I was really disappointed when I heard of this. 2 years ago, there was a tease that Google was interested. At the time, I thought it was a sure thing. As Google could easily match any offer on the table. And with Smart TV's and devices like Apple TV/Roku/Chrome Cast becoming more common place, it just makes more sense to cross over the the streaming realm.
I obviously dont know the math here, but I would assume that the NFL could easily make more by allowing an open-market and each provider who wants to have a license for Sunday Ticket, pay $500,000,000 a year. I guarantee at least 3 providers would take the deal, which would equal the current revenue for it. But the truth is, even more would buy the license and the NFL would make more. At the same time, because the license is cheaper, they could sale the packages for cheaper. There by helping the consumer as well. Bringing in more viewers. So its a bit confusing. As someone mentioned previously in the thread though, there has always seemed to be something up with DirectTV and other providers not even getting a fair look. Im thinking some under-the-table handshaking is occurring with these deals.