@NFL = #Twitterusergrowth?

Twitter has acquired the Over The Top streaming rights to 10 (of the 267 total) National Football League games for the seemingly bargain price of $10 million per year. ESPN pays over $100m for EACH Monday Night Football Game.

Twitter competed with Facebook, Amazon, Verizon and others. This deal is considered significant because the NFL is the unchallenged top dog in delivering live TV audiences at scale in the USA. For clarity, we should note that this 'Thursday night package will also be shown live on NBC or CBS and also on the NFL Network subscription service. Outside the US, Twitter's rights are the same as are the rights of the national broadcasters who have current contracts with the NFL. 

The NFL and Twitter already have a mostly symbiotic relationship. Twitter's stream is lit up by live events and by television. In all probability it is lit most brightly by the NFL at least among all regular and predictable events.

The most likely positive news for Twitter in this transaction has the potential to convert some of the half billion or so individuals that are exposed to Twitter without being logged in. If login can be habituated there is potential to increase the core Twitter base, the growth  of which has stalled and in turn led to less positive sentiment among advertisers.

In addition Twitter may also have success in driving direct revenue from in game advertising and commerce and more broadly by adding further proof points that TV + Twitter creates more valuable outcomes than TV alone.

This sounds like an altogether reasonable way of spending $10 million. Proving concepts at scale without 'betting the farm' is good business.

It is, however, worth taking one step back. Broadly consumers select the 'best available' consumption experience for media in general and for sports in particular. That consumption experience starts with the stadium for a few and on the largest screen for the many. It's probably fair to say that the live audience for the Twitter feed for those with access to the TV experience is limited and that advertiser and investor expectations should be conservative in that regard at least.

It's more likely that the 'Twitter Games' will offer a socially enhanced experience to the TV viewer than it is that the big screen will be abandoned for the small one. It will be very interesting to see what those enhancements are and how they impact audiences. If that news is positive sports rights holders may beat a path to Twitter's door and create new momentum for the company. The most valuable commodity in media remains the television rating point. If Twitter can catalyze more of those they will have a bird in the hand.

@robnorman