Major score! Twitter will start streaming 2016 NFL Thursday Night Football this fall, and it will be totally free to watch on any of your devices, the NFL announced on their website on Tuesday, April 5.
The social media platform said the games will stream on its website and in its app, but the company has not yet announced where exactly the video will be available. Twitter will also be able to show in-game highlights and Periscope broadcasts from players and teams.
“This is about transforming the fan experience with football. People watch NFL games with Twitter today,” said Twitter's CEO, Jack Dorsey, in a statement on the NFL website. “Now they’ll be able to watch right on Twitter Thursday nights.”
This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live @twitter so fans will see more of this. https://t.co/s6tbr9FjvY
— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) April 5, 2016
The tech company obtained the rights for $10 million in a huge bidding war, beating out rivals that offered more money, according to Bloomberg, who was first to report the news. The site gets the rights to 10 Thursday night games that will also be broadcasted by NBC or CBS, who each paid $225 million for five games, and the NFL Network.
“There is a massive amount of NFL-related conversation on Twitter during our games and tapping into that audience, in addition to our viewers on broadcast and cable, will ensure Thursday Night Football is seen on an unprecedented number of platforms this season,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the NFL’s official statement.
This deal is a huge win for Twitter, which has been struggling to attract new users. Even celebs are getting excited about the new way to watch football. “Congrats @twitter and the @NFL streaming deal! Big things,” wrote Kevin Jonas.
