News broke Friday that Facebook is looking to enter the NFL Universe by bidding on live streaming rights which would include “Thursday Night Football” games. Facebook estimates that 650 million of it’s users are sports fans. Live streaming would be a nice compliment to the social media giant’s “Facebook Stadium” which recently launched containing content and live discussion about sporting events.
Mobile streaming however would be off the table as Verizon will have those rights locked up for one more year. That would be a big blow to Facebook as 80% of it’s ad revenue during the fourth quarter of 2015 was via mobile. Another factor would be that unlike Yahoo’s exclusive digital broadcast of a Bills and Jaguars game from London last season (it was only available on TV in the team’s home markets and in the U.K.) the Thursday Night games will be aired in various forms on CBS, NBC and the NFL Network.
Facebook and the NFL have declined comment for now and apparently Verizon (looking beyond the 2016-17 NFL Season) and Amazon are also looking to make bids.
I am not so sure the live streaming of NFL games on Facebook would really provide any true benefit for the social media service. I do not really look to Facebook as a place to watch live content. I view it more as a place to react and comment on an event or news story as I watch it unfold on my TV or on a streaming service such as Watch ESPN or Fox Sports GO.
As far as I am concerned, let’s keep NFL games off of the dumping ground of cat videos, compatibility quizzes and angry political posts. What’s next? Roger Goodell asking you to share a meme of Tom Brady deflating a football?
