Verizon is "close" to a new deal with the NFL for digital streaming rights that would give the company the "ability to deliver game broadcasts to internet-connected TVs, tablets and phones," according to sources cited by Moritz & Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS. The deal "expands on Verizon's previous contract, which limited the carrier to streaming on screens 7 inches or smaller." The sources said that the new agreement will allow Verizon to "give subscribers access to games on all devices, including big-screen TVs." The sources added that Verizon "will lose exclusive rights to air games on mobile devices." SportsBusiness Journal first reported that news last month. Financial terms of the new deal are unavailable, but sources said that Verizon's rights "will include the NFL's Thursday night games, among others." Customers of Verizon's FiOS TV service "already have access to the games on their screens at home because their channel lineups include networks like ESPN and NBC." The agreement gives the NFL "another big outlet for games as ratings slump on traditional television." The league and Yahoo the past couple years have "been experimenting with streaming ... with enough success that Verizon pushed ahead with a wider deal" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 11/17).
