Twitter agrees streaming partnership with NFL

Twitter has struck an exclusive deal with the NFL to deliver a live OTT stream of Thursday Night Football to a global audience for free, without authentication.

The agreement will come into force during the 2016 NFL Regular Season with Twitter to stream the 10 Thursday Night Football games that will also be broadcast by NBC and CBS in the US and simulcast on the NFL Network.

The partnership includes live match coverage, as well as in-game highlights and pre-game Periscope broadcasts from players and teams, in a bid to give fans “an immersive experience before, during and after games.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “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.”

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey added: “This is about transforming the fan experience with football. People watch NFL games with Twitter today. Now they’ll be able to watch right on Twitter Thursday nights.”

Last season the NFL did a partnership with Yahoo to deliver a free, global live stream of a regular season NFL game, marking the first time users could access the NFL’s premium content worldwide, without authentication.