The NFL today launched a subscription service called “NFL Game Pass” that is “part of a group of offerings designed to enhance the traditional television model,” according to Julia Boorstin of CNBC.com. The $99-per-year "Game Pass" will allow subscribers to "watch regular season games on television as soon as they're over.” The audio from games, “with no accompanying video,” will be available live. The app “will include different camera angles and other exclusive content that's not available on traditional linear TV.” This is the latest in a “string of announcements the NFL has made about new streaming options.” The NFL last week announced in-season games “will be available live at no cost to all Verizon customers,” and the league this fall “will for the first time offer a game exclusively on Yahoo, not TV.” Furthermore, the NFL is “streaming, again at no charge, two more CBS games than last year, in addition to streaming the Super Bowl and playoffs” (CNBC.com, 9/8). CNBC’s David Faber said there is a “belief” with all the “proliferation of streaming options out there” it will “continue to hammer away at the traditional bundle” for TV viewers. But CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla said of the streaming service offering games after they are over, “The live element is obviously a big sticking point” (“Squawk on the Street,” CNBC, 9/8).
TRYING THE CHANGE THE GAME: In L.A., Paresh Dave reported the NFL's media division is "moving more aggressively to complement its vast TV empire with an online presence worthy of a major sports league." In addition to the game streaming on Yahoo, an "overhauled" NFL Mobile app just launched "with a streamlined online subscription package that includes live audio of games and shows." The league's online strategy "is to build online features and portals that will enhance fans' ties to the sport -- and pull in additional revenue." NFL execs "know they face stiff competition online" from third-party football apps, Twitter and other sports. NFL Exec VP/Media and NFL Network CEO Brian Rolapp: "We know people love the NFL, but at the same time, we know we have to do things differently. We have to be more flexible." Dave noted the NFL is "making strides: Its growth in revenue from online ads, licensing and subscriptions is surpassing every other business segment, including merchandise sales and national sponsorships." But Rolapp said that the industry is "shifting at a 'velocity greater than we anticipated,' which makes pulling off an ambitious digital plan vital." The NFL has recently "struck major video-related deals for the first time" with Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and Yahoo, "relenting on what had been rigid control over video rights." It recently "expanded a deal to post more content on Twitter." NFL Media Chief Digital Officer Perkins Miller "went straight to fans, commissioning innovation consulting firm Ideo to ask people what they wanted from the NFL." The top request was for "short, national football news tidbits before stuff about their favorite teams" (L.A. TIMES, 9/4).
JUST ABOUT THAT ACTION: In N.Y., Conor Dougherty writes while traditional ball sports "continue to dominate regular television and cable," action sports such as "surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding have more viewers and influence" on computers and mobile phones. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said that the website has "more viewers on mobile phones alone than any cable network." Red Bull "has a YouTube channel with 4.5 million subscribers, putting it among the top three in the sports category." Dougherty cites studies as showing that members of the millennial generation "spend most of their entertainment time using streaming services, the most popular of which are YouTube and Netflix." This "plays to the strength of action sports," as young people are "more likely to have the limber bodies that action sports require." Action sports videos are "more tailored to short bursts that can be consumed on mobile device screens, which Americans now spend about three hours of each day staring at." Digital media also "tends to favor sports where people can upload their own videos," and amateur filming is a "big part" of many action sports. YouTube Head of North American Sports Partnerships Tim Katz: "We’re not seeing tons of people uploading clips of themselves playing football." Dougherty notes while the NFL has started its own YouTube channel and MLB is "doing well enough that it recently bought the rights to manage" the NHL’s web operations, traditional sports "remain heavily tied to television" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/8).
