The NFL has signed a multiyear renewal with Sporting News Media to allow league video highlights to be part of the company's SN ePlayer syndicated digital video platform. The NFL signed a one-year trial deal last year with Perform, the majority owner of Sporting News Media, making the league one of the last and by far the largest U.S. pro sports league to license its content to the platform. After that successful test, the new deal includes distribution on both personal computers and tablets, with smartphones withheld to protect the NFL's existing content and sponsorship deal with Verizon. "This renewal is a sign that we were able to prove out our scale and our audience," said Juan Delgado, Sporting News Media Managing Dir. "We think this will be particularly helpful in reaching out to casual fans." The SN ePlayer is distributed to hundreds of media outlets, with major clients including the N.Y. Times, L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune. The league's interest in the deal revolves in large part around growing online traffic for many local newspaper sites served by the SN ePlayer. "The sports video market has experienced tremendous growth, and we are excited to leverage our relationship with Sporting News Media to distribute NFL video in new places," said Vishal Shah, NFL VP/Digital Media Business Development. Both the NFL and Sporting News Media will sell against the league's content within the SN ePlayer. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal includes a mix of upfront payments to the NFL and a revenue share of ad revenues generated through the content. Perform's joint venture partner in Sporting News Media is American City Business Journals, the parent company of SportsBusiness Journal and THE DAILY.
