What is NFL Plus and how much does it cost? All you need to know about the new streaming service
With streaming video now big business, the NFL wants a slice of the pie, releasing a new service for all your football cravings while you are on the go
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calls this “an important day in the history of the National Football League” and that is, if anything, an understatement.
With the release of its proprietary streaming service NFL+, they will now have access and control of their image and product from beginning to end of the pipeline. Building their business model for smartphones and tablets, the NFL will no offer fans access to all out-of-market preseason games on any device and live local and national primetime games on mobile devices for the base tier price of only $4.99 a month or $39.99 per year.
This marks the first time that the NFL has operated its own streaming service, bringing them into line with both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, both of whom already sell subscriptions via their own streaming services.
Although not initially offering exclusive regular-season games, the NFL will keep an open mind on the idea, depending on how this goes. Hans Schroeder, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NFL Media says, “It’s another option we’ll consider with all of our other options. We are really excited about where NFL+ can go. As quickly as media and the sports distribution business continues to change and evolve, there are lots of different factors.”
David Jurenka, senior vp of NFL Media, and GM of the league’s Los Angeles-based businesses reportedly said, “I think the offering we have put together is robust, and at a really attractive price. The streaming and direct-to-consumer space has just exploded over the last 3 to 5 years, and certainly over the last decade, and we feel like expanding our direct-to-consumer product is a smart strategy for us, and is also beneficial to our fans.”
Commissioner Goodell’s statement goes on to say that the “passionate and dedicated football fans are the lifeblood of the NFL, and being able to reach and interact with them across multiple platforms is incredibly important to us. We look forward to continuing to grow NFL+ and deepening our relationship with fans across all ages and demographics, providing them access to a tremendous amount of NFL content, including the most valuable content in the media industry: live NFL games.”
The league’s Game Pass service will be replaced by NFL+ domestically, but the league will continue to offer the international version of Game Pass.