The NFL is calling out DirecTV for what it considers “deceptive advertising,” alleging that the satellite TV provider is misleading consumers about where they can access Sunday Ticket.

DirecTV had the rights to Sunday Ticket for decades, but those rights shifted to YouTube and YouTube TV this year as part of a seven-year deal with the NFL worth an estimated $14 billion. Since Aug. 7, however, DirectTV has been running an ad campaign with Travis Kelce in which the Kansas City Chiefs star tells viewers they’re “watching football wrong” and that DirecTV “gives you access to every game.” Only in the fine print does it clarify that viewers can watch those games not on DirecTV itself but through Gemini, DirecTV's streaming device, and only if they have a “separate paid subscription for third party apps”—i.e., YouTube or YouTube TV.

Some versions of the Kelce spot running on TV also include an onscreen graphic that reads, “Access NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube on us.” That promotion, which DirecTV has posted online as well, promises a $400 Visa reward card for new DirecTV customers who sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube. (A full season of Sunday Ticket for YouTube TV subscribers costs $299 and $399 for nonsubscribers.)

The NFL says it’s heard from some fans who are confused by the campaign as a whole—and believe DirecTV still has Sunday Ticket.

“YouTube and YouTube TV are the only places to go for fans at home wanting to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket,” Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive VP of communications, told Ad Age in a statement. “We are aware of consumer confusion resulting from advertising in the marketplace. The NFL wants its millions of fans to know where to get NFL Sunday Ticket and that we stand against deceptive advertising.”

In response to the NFL's claims, DirecTV's Head of Communications Jon Greer responded: “If consumers are confused, it’s because where to watch which football games is more fragmented than ever. Our advertising is clear, and just as we’ve done for 30 years we’ll continue to deliver access to the national, regional and local sports our customers want without having to switch inputs on their TV or leaving the DirecTV experience.”

The NFL did not say whether it would take any legal action against DirecTV. A person familiar with the matter said that lawyers were looking into options.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the out-of-market package that broadcasts regular season games unavailable on local affiliates. 

NFL rights have become hotly contested content among digital streaming platforms, satellite subscription companies and TV networks. YouTube has made Sunday Ticket a cornerstone of its premium video strategy in a bid to win advertisers. The subscription is available through YouTube as a “primetime channel,” and through YouTube TV, the streaming alternative to cable TV.

Also read: YouTube uses Sunday Ticket to plot the future of video

YouTube has launched a significant ad campaign of its own to promote Sunday Ticket, including buying space on the Las Vegas Exosphere.

The confusion seems to extend to DirecTV’s online messaging as well. The NFL page on DirecTV’s website reads, “DirecTV Sports Central gives fans access to every in-market and out-of-market pro football game.” But the note comes with a fine-print asterisk clarifying that accessing the games requires Gemini and a subscription to third-party apps, including YouTube, NBC Universal's Peacock, ESPN+ and Amazon Prime. (Amazon also has exclusive rights to a set of football games through “Thursday Night Football” deal it struck with the NFL in 2021 for 11 years and $113 billion.)

A person familiar with the NFL’s position, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the DirecTV ad campaign was “false and misleading,” and that it was “particularly deceptive” since DirecTV had exclusive rights to Sunday Ticket for nearly three decades.