An NFL spokesperson said that the NFL "decided against live streaming its three London games next season, choosing instead to focus on streaming its Thursday night games on Twitter," according to Jessica Toonkel of REUTERS.
The league "has been experimenting with live streaming games as more consumers are watching shows online and cancelling their cable subscriptions." Last year, the NFL partnered with Yahoo Inc. "to live stream a London game as part of an effort to gain more international viewers."
Last week, the league announced that "it had chosen Twitter as its exclusive partner for streaming its Thursday night games." The spokesperson said that as part of that deal, the league "has decided against live streaming the London games for the upcoming season." The spokesperson said in an email, "When we discussed potential streaming packages with interested parties, there were many options on the table, including the London games. Ultimately the package we agreed on with Twitter involved ten of our Thursday night games which we felt was the best option at that point."
Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consulting firm Sports Corp, who has worked closely with the NFL, said that given the NFL's interest in expanding its int'l reach, it "is likely the league ultimately will live stream those games in coming years" (REUTERS, 4/11).
