The social media platform X wants in on NFL season. The platform just launched a dedicated football feed built with the league.
What We Know: X and the NFL have partnered on various projects since 2013, testing audio features and sponsored Spaces along the way. Now, the two are launching NFL Gametime, a branded feed blending scores, news and creator content. Meanwhile, fans can add the stream next to “For You” and “Following.” It runs from kickoff through the 2027 Super Bowl and includes a “GameTime” hub with real-time stats.
What They Said: Monique Pintarelli, manager, global advertising, X, SpaceXAI (via Variety): “Advertisers can now reach highly passionate fans across the entire funnel, from awareness and cultural conversation to real-time engagement during live games, all on X. Together with the NFL, we’re giving brands a powerful, authentic way to show up throughout the season.”
Brent Lawton, NFL vice president of media strategy and business development: “For years, X has been a key platform for NFL fans to connect, react and engage around every NFL moment. We’re excited to deepen our partnership with NFL Gametime on X, allowing our fans to have official scores and stats, team content, and the conversation together in one place.”
What Remains Unclear: Still, how advertisers respond to the new feed remains to be seen. Also, which creators will be included still has not been fully revealed on how they are selected.
What It Means: Ultimately, the NFL feed signals X’s push to reclaim sports advertisers. Sports content, after all, offers a safer, less political entry point for brands. Moreover, the X platform has forever been a sports haven. The conversation surrounding the NFL is no secret that X is the desired platform for instant analysis and opinion. In turn, pairing real-time stats with creator voices could deepen fan engagement. If it works, expect X to expand similar sport-specific feeds beyond football.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.