Today the NFL and Verizon issued joint press releases to announcing their intention to lift licensing restrictions that have prevented most people from watching NFL football on their smartphones.
In January 2018, NFL fans will be able to stream the playoffs on Yahoo and Yahoo Sports, in addition to go90 and the NFL mobile app.
The unavailability of NFL games has been a running theme in all our reviews of streaming TV services. Every service from Hulu to PlayStation Vue to Sling TV has had to block NFL games from streaming on their mobile apps. Even the NFL’s own apps couldn’t support mobile on carriers other than Verizon.
Several years ago the NFL signed a deal that gave Verizon exclusive rights to stream football games to smartphones. Only Verizon’s wireless subscribers could watch NFL on mobile. The exclusive agreement may have made sense (and dollars) back then, but it became increasingly unrealistic over the past two years.
All NFL Fans Can Stream on Mobile
The new agreement ends Verizon’s exclusive deal. In exchange for giving up its mobile rights, Verizon can now stream NFL games to any device and through any of its online services. Other streaming services will be allowed to unlock their apps and stream NFL games.
“Starting with the upcoming playoffs and for seasons to come,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained, “live NFL action directly on your mobile device – regardless of carrier – will give millions of fans additional ways to follow their favorite sport.”
Verizon will stream the games through its Yahoo website and the Yahoo Sports mobile apps.
Chris Casper is a former tech industry product manager who escaped from California for New Mexico. Now he writes about science and tech while searching for the perfect green chile sauce.
