Google-owned YouTube TV is nearing a deal to acquire the popular NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package, according to multiple reports.

The rights to the exclusive package have been held by DirecTV since 1994, but the NFL has been focused on inking a deal with a streaming service to broaden its viewership and reach.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that YouTube TV was the front-runner for the package that allows fans to watch most Sunday games. The NFL had also been courting Apple, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video. Amazon earlier agreed to pay $1 billion a year to stream the Thursday Night Football game.

Google has discussed paying about $2.5 billion a year to the league, $1 billion more than DirecTV, which had the rights for years, according to the New York Times.

Viewers pay around $300 a season for Sunday Ticket, which averages 2 million subscribers. The deal could be a boost for YouTube TV, which reported 5 million subscribers each paying $64.99 a month.

The proposed deal would not include a stake in NFL Media, which includes the popular cable channels NFL Network and RedZone, which the league has been shopping alongside the Sunday Ticket rights, CNBC reports.

If the deal is finalized, which reports indicate could happen as early as Wednesday, the Sunday Ticket package will be the last piece of NFL media rights to be sold. In March 2021, the league signed ​​agreements with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon collectively worth about $110 billion over 11 years, set to begin in 2023.

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