for $250-300 a year then I’m cool with that too. Just have the games be live. I don’t want to tune into a game I already know has ended. As a fantasy football fan, this totally ruins the experience, and I already know what’s going to happen. They’ve got to realize that the reason we love sports so much is that it happens live. It’s unpredictable, that’s the magic. I DVR’d a few games during the World Cup thinking that I’d load them up as soon as I got home after work, and the reality was that I just didn’t care anymore. This may work for some people, but not for me. So bummed man.
This is the same as Game Rewind except that the price will go up from $49 to over $200. I’ve paid the $49 each year for Game Rewind but I won’t pay $200 for the same service.
Pair with a vpn/dns service to get all live streams anywhere with game pass, including post season with the plus membership. I recommend unblock-us, $5 a month.
$250 to $300 and you still can’t watch the game live nor download a digital copy of the game after its broadcast? Why would I even bother? The NFL seems bound and determined to NOT give NFL fans what they really want. Ala Cart purchase of single games for $4.99, or 16 game Team packages for $49.99 a season with digital copies for off-line viewing.
No Thank you Mr. Goodell.