NFL continues digital push with new products on Amazon, YouTube
The NFL recently announced they would be putting up a lot of classic games on their YouTube channel. They also debuted a brand new behind-the-scenes series about the Arizona Cardinals, which is currently streaming on-demand.
Beginning in August, the NFL will upload 96 of their most memorable games on their YouTube channel. NFL Media and NFL Films helped compile the initial list of 160 games, then fans voted for the finalists on Facebook. All 32 teams will have three classic games. The full network television broadcast of all of these games will be available to NFL fans on youtube.com/NFL.
The new digital streaming series about the Arizona Cardinals’ 2015 season, All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals, debuted July 1 on Amazon Prime. The series is similar to HBO’s Hard Knocks, but it focuses on the entire regular season instead of training camp. All or Nothing was kept relatively quiet during filming, as it features unprecedented access to a pro sports team.
The series is available for Amazon Prime and new monthly Prime Video subscribers. The series is comprised of eight 50-minute episodes. The hope of the series is to try to grow the Cardinals’ fan base and the NFL’s as a whole.
Cardinals president Michael Bidwill understands that the NFL needs to adapt to the digital transition. “There’s no doubt it’s coming,” he told ProFootballTalk. “The question is how we transition into it. What we need to do is do a great job of listening to our fans about how they want to consume NFL content. Our fans are switching to digital, they’re switching to handheld and mobile devices, and we want to respond to that.”
The NFL is still fueled by traditional media. Some of their biggest partners are NBC, Fox, CBS and ESPN. NFL fans are the oldest of all four major North American professional sports leagues.
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But none of these factors have prevented them from making a push to become more digital.
We recently covered the NFL’s enhanced and renewed deal with YouTube. This follows their adoption of live streaming. And their landmark deal with Twitter will be on full display in just a couple of months.
YouTube and the NFL are working together to get highlights up while games are still live. Google search results will also help fans find official highlights more quickly and easily. They have also expanded their content in order for it to be enjoyed across desktop, tablet and mobile.
Although the NFL was a bit late making a push into the digital age, they have made huge progress in a very short amount of time. If these newest endeavors, and all they have done in the last year alone is any indication, they look poised to become one of the more progressive leagues in the digital realm for years to come.
