Rolapp called the number of people regularly spending time on Amazon and Facebook "staggering"SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
NFL Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp expects tech giants to become "major players for live sports rights when the league's existing big broadcasting deals expire" in '22, according to Sahil Patel of DIGIDAY. Rolapp said that '22 will be an "'inflection point' for any dramatic changes to the NFL's lineup of broadcasting partners." But before any of that happens, Rolapp said that the tech giants "need to demonstrate they can handle tens of millions of simultaneous viewers before the league makes an exclusive-rights deal with them." Rolapp: "Our entire model is based on reaching as many people for as long as we can. Traditionally, the best way to do that has been broadcast TV." Rolapp acknowledged that the "number of people regularly spending time on Amazon, Facebook and YouTube is 'staggering,' which will complicate how the league approaches its distribution strategy." Rolapp: "We can get 25 million people; I have not seen a live event on the internet that can serve 25 million concurrent users at a high quality. It's one of these things that will need to be resolved, because money is not the issue for these guys" (DIGIDAY.com, 8/31).
WHAT WAS DISCUSSED: DEADLINE.com's Dade Hayes noted Rolapp spoke on Thursday during a "league-hosted preview event ahead of next week's regular-season kickoff." Because of the format -- with NFL Net anchors moderating sessions and series of short segments breezing through a few topics -- the event was "no fountain of new insights." Notably, there was "no mention of the national anthem controversy." Even so, it was a "rare degree of access" for a league whose commissioner, Roger Goodell, has been "granting about as many interviews" lately as the Browns have been winning games. On the current view of ratings, Rolapp said there are a "lot of things that go into ratings," including "secular changes in television." He said whether big markets "don't perform" due to weak teams is another factor. He added, "There are things we can control and things we can't control" (DEADLINE.com, 8/30). Rolapp also said that the league would "defer to the TV networks on how anthem protests will be handled" during '18 game telecasts. Rolapp: "You'll have to talk to them. It's their decision about what they do or don't do. Traditionally, they haven't really covered the anthem. There's this perception that it's always covered, but it's actually not, other than certain cases, which they decide." Rolapp, on how much traction will come in mobile or how that viewing will affect ratings, said, "We have no expectations" (DEADLINE.com, 8/30).
LET'S GET DIGITAL: CABLEFAX DAILY's Mollie Cahillane notes NFL execs on Thursday "praised NFL Network, declaring that last year it was the second-most watched sports network on cable for the first time in its history." The net is "increasingly focusing on digital content, describing a business strategy with three key focus points: the game, the fans, and the engagement." NFL COO Maryann Turcke said, "Having the full market of wireless carriers able to stream our games is going to be for-sure a game changer, and it's really helping us get to that younger audience." In previous years, only Verizon Wireless customers could "live stream games on their phones via the NFL Mobile app." Now, anyone can on their "mobile devices, provided it's a local, in-market game or a nationally televised game" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 8/31).
