As the league moves into the future and online streaming, it seems as if Twitter won the battle for the 2016-2017 season by getting the rights to stream Thursday Night Football.
The social network beat out the likes of Facebook, Amazon and Verizon for the digital streaming rights, boasting about its global presence with users and the fact that people without accounts can still watch the games for free. They will also include Periscope from players and teams, plus in-game highlights for the games. Users will be able to watch the game and keep up with their timeline as the game plays without using a second screen.
Roger Goodell had this to say about the new deal:
“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. There is a massive amount of NFL-related conversation happening on Twitter during our games and tapping into that audience, in addition to our viewers on broadcast and cable, will ensure Thursday Night Football is seen on an unprecedented number of platforms this season. This agreement also provides additional reach for those brands advertising with our broadcast partners.”
This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live @twitter so fans will see more of this. https://t.co/s6tbr9FjvY
— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) April 5, 2016
The move comes as Twitter stock is down and the company is trying to gain more users and bolster revenue. It should be noted that only 10 out of the 15 games will be available to watch.