New York—The NFL will launch NFL Now, a personalized video network.
NFL Now will launch this summer ahead of the 2014 season. The announcement was made Thursday morning at a press conference during Super Bowl week.
NFL Now will utilize game highlights and videos produced by the 32 teams, NFL Network, or NFL.com, as well as NFL Films. Fans will be able to customize NFL Now and tailor it to their favorite teams and fantasy players, as well as choose what videos they want to see and not see. NFL Now will also give access to the league's vault of NFL videos. In addition, fans will get access to live events, press conferences and shows.
"Throughout our history, the NFL has always focused on reaching as many fans as possible," said Commissioner Roger Goodell. "This will serve our fans even better."
Verizon, Microsoft, Yahoo and Gillette are launch partners. NFL Now will be available on iOS, Android and Windows mobile services, over the web through NFL.com and on Microsoft's Xbox One console. The platform allows seamless content between devices.
The service will be free and largely supported by ads, though some premium content (which will be under NFL Now Plus) such as live RedZone coverage will only be available from certain providers.
"We thought we'd be able to continue to service our fans needs for consuming more and more NFL content," said New England Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft, "but also advertisers who are dying to put their brands in front of consumers in different ways then they have."
During the presentation, Brian Rolapp, executive VP of NFL Media, said NFL Now addresses the fact that consumers want content all the time, not just on game day; he said that 60% of the consumption of the league's digital platforms occurs from Tuesday through Saturday.
"This appetite for NFL content is borderline insatiable," said Rolapp. "More and more, you see that in video." He continued that digital video consumption has grown 33% over the past few years, with mobile consumption—itself seeing a 152% growth over the same time frame—leading much of the charge.
"Fans want NFL content, they want it on devices they're carrying in their pocket and they increasingly want video," said Rolapp. After the presentation, he said that with access to all these different types of digital platforms—and the seamless transition between them—making it able to be personalized to the individual fan was the goal.
"I think what all these digital platforms allow you to do is make something mobile, make it increasingly local and relevant to you," Rolapp told B&C.
