Yahoo Buys Rights to Live Stream Bills/Jags London Game

The NFL has picked Yahoo to stream an over-the-top regular-season game in October, the first NFL game to be live streamed.

A source said that the deal involves a license fee that would match what TV networks pay for a regular-season NFL game, as the NFL and Yahoo calculated “fair market value” for what one NFL game is worth, based on what CBS and Fox pay for their packages. Since it’s an AFC game, CBS Sports will handle the game production, providing the announcers and behind-the-camera talent. Yahoo will make the Oct. 25 Bills-Jaguars game, which will be played in London as part of the NFL’s International Series, available at no extra cost on its properties, like Yahoo, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen and Tumblr.

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Popeyejones":1cwbpz4w said:

The first NFL game to be EXCLUSIVELY live streamed, meaning it won't even be broadcast by the affiliates in home markets?

I somehow doubt that.

And the NFL has been live-streaming games outside of home markets for years now, as have ESPN and NBC for Sunday and Monday night national games.

If anything the only thing remotely novel or interesting about this IMO is that CBS and FOX are letting the NFL partner with Yahoo for exclusive (or quasi-exclusive) rights to a game that they already bought and paid for. I'm sure they're getting a pretty nice buy-back for the game itself, but I don't really see how the decision to do this could work out in their favor in the long-run (they're just opening the gates for another bidder the next time contracts come around, and signaling to broadcast subscribers that the major thing keeping them going (live sports) is also going the way of the dodo.

Just weird.

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kidhawk":qifn8965 said:

first....this is the first non national game to be live streamed inside the US (legally)

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Popeyejones":qoyd34ne said:

^^^ Thanks for the explanation.

kidhawk":qoyd34ne said:

first....this is the first non national game to be live streamed inside the US (legally)

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What about NFL Game Pass, though?

Edit: ignore me. I moved to Canada two years ago and assumed that because I usually get pre-season game pass while in the U.S. over the summers that regular season Game Pass was also available in the U.S. Yet another reason I'm glad I moved to Canada. :lol:

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