Twitter is preparing to experiment with a wider range of content in the form of the NFL. The microblogging site has secured the rights to broadcast 10 Thursday night American football games, and will be streaming the games for free across the globe.
The games will still be broadcast normally in America, but Twitter seems to be catering to those who cannot get the games through the other means. If the numbers are convincing enough, the experiment is likely to lead to Twitter joining the bidding for more sporting events.
Interestingly, Twitter’s winning bid for the broadcasting rights was lower than those put forward by Verizon, Yahoo, and Amazon. The NFL explains that this was because it also wanted to see how comfortable its viewers would be with internet streaming; especially when done over Twitter.
According to Bloomberg, the NFL is interested in exploring alternative avenues for broadcasting as it prepares for the next round of negotiations. The current broadcasting rights for NFL games expires in 2021, and having more alternatives would give the sporting body a lot more power in selecting bids.
While American football is an interesting prospect for Twitter, the sport isn’t quite all that popular outside the United States. If Twitter could get to broadcasting some actual football, that might be something to really sit up and notice.
[Source: Bloomberg]
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