NFL Team Up With Yahoo! to Broadcast First Free Regular Season Game
June 4, 2015
The National Football League match in October between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars in London will be broadcast free for the first time ever through the Yahoo group.
The game, adiposity on October 25 at Wembley Stadium, will be available to watch online through Yahoo!’s various platforms.
It is believed to be costing the internet giant $20m although they maintain that they will be offering exclusive marking opportunities for the event so they could make a lot of their money back.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said: “The NFL has always been tuned to be at the forefront of the media innovations. Through this partnership with Yahoo, one of the most recognized brands of digital, we are a step in this direction by monitoring the evolution of the digital landscape.”
The streamed match will be a significant experiment for the NFL which is trying to maximise its content and outreach around the world. If successful, the streaming service could be one that the league rolls out in a bigger way from next season – though they would need to be careful not to harm their already existing and lucrative television broadcast deals with the likes of NBC and Fox.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer spoke of her excitement at the deal in a statement: “We’re thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity. It marks a significant change in the way users can access this amazing content.”
The league began reached out to online companies in February to take the rights for the game including Google, Apple and Amazon before clinching the deal with Yahoo!.