DirecTV blitzed the competition at the end of last year when it secured exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, the satellite television package that beams up to 14 National Football League games to subscribers each weekend of the regular season.

In Alaska, the $2 billion deal shouldn't change how many football fanatics see their favorite teams play. Most of the numerous bars and restaurants that have made watching Sunday football its own sport have subscribed to DirecTV for years or soon will. They pack in fans -- those who pull for the Packers, live for the Lions, enjoy the Jets or any other team -- by showing games not available on network and cable channels.

"Our football programming is the biggest thing there is,'' said Mike Johnson, general manager of the Peanut Farm in Anchorage. "I can't compare it with anything else we do.''

Where DirecTV's deal will make a difference is in homes that have relied on C-band systems, the giant dishes first available in the 1970s.

"It's an outdated form,'' said Jason Gardner, president of The Satellite Guy in Anchorage. "It's probably a tenth of what it used to be and is becoming an obsolete service.''

And so Anchorage's Len Karpinski is going to adjust -- or likely toss and turn a bit more on Sunday mornings this fall. Karpinski has used his C-band dish, a 12-footer in the backyard, to get NFL Sunday Ticket for four years.

"Now, I think I'll sleep in,'' he said.

Karpinski said he's been paying about $900 a year for his C-band service, which still gets him nearly 200 channels.

DirecTV and Dish Network, its main competitor, are both available to customers in Alaska. Each company offers sports packages, from NHL hockey to NBA basketball. But only DirecTV has the NFL, although not all of its other programming makes it here because of the state's location on the globe in relation to the company's satellites.

Robert Mercer, DirecTV's director of communications, said almost 34,000, or 11.5 percent, of the 291,000-plus households, in Alaska subscribe to either DirecTV or Dish Network . He said 42 percent of homes have cable.

Homes which already have DirecTV need only subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket, which costs between $170-$200. Bars and restaurants pay for the package based on their fire code occupancy -- for example, an establishment with a fire code occupancy of 201 to 500 people pays $2,799.

But homeowners with C-band, Dish Network, cable or no systems at all may want to give their bank accounts a once-over if they want to get NFL Sunday Ticket for themselves.

Gardner, who has owned The Satellite Guy for five years, said equipment and installation costs for DirecTV start at $1,000. Subscribers must also pay a monthly charge for programming. DirecTV's base package begins at $28.

Dish Network is much cheaper. Gardner said the equipment and standard installation can cost as little as $99, with monthly charges ranging from $25-$80.

In the Lower 48, DirecTV subscribers usually need small, 30-inch dishes to tune in and the installation is free. A minimum 6-foot dish is needed in most of Alaska and the installation can be an all-day job, which is why the cost is so high. Local channels still remain unavailable on satellite television.

But some don't mind missing the Anchorage weather forecast first. We're talking first downs here.

"The people who come to me have already looked at the price,'' Gardner said. "Or they call and tell me they need to watch the Patriots, so come and install what you have to. They usually have 10 brothers or sisters or cousins there to watch with them.''

DirecTV's deal with the NFL has limited the options for viewers who want all the football they can handle in their home. But the bars and restaurants will remain open bright and early Sunday mornings.

"If we didn't we would have a lot of upset people,'' the Peanut Farm's Johnson said.

DirecTV will also be home to The NFL Network, which is scheduled to start in the fall and be full of professional football content. But it won't carry games.

The network hopes to be available on cable systems at some point in the future, but probably not for a few years.

David Morris, a spokesman for General Communications Inc., the dominant cable television company in Alaska with more than 130,000 subscribers, said he is aware of the new channel. And GCI will monitor its progress.

"We have one person here who follows this kind of stuff,'' Morris said. "If it becomes available, we will absolutely look into it.''

Daily News reporter Matt Nevala can be reached at mnevala@adn.com.