Twitter beats Amazon and Verizon for NFL streaming rights

Apr 5, 2016 15:25 GMT  ·  By

Twitter and the NFL (National Football League) have come to an agreement for the social network to stream ten games of the upcoming 2016 NFL season.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made the announcement today via Twitter, and the NFL later has explained that the social network will be streaming these games for free on its website.

Twitter outbid Amazon, Facebook, Verizon, Yahoo

Twitter won a bidding war to stream ten Thursday Night Football games. A few days ago, Facebook pulled out of the contest. Other contestants for the right to stream the games included Amazon, Verizon, and Yahoo.

Twitter's current CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is former NFL FCO, Anthony Noto, something that might have helped the company in its negotiations.

Yahoo was the company that streamed the NFL's first Web exclusive when it broadcasted the London game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 25, 2015.

The game brought in 15 million worldwide viewers, and following its success, the NFL decided to expand the Web streaming package this year up to ten games.

It is unknown what games will be available in the NFL tri-cast since the NFL 2016 season games have not yet been announced.

Games will also be available on NBC, CBS, and the NFL Network

Besides Twitter, the NFL's Thursday Night Football games will also be aired on the NFL's own TV channel, the NFL Network, and on CBS and NBC, each receiving the opportunity to broadcast five of the ten games.

Last August, Twitter and the NFL signed a new two-year deal to bring in more game highlights to the social media platforms. The two companies have always had a close relationship ever since the social network started. From the get-go, Twitter was embraced by players, NFL media reporters, and even the league's TV station, the NFL Network.

"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," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

"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."