NFL Confirms NFL+ Streaming Service for Its App

In today’s edition of the Front Office Sports newsletter, we’re taking a look at an upcoming product from a top professional sports league.

NFL’s Own Streaming Service

The NFL is evolving its media strategy to meet the modern fan.

The league’s chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp confirmed on Monday in a?column for Sports Illustrated that the NFL is launching its own streaming service, NFL+.?

“NFL+ will provide fans access to?live local and national?NFL games on mobile devices,?live?out-of-market preseason?games across all devices, live?local and national audio?for every game, NFL Network shows on demand, NFL Films archives and more — providing football flexibility so fans never have to miss football again,” Rolapp wrote.

• The streaming service will live within the?NFL app.
• Previous reports?stated?that the service could cost?$5 per month.
• After its latest round of media deals, NFL games will also appear on streaming services?Paramount+,?Peacock,?ESPN+, and?Amazon Prime Video, which holds exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football.”

Rise of the Multicast

With a plethora of channels and streaming services, the NFL has also embraced?secondary broadcasts?that run in parallel to a game’s main one and often target a specific segment of the fanbase.

Rolapp mentioned ESPN’s?Manningcast, featuring Peyton and Eli Manning, the gaming-focused Amazon Twitch?Altcast, kid-focused broadcasts on Paramount’s?Nickelodeon, and the analytics-heavy “Between the Lines” on ESPN.

The league is also finding increasing fan engagement on short-form social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Conversation Starters

• MLB averaged 26,409 tickets sold per game in the first half of the season, down 5% compared to the same period in 2019.
• On a new episode of our My Other Passion podcast, Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams tells us how the team is getting ready for next season, which investments in his portfolio he’s most excited about, and what it’s like going head to head with Draymond Green. Listen to the full episode on?Apple,?Spotify, or?YouTube.???
• The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly posted the highest ticket revenue for the 2021 NFL season.
• Atletico Madrid is ending its naming rights deal with Wanda and switching over to real estate and construction company Civitas.
• Hear about the day’s most important business of sports stories in five minutes or less by?listening to our daily podcast The Leadoff.

Front Office Sports covers the influence of sports on business and culture.?Sign up for the full edition?of the Front Office Sports newsletter, delivered to your inbox daily.