DirecTV Extends NFL Broadcasting Deal

Updated from 12:39 p.m. EDT

DirecTV (DTV Quote) said late Monday that it has extended its exclusive agreement with the National Football League for rights to broadcast games through the 2014 season.

The exclusive deal between the NFL and DirecTV for NFL Sunday Ticket, an out-of-market package that debuted in 1994 and is one of DirecTV's major selling points, was set to expire at the end of the 2010 NFL season. While financial terms of the extension were not announced, The Associated Press reported that the value of the deal is $1 billion annually, citing people close to the situation.

In 2004, DirecTV had spent $3.5 billion in order to extend the agreement with the NFL for five additional years, or $700 million annually. ...