Verizon and the NFL this morning announced that the carrier will no longer be the exclusive home for mobile streaming of NFL games in the United States, with anyone able to stream the games to their smartphone "regardless of mobile network" beginning next year.

The announcement comes within a new five-year deal struck between the two companies, which will see Verizon pay around $2 billion over a five-year period (via Recode).

NFL mobile image
The new deal begins January 2018 and will allow users on any U.S. wireless carrier to watch NFL games on their mobile device using the apps for Yahoo Sports, go90, and the NFL, with the company putting emphasis on Yahoo Sports as a premium destination for sports coverage.

This will start with the NFL playoffs next month, and then include national pre-season, regular season, playoff games, and the Super Bowl. Most of this coverage is described as "in-market" by Verizon, meaning that it will vary by your location and depend upon your local news channels' coverage of such events.

We’re making a commitment to fans for Verizon’s family of media properties to become the mobile destination for live sports,” said Lowell McAdam, Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications. “The NFL is a great partner for us and we are excited to take its premier content across a massive mobile scale so viewers can enjoy live football and other original NFL content where and how they want it. We believe that partnerships like this are a win for fans, but also for partners and advertisers looking for a mobile-first experience.”

Verizon's previous deal with the NFL was priced at $1 billion over the course of four years and runs through the current season, so the two companies are doubling down on their partnership with the new, expanded agreement.

Verizon says that it will remain an official sponsor of the NFL, providing "unique experiences" at events like the Super Bowl for customers enrolled in its Verizon Up rewards program. The partnership will also see Verizon continue efforts to improve stadium technology at NFL games to "improve operations" and enhance experience for customers.

Tags: NFL, Verizon

Top Rated Comments

hsoj1006 Avatar
82 months ago
Maybe I missed it...

How does this work? Download the NFL app and you’ll be able to stream any in market game provided it’s not blacked out?

Is there a fee for this? Or anything I’m missing? Because this sounds amazing for those of us not using Verizon Wireless.
The way it works is you download the NFL Mobile App. Then, it will show the same games that are being shown in your local market on FOX and CBS, plus Sunday Night, Monday Night, and Thursday Night games.

Example: Your local market is Philadelphia. Eagles are on FOX, there may not be a game on CBS. When you open the NFL Mobile app, you can watch that same Eagles game that is on the local FOX affiliate. If there was a game on CBS at the same time, then THAT game would also be available to watch on the app. If you were to take a trip to Washington DC, then whatever games are on locally to THAT area would then show up on the NFL Mobile app.

This is free of charge, and if you are a Verizon customer, it does NOT go against your data usage.

NOTE: YOU ONLY SEE THE GAMES THAT ARE BEING BROADCASTED IN YOUR LOCAL AREA. (Based on LOCATION SERVICES).
[doublepost=1513006491][/doublepost]
I think if it’s availbale to stream, it will work on your phone. For example, if you subscribe to a streaming platform (Directv now) you’ll be able to watch the game on your phone from the local channel regardless of your carrier. Currently you can’t watch a football game on directv now on a phone unless you have Verizon.
That is incorrect. It will ONLY stream the games that are being broadcasted in your area at that time on FOX and CBS.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
82 months ago
I’m confused, isn’t that what I said?? You will be able to stream the game on your local channel on any carrier?
Not really what you said. You were referencing Direct TV. This has nothing to do with Direct TV or any other cable provider. This is just free mobile streaming of local games courtesy of Verizon's deal with the NFL.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
William Gates Avatar
82 months ago
Maybe I missed it...

How does this work? Download the NFL app and you’ll be able to stream any in market game provided it’s not blacked out?

Is there a fee for this? Or anything I’m missing? Because this sounds amazing for those of us not using Verizon Wireless.
Yeah, sparse on details, but I would imagine that if you have a cable subscription that includes channels showing NFL games that you can use your cable log in to view the games, no matter what network you’re on.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarkG21 Avatar
82 months ago
Maybe I missed it...

How does this work? Download the NFL app and you’ll be able to stream any in market game provided it’s not blacked out?

Is there a fee for this? Or anything I’m missing? Because this sounds amazing for those of us not using Verizon Wireless.
I think if it’s availbale to stream, it will work on your phone. For example, if you subscribe to a streaming platform (Directv now) you’ll be able to watch the game on your phone from the local channel regardless of your carrier. Currently you can’t watch a football game on directv now on a phone unless you have Verizon.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bigjnyc Avatar
82 months ago
Wait what am I missing here? So Verizon had an exclusive contract whereby anyone wanting to watch an NFL game on a mobile device had to do so through Verizon.... But now the contract is not exclusive any more and you can watch on a mobile device via any carrier..... So why is Verizon paying the NFL 2 Billion?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
autrefois Avatar
82 months ago
The way it works is you download the NFL Mobile App. Then, it will show the same games that are being shown in your local market on FOX and CBS, plus Sunday Night, Monday Night, and Thursday Night games.

Example: Your local market is Philadelphia. Eagles are on FOX, there may not be a game on CBS. When you open the NFL Mobile app, you can watch that same Eagles game that is on the local FOX affiliate. If there was a game on CBS at the same time, then THAT game would also be available to watch on the app. If you were to take a trip to Washington DC, then whatever games are on locally to THAT area would then show up on the NFL Mobile app.

[...] It will ONLY stream the games that are being broadcasted in your area at that time on FOX and CBS.
So with MLB's app they black it out if it's broadcast locally, but with NFL's app you can only watch games being broadcast locally?! I realize league deals with networks are complicated, but they need to find a solution that allows access to all games in their respective apps, even if it's for a fee.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...