Yahoo and NFL Partner to Live Stream Bills-Jaguars Game
Yahoo and the National Football League (NFL) will work together to live stream a pro football game, a first for pro football. The selected game is between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and will take place in London on October 25. The game is part of the NFL's International Series, and Yahoo will stream it for free to a global audience.
While neither party is commenting on the terms of the deal, Recode suggests that Yahoo paid at least $20 million for the streaming rights, according to unnamed executives familiar with the negotiations.
In a statement to the press, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called this an important step for media innovation, while Yahoo president Marissa Mayer said she was delighted the NFL had chosen to work with her company.
According to Yahoo senior vice president Adam Cahan, as quoted in the New York Times, his company will sell video ads and sponsorships for the game, and will keep the revenue. He noted that Yahoo might continue with live sports if this event is a success.
“It’s an area that could be truly exclusive and unique and differentiated,” Cahan said. “If you look at platform shifts historically, many of them have been defined by sports rights.”
Local fans won't need to go online to watch the game. It will also broadcast over-the-air in the Buffalo, New York, and Jacksonville, Florida, markets.
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