If you’re a sports fan like me, I’m pretty sure you’re aware that Direct TV has secured the NFL Sunday Ticket for another five years. Earlier this week, the National Football League announced an agreement to extend DIRECTV’s rights to carry NFL Sunday Ticket.

The company will continue to have exclusive television rights to broadcast Sunday afternoon games through 2014. The agreement also significantly broadens the reach of NFL Sunday Ticket by enabling NFL fans that cannot receive Direct TV satellite service to get NFL Sunday Ticket via broadband. This service will begin no later than 2012.

This mean, of course, that regular cable fans are out of luck. To be fair, I have had Direct TV for many years and don’t see myself going back to cable. Of course, that might have a lot to do with the fact that my country’s cable franchises have become one of the worst in many years.

In addition, the NFL will offer its fans (also no later than 2012) a new called, to be named “Red Zone Channel” that shows crucial live action cut-ins of all Sunday afternoon games starting at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time) all the way through the end of the 4 p.m. games. The “Red Zone Channel” will be available to cable operators, telcos and satellite tv systems, wireless devices, and the Internet, making it a massively watched sports channel.

Direct TV also has extended its carriage agreement with NFL Network which airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. NFL Network will continue to be offered in Direct TV’s CHOICE package.