NFL loosens its policies on teams posting GIFs and videos
Just don't expect to see sweet replays during games.
The NFL's current rules social media posts have been rather draconian, even after a recent rethink. Football teams couldn't post any video during the game window until the NFL made a sanctioned clip available on its servers, and they couldn't create any GIFs during game time. They couldn't post more than 8 clips on game day, either. However, the league appears to be changing its mind. Yahoo Finance has obtained a memo revealing that the NFL has once again loosened its policies. Teams can now post non-highlight GIFs and videos (that is, no on-the-field action) on their own, right up to a newly expanded 16-video cap. If they want to celebrate fans or the halftime show, they don't have to wait for the NFL to act first.
That's just the start. Teams can post five clips to Snapchat during a game, and stream three non-game day press conferences on Facebook Live. The memo also reveals a "test agreement" that will have Giphy serve as a source of "ancillary game and historical/iconic" GIFs. You won't visit Giphy to relive an epic touchdown from the weekend, but you won't have to search the whole web just to find a classic moment. The dry run lasts until June 2017.
A spokesperson confirmed the move to Yahoo and noted that it was a response to "feedback" from teams.
As you've probably gathered, the NFL isn't exactly flinging the doors wide open. It's still barring anything that might give you a reason to skip those oh-so-lucrative TV broadcasts and official live streams. All the same, it's clear that the league is acknowledging reality -- it can't pretend that it's always as quick to react as the teams themselves, or that it can downplay services like Snapchat in the modern era. If it's going to drive interest in football, it has to capture the moment-to-moment thrills wherever viewers happen to be.
