The National Football League is working on a direct-to-consumer streaming service, the league's commissioner said. The league is aiming to launch the service for the upcoming season, but it wasn't clear what content would be on it.
It is important to have a relationship with consumers. We believe we have a lot of ability to do that. We are very excited about what NFL Plus is going to be. It is in the early stages. Over time, you will see that grow. It will allow us to speak to our fans directly. That is an important strategy for the future.
We might hear more details in a few weeks
Timing will be for this season at the earliest, he said. We will let you know in a few weeks. A request for comment from the league was not immediately responded to.
Sports Business Journal reported in May that the launch of NFL Plus would include live games, but they would be limited to what you can see in your area. A source told Sports Business Journal that the cost could change. Team-created content may be offered by the service.
The potential next home for the NFL Sunday Ticket, which is expected to move to a different platform after the league's contract with DirecTV expires at the end of the 2022, was discussed in an interview with CNBC. Apple, Amazon, and Disney are said to be in the running for the NFL Sunday Ticket contract.
We could know the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket this fall
The ability to innovate beyond where we are today and make the experience for our consumers so much better is what we really believe. It makes it more accessible to our consumers and we want to get to the younger demographic. I think that this will make it more accessible for fans, and I think it will be a better experience for fans. The Sunday ticket decision will be made by the fall.
It makes sense that Amazon would be the new home since it already has a big deal with the NFL. The NFL Sunday Ticket is a logical fit for Disney because of the company's other services. The company just announced a major deal to stream every Major League Soccer match for 10 years starting in 2023, indicating that the company is serious about increasing its sports offerings.