Twitter has outbid Verizon, Amazon, and Yahoo, for the streaming rights to Thursday Night Football, according to a report from Bloomberg. Facebook was also in the mix but dropped out of the race.
Back in February, the NFL announced that NBC and CBS had gained the TV rights to the Thursday night games, but a separate opportunity would be available to secure the league’s global streaming rights.
Only the 10 Thursday night games on CBS and NBC will be streamed through Twitter under a one-year agreement. They will be free worldwide on all devices through the Twitter platform. Viewers will not need to be registered Twitter users.
Twitter reportedly spent less than $10 million for the 10-game package. The social media company will control some of the advertising inventory during the games.
Another key part of the deal includes an ability for Twitter to host in-game highlights from the Thursday night games as well as pre-game video broadcasts through Twitter’s live streaming app Periscope.
“Twitter is where live events unfold and is the right partner for the NFL as we take the latest step in serving fans around the world live NFL football,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement.
The acquisition of the NFL’s streaming rights could prove to be a difference maker as the social media giant looks to position itself as the go-to place for live events – slotting in nicely with its curated Moments service and video platform, Periscope.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
