One of the biggest sports brands in America is finally getting in on the streaming service game.
In an editorial for Sports Illustrated this week, NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp confirmed something that will be like manna from the heavens for sports fans without cable: NFL+, a streaming service that includes access to live streams of NFL games every week.
Up until now, legally streaming football games has meant subscribing to expensive third-party services that offer boatloads of other channels you don’t need. While Rolapp didn’t confirm the pricing structure of NFL+ or give a precise release date for it, he did lay out what exactly comes with the service.
Here’s a breakdown of what could be the next big step in a sports streaming revolution.
Live local and national games…with a catch
One of the worst things about using a cable (or cable substitute) subscription to watch NFL games is that you’re beholden to games shown in your market. Fox and CBS will each air games during the daytime hours on Sunday during the season, but at least one of those is guaranteed to be the local team, which may (or may not) be crappy and boring. For example, in New York City, you’re stuck watching the god-awful Jets (don't get mad at me, look at their records) and Giants every week if you don’t shell out for a more expensive cable package that includes out-of-market games.
NFL+ will emulate that gameday experience, but presumably for a lot less money than a cable subscription. You’ll have access to local and nationally televised games on Sundays…but only on unspecified "mobile devices" through the NFL app. I’m not joking when I tell you that this particular bullet point made me consider buying an iPad, something I have never once thought about doing in the previous decade of iPads existing. I’d rather not have to watch my favorite team on my phone screen, but lots of people consume content that way now, so this makes sense.
While it sounds like you won’t be able to stream any old NFL game using NFL+, there is one nice alternative. Rolapp confirmed you’ll be able to listen to the radio broadcast of every game with the service. This is actually awesome because local radio guys are way more excited about what’s going on than the more buttoned-up national TV broadcasters. It may be old-fashioned, but there are worse ways to spend a Sunday than listening to a football game.
Games that don’t matter, without a catch
One area where the NFL is being less stingy about what you can watch on NFL+ is the realm of preseason football. For those not in the know, each NFL team plays three preseason exhibition games before the real action starts in the fall. Star players often exit the game after a quarter or two (if they play at all) as it’s more of an exercise in seeing which young guys can make the team.
Are preseason games exciting? Not really, but if you care about a team, they can be interesting in their own way.
With NFL+, you’ll be able to watch any preseason game regardless of location on any streaming device. No restrictions here. This isn’t going to be the most enticing part of the package for most subscribers, but for those three weeks before the regular season when you’re just itching for any football (no matter how inconsequential it may be), this part of NFL+ will be very useful. I know I’ll use the heck out of it.
And all that juicy non-game content
Of course, each NFL game is the culmination of a week (or more) of video content hyping up storylines, matchups, and more before it even kicks off. There’s so much football content to consume even on a random Wednesday in the fall, and NFL+ will include some of that in the form of on-demand shows from NFL Network and the NFL Films archive.
NFL Network usually comes as part of expensive cable packages, so on-demand versions of shows where former coaches and players break down games could be quite nice for football-obsessed cord-cutters. There are also more fun shows like Good Morning Football, a daily morning show that understands football should not always be taken so seriously and finds the humor in the games instead.
NFL Films, on the other hand, presents games cinematically with slow-mo footage and rousing orchestral music. It’s very bombastic and silly, but also great. Depending on how deep the NFL+ archives go, that could be a cool inclusion.
The true value of NFL+ will depend on how much the league charges for it. But as long as it’s somewhere in the $10 monthly range, this could be a pretty sweet deal for football fans who don’t want to deal with the rigors of cable. The main challenge will be finding a way to beam your phone or tablet’s picture to a TV so you’re not stuck watching football on a tiny screen.
