The Streaming Age got another entrant when the NFL launched his new streaming subscription service on Monday.
And it means that the era of free live games on your phone is over.
The new NFL+ functionally combines, replaces and renames NFL Game Pass and free live game streaming fans previously could access through Verizon/Yahoo, other mobile providers and the league app, but limits regular and postseason to broadcast on phones and tablets while blocking your broadcast on smart TVs or computers.
In other words, cater more to mobile users. And while that’s not inherently a bad thing, especially amid the cord-cutting trend, it means NFL fans remain without their holy grail: a streaming service that offers literally every game. It remains to be seen if something like this will ever come to pass.
Here’s a FAQ guide to what we know so far about NFL+.
Why does the NFL implement this service?
The streaming industry continues to undergo radical changes in the way people consume content. While traditional linear television continues to account for the majority of viewership, the number of cable or satellite television households in the US has declined from 110 million several years ago to approximately 70 million today. Many of those cord-cutting households have turned to streaming services as a replacement, so the NFL goes where its fans go. About 5 percent of the audience for live NFL games is digital, and that number is expected to grow. Younger fans tend to stream more, so sports leagues are trying to get to that demo where content is consumed. Planning for NFL+ has been several years in the making, with league owners informed about the launch in March.
How much will NFL+ cost?
There are two price levels. The basic level costs $4.99 per month or $39 per year. The premium level costs $9.99 per month or $79 per year. There is a seven-day free trial.
What is the difference between the levels?
The cheapest tier gives you local and prime time postseason and regular season games live on your phone or tablet, out-of-market preseason games live on those devices or on your TV, live game audio for all games and ad-free access. to the NFL’s library of on-demand content, including NFL Films and NFL Network programming.
The premium tier includes everything from what had been NFL Game Pass, everything from the base tier to NFL+, plus ad-free full and condensed (45 minute) game replays and ad-free All-22 (which is the bird’s eye view ). video viewed by players and coaches). The condensed replays date back to 2009.
Can I watch regular season and playoff games live on my TV through NFL+?
No. Live regular season and playoff games are only available on your phone or tablet. The service blocks streaming to a smart TV or laptop/computer. Only preseason games can be viewed live on your connected TV or computer through NFL+, as can replays.
Why not?
The NFL itself currently only has the phone and tablet broadcast rights for live regular season and postseason games. The league’s 11-year, $113 billion media rights deals that take effect this season include live TV broadcast rights for the NFL’s broadcast partners.
So how can I watch games live on my huge, expensive TV in the living room?
The way it’s always been: through your local or national TV broadcasts through your cable or satellite provider and their authenticated streaming services, or through NFL Sunday Ticket for most out-of-market games .
Doesn’t that limit the usefulness of the new streaming service?
Yes. But the NFL has a complex broadcasting and streaming rights ecosystem with its various media partners, many of which offer their own paid streaming apps, so this isn’t a surprise. The league believes fans will pay for the mix of live games, replays, audio, and library and training content. “Now is the right time for us to package all of this into a product that is more meaningful at a price that we think is attractive,” David Jurenka, senior vice president of NFL Media, saying Los Angeles Times.
Why shouldn’t I just subscribe to DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket?
You can, and their games are available on your devices and your TV, but it costs $300 per season. It brings you all the Sunday away games that Fox or CBS affiliates don’t carry locally in your market. It also does not broadcast the national games in prime time on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays. Those broadcast rights belong to the NFL Network, NBC and ESPN/ABC. Also at stake: AT&T, which owns DirecTV, gives up Sunday Ticket and exclusive out-of-market rights after 28 years. Sunday Ticket is expected after this season to become a streaming service, and Apple, Amazon, Disney and Google are reportedly interested in buying its rights for what is expected to be at least $2k. millions. How that will ultimately affect NFL+ is not yet known.
Could NFL Sunday Ticket live within the NFL+ service, perhaps as an even more expensive tier?
It’s a wild west, so it wouldn’t be all that shocking. This is a time of experimentation by networks, streamers, tech giants, and sports leagues. Perhaps the NFL is using the threat of putting Sunday Ticket on NFL+ as a lever game to boost deals from Apple, Amazon and the rest, who will want Sunday Ticket as a tool to grow their own paid services.
Didn’t the NFL previously offer free home market games through its app and Verizon customers through Yahoo Sports?
Yes. NFL+ replaces those free options. Last year, Yahoo’s owner Verizon did not renew the NFL’s mobile streaming rights it had held since 2010. The operator, which gave up streaming exclusivity to the NFL in 2017, chose to focus on technology and the marketing under a new 10-year agreement with the NFL, including building stronger 5G networks in stadiums. His expiring non-exclusive broadcast deal was for all but out-of-market NFL games broadcast on DirecTV. The broadcast rights with Verizon were reportedly worth $400 million and could bring in more today if the NFL chooses to partner with another company.
Could NFL+ eventually allow regular season and playoff games to stream live on my smart TV or computer?
It’s absolutely something the NFL could do, and could at some point, but there’s no timeline. Here’s what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press this week about NFL+: “We think this is a big step forward. It will evolve, build and improve as more and more content becomes available on this platform. The work we’ve done with other offerings or research has helped us frame this in a way that we think would be very compelling and appeal to our fans.”
Will NFL+ be subject to blackouts?
No. But preseason home games in your home market will not be available on the service if they are carried by Fox or CBS stations. The NFL allows teams to sell home-market television rights for preseason home games, while the league sells regular-season and playoff broadcast rights nationally.
Will all national games be available through NFL+?
Yes, but the aforementioned rules of tablets/phones versus smart TVs apply.
Is this another app to download?
No. You access NFL+ through the NFL app or NFL.com.
How many fans are expected to sign up?
The NFL didn’t reveal any estimates, but with younger sports fans consuming more and more live sports via streaming, it could be a healthy amount before too long.
What happens with NFL Game Pass?
NFL+ has replaced it nationally. And if you were an NFL Game Pass subscriber, it was $100 a year, with auto-renewal enabled, it automatically converts to an NFL+ subscription.
What about international viewers?
NFL Game Pass will live on for viewers outside of the United States.
How many Game Pass subscribers are there out there?
The NFL has not released any numbers.
Without the ability to stream games live on a smart TV, doesn’t this limit the number of potential NFL+ users?
Certainly, but if the league can add smart TV live streaming, that will increase the user base. And because this is the NFL’s streaming service within its own app, the league is in complete control. Even if the user base is initially limited, the $11 billion NFL will be fine. This is a long-term play in the burgeoning streaming market.
Will the NFL ever offer team-specific streaming, like MLB does it?
One would hope. The NFL has said it’s always studying options and listening to fans, but it’s too early to tell if that will eventually lead to a single-team broadcast. If the league thinks it can benefit from team-specific streaming, it will happen one day. MLB charges $74.99 a year for its MLB.TV single-team package through the MLB app that offers out-of-market games.
What will be the first game in NFL +?
The preseason kickoff Hall of Fame Game at 8 p.m. on August 4 between the jacksonville jaguars Y las vegas raiders of Canton, Ohio. It will also air live on NBC and its in-house streaming service Peacock.
What about latency?
That’s still a problem for all streams, even when working to try and remove much of it. The Super Bowl was reportedly delayed by around 40 seconds for streamers due to latency issues. Video on demand, like Netflix and possibly the NFL content library on NFL+, is content that already exists on a server, so the lag time should be zero. Live streaming, on the other hand, is a near real-time stream that is subject to technical issues. Some delay is built in to ensure smooth streaming. But it can be a nuisance for viewers who see social media updates before the action on their screen. If latency is an issue for NFL+, subscribers will be quick to take to Twitter to complain.
Why does none of this matter?
NFL games are the gold standard of American television, accounting for 75 of the top 100 telecasts last year and garnering huge viewership (about 17 million per game) and gargantuan media rights deals.
(Photo: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)