The National Football League (NFL) announced today that it has selected Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) as its exclusive partner to deliver the first-ever live stream of an NFL game to a global audience across devices and for free. This partnership will bring the NFL's International Series game in London, between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars on October 25, to Yahoo properties globally, including Yahoo, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen and Tumblr, which attract more than one billion monthly users.
"The NFL has always been committed to being at the forefront of media innovation. Through this partnership with Yahoo—one of the world's most recognizable digital brands—we are taking another important step in that direction as we continue to closely monitor the rapidly evolving digital media landscape," said Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League.
"We're thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity," said Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo. "It marks a significant change in the way users can access this amazing content. The NFL and Yahoo have both long engaged football fans around the world. Our partnership provides the ultimate football experience—with digital availability, designed for the modern fan."
With this partnership, the NFL will extend its digital presence, making some of the most valuable content in sports and entertainment available across multiple digital platforms free for all users. The NFL is leveraging Yahoo's global audience, digital advertising capabilities, and delivery platforms, which span desktop, mobile, tablet, connected TVs, and set-top boxes, to ensure that the Bills-Jaguars game is accessible on every screen globally. In keeping with the NFL's long-standing commitment to make its games available on free, over-the-air television, the game will also be televised in both the Buffalo (WIVB-TV) and Jacksonville (WTEV-TV) markets at 9:30 a.m. ET.
* *
