FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots talks to teammates in the huddle during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The NFL and Facebook announced on Tuesday a multiyear programming partnership that includes official video highlights from all games and NFL Films content available globally.
NFL Films, the league’s production arm, will provide NFL Turning Point, Sound FX and NFL Game Recaps content via Show Pages for fans around the world, while fans in the U.S. can access it on Facebook’s new Watch platform. NFL Turning Point captures the drama leading up to and during the biggest games each week, and Sound FX provides a look at players who are mic’d up.
The deal comes after Blake Stuchin, NFL VP of Digital Media Business Development, noted in May that the league had no formal partnership with Facebook but hoped to partner in the future. The NFL livestreamed games on Twitter last year and will do so starting Thursday on Amazon; this latest Facebook partnership does not include live content.
“We have millions of fans on Facebook, and they continue to demonstrate an incredible appetite for NFL content,” Hans Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media, said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring a compelling set of highlights and shows from the NFL and our Clubs to our fans on Facebook.”
The NFL had in 2014 tested a partnership on short video clips with Facebook. It is the latest sports league to contribute content to Watch. Major League Baseball streams a live blackout-free game every Friday night and airs its 12:25 Live show on the platform. The WNBA’s All-Access show takes viewers behind the scenes with top players via Watch.
“We’re excited for Watch to become a destination for NFL fans to catch up on the latest on-field action and connect with one another,” Dan Reed, Facebook’s Head of Global Sports Partnerships, said in a statement. “These full game recaps and shows will deliver comprehensive coverage while enabling the active NFL fan communities on Facebook to watch and debate the top storylines from each week.”
