NFL Launches Streaming Service
The NFL+ streaming service will make its debut on mobile devices on August 1 and cost $4.99/month or $39.99/year. In addition to live games, it will feature shows from the NFL Network and archives of NFL Films. A premium version of the service, which includes commercial-free replays of games, costs $9.99/month or $79.99/year. The NFL is betting that the growing number of cable TV cord-cutters will pay to watch certain games on mobile devices.
The NPD Take:
- NFL+ is largely a mobile play with in-market coverage being limited to phones and tablets. The big transition will come with a move to TV-connected platforms.
- This service mostly replaces the formerly free NFL Game Pass offered through Verizon.
Google (YouTube) Enters the bidding War for NFL Sunday Ticket
And while we are on the topic of the NFL, Google has reportedly entered the bidding war (on behalf of YouTube) alongside Apple, Amazon, and Disney/ESPN for NFL Sunday Ticket, which breaks its ties with DirecTV after this coming season. The winning bidder could pay more than $2.5 billion a year to acquire the rights to the package, which delivers every regular season NFL game to viewers not being played in their town. DirecTV, which has controlled NFL Sunday Ticket rights since the mid-1990s, is said to be losing as much as $500 million per year on the package, which is priced at just under $300 per season.
The NPD Take:
- Big tech is no stranger to using sports as a loss leader to draw viewership to their broader offerings. Game On.
Peacock status quo
NBCUniversal released its Q2 results and revealed that Peacock’s subscriber growth remained flat with 13M paid subscribers and monthly active accounts dipped from 28M to 27M. In Q1, Peacock added 4M subs bolstered by the Olympics and the Super Bowl. This fall NBC next-day broadcast content will shift from Hulu to Peacock as its exclusive home. Peacock will also have its own pay-one film release window with movies like “Jurassic World: Dominion” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” alongside the start of Sunday Night Football, Premiere League programming, the World Cup, and more originals.
The NPD Take:
- It’s all about programming and NBC is banking on fall content driving back up Peacock numbers.