This Sunday, NFL fans will prepare for their all-day commitment to watching football a little differently, by testing their internet connections. The first game on Sunday will be between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars at 9:30AM EST in Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Unlike the typical London game, however, this game will be available online, for free, as part of a Yahoo.com internet stream. Only local television audiences in Buffalo and Jacksonville will be able to watch the game on TV. The game isn’t even available on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package.
This is the first time an NFL game has ever been streamed live on the internet for free, with Yahoo.com paying an estimated $17 million dollars for the exclusive streaming rights, according to Bloomberg.
According to the NFL.com press release, the game will be made available across all Yahoo properties including Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen, and Tumblr. The NFL chose Yahoo due to their global audience, digital advertising capabilities, delivery platforms (desktop, mobile, tablet), and of course, willingness to pay for the rights. The impact of streaming the game for free will likely be analyzed by not only the NFL, but also the other professional sports leagues to see if this could offer a glimpse of the future.
One of the most interesting aspects of the partnership between the NFL and Yahoo, lies in the fact that the agreement is for just this one game. This goes to show that neither the NFL nor Yahoo really knows how well this event will or will not be received by the international community. There is surely high upside for both parties in the deal, but there is also the potential for this partnership to be a flop.
Another interesting aspect of this game will be how the NFL and Yahoo determines if the stream is successful, particularly since there has been no set precedent. This game features two teams that many would consider to be small-market teams. How would the viewership change if two marquee teams were playing, such as the New England Patriots or the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Maybe viewership would also change if two teams representing major U.S. cities such as the Chicago Bears or the New York Jets played as part of the livestream. It may be difficult to determine the success of the event until more games are played or if more variables such as which teams are playing can be controlled.
Technology is undoubtedly playing a new role in how sports are being broadcasted to fans, and the internet may be the best way to expand the global footprint of the NFL. The NFL continues to spend money in an effort to promote American football and hopefully grow the sport beyond the U.S.
The other major sports leagues in the U.S. such as the MLB and the NBA already benefit from their respective sports being played all over the world. As a result, they are having greater success in globalizing their leagues. The NFL has been playing games in England since 2007 and continues to add games to the deal. However, aside from games in England, the NFL has had little success in promoting their sport globally. A free streaming partnership certainly can’t hurt.