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'Madden 19' championship finale breaks series viewing records
EA's Madden esports ambitions appear to have borne fruit. The gaming giant has revealed that the Madden NFL 19 Bowl, the final match in the Championship Series, broke franchise viewing records to become the most-viewed event in Madden's history. In some cases, it wasn't even by a small margin. The simultaneous audience topped out at 97,000 viewers, or 650 percent more than for the 2018 finale, while total view count jumped a whopping 850 percent to 2.5 million. Those aren't records for livestreaming by any stretch (Ninja would have something to say), but they certainly put Madden on the map.
Twitter's expanded live programming includes new NFL shows
Twitter might have lost the right to livestream NFL games to Amazon a couple of years ago, but it remains tight with the league. The social network has revealed its expanded lineup of both live programming and on-demand video content at the 2019 Digital Content NewFronts, and it includes six new live NFL shows. They're specifically created for audiences on Twitter and will revolve around the biggest football events, such as the NFL Kickoff, the Thanksgiving games and (of course) the Super Bowl.
Man pleads guilty to hijacking Apple IDs of rappers and sports stars
The end to Celebgate didn't mark the end to attempts to exploit superstars. Georgia resident Kwamaine Ford has pleaded guilty to hijacking Apple IDs of athletes (including NBA and NFL players) and rappers for the sake of spending sprees. From "at least" March 2015 onward, Ford tricked stars into handing over their account details primarily through a phishing campaign where he posed as an Apple customer support rep. Whenever he succeeded, he'd change the sign-in details and attempt to obtain credit card information. He'd use that to pay for "thousands of dollars" of travel, furniture and money transfers.
Super Bowl LIII breaks streaming records despite TV viewership slump
Super Bowl LIII may have been the lowest-scoring of all time but its streaming numbers were higher than ever. Viewers tuned into the action across 7.5 million devices, up 20 percent from 2018, and consumed more than 560 million minutes of live game coverage, an increase of 19 percent from last year, according to CBS. The average minute audience of 2.6 million also witnessed a year-over-year spike of 31 percent.
NFL tech competition winners reduce concussions and heal with light
The Super Bowl is almost here, and that means the NFL has picked the winners of its partly tech-focused 1st and Future competition. The main $50,000 prize for its Innovations to Advance Health and Safety competition is TopSpin's namesake TopSpin360, a helmet-based training device that helps reduce concussions (a serious problem for the NFL as of late) by increasing neck strength. All you have to do is spin your head -- the rotating weight on top generates centripetal force you counteract with your neck muscles. It's also Bluetooth-connected to help guide your training sessions.
How to watch the Super Bowl: A cord-cutter’s guide
We all know you don't have to be a fan of American football to watch the Super Bowl. The NFL's Big Game, which this year will be played between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, goes beyond the sport. Even if you don't like who's playing (we're looking at you, Tom Brady), the Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to get together with friends and enjoy a day full of seven-layer dip, chicken wings and, of course, booze. Thankfully, in 2019, the NFL is making it easy for everyone in the US to watch Super Bowl LIII, even if you don't have a cable or satellite account.
Amazon's all-female NFL commentary team will return next season
SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm and NFL Network chief correspondent Andrea Kremer know exactly what they'll be doing on Thursday evenings this fall. That's because they're returning to Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video. Last season, they became the first two-woman team to call NFL games.
The NFL wants Alexa to be your playoff watching companion
Just in time for the start of the playoffs, the NFL has released a new skill for Amazon Alexa devices. "A Rookie's Guide to the NFL" will guide fans and folks who are new to the game through the 2019 postseason, with information about teams, rules, positions, players, equipment, formations and more. The skill is the NFL's first venture into apps with voice-enabled features and is available through the Alexa Skills Store starting today.
EA removes Kareem Hunt from 'Madden 19' following assault
A football player's conduct is leading to consequences on both real and virtual football fields. EA is removing former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt from Madden 19 after TMZ showed a video of Hunt kicking and shoving a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February. He'd been dropped from the Chiefs on November 30th, the same day the video went public.
'Fortnite' is adding NFL team jerseys, emotes and more
Epic Games has landed a major partnership for Fortnite -- it's bringing the National Football League into the fold. Starting Friday at 7PM ET, you'll be able to buy NFL team outfits from the Battle Royale Item Shop, which you can customize with any of the NFL's 32 team uniforms (as well as a Fortnite team) and add your own squad number from 1-99. The NFL cosmetics don't stop there, as there will be gliders. emotes and resource harvesting tools with a football theme, while you can also pick up a referee outfit.
Microsoft executive allegedly attempted to embezzle $1.5 million
Jeff Tran, Microsoft's former director of sports marketing and alliances, was charged with five counts of wire fraud this week for allegedly trying to embezzle $1.5 million from his former employer. He's also accused of stealing and selling more than 60 Super Bowl tickets belonging to Microsoft, pocketing over $200,000 in the process.
Twitch turns cheers into charity during 'Thursday Night Football'
Twitch has announced a couple of new features that aim to make Thursday Night Football an even more exciting -- and worthy -- watch. First up is the TNF Live Extension, where you can make your armchair coaching heard. Predict how drives will end, who will win and more, and if you call the right shots, you'll end up on the leaderboard, which you can gleefully flaunt in front of your friends next time they make a lousy call.
Amazon launches pre-game show for 'Thursday Night Football'
Amazon is launching a new Thursday Night Football pre-game show. Nothing too unusual about that, except this one, The Drive, will be hosted by two women -- a move some will sadly consider surprising, even in this, the year 2018. Charissa Thompson and Rachel Lindsay (pictured) –- who both boast impressive sports broadcasting resumes -- will interview two opposing players both on and off the field as they gear up for their Thursday Night Football game. One interview will take place during the player's daily commute, the other at their home, or team's training facilities.
Amazon's NFL streams will feature an all-female commentary team
When Amazon starts streaming its latest round of Thursday Night Football on September 27th, you'll have a few options for commentary -- including one that breaks new ground in the broadcasting industry. The internet behemoth has announced that it will include an option for all-female audio commentary from veteran sports journalists Andrea Kremer (at left) and Hannah Storm. It's the first time two women commentators will cover an entire NFL game, Amazon said. While it's easy to be cynical about the move, it's definitely big news if you want a break from the usual play calling.
FCC received thousands of fake letters supporting NFL's blackout rule
Fake FCC comments aren't just reserved for net neutrality opponents. The Wall Street Journal has discovered that the FCC received about 21,000 identical letters urging the regulator to let the NFL keep its blackout rule, which let it ban cable and satellite airings of home games that weren't sold out when the league blocked local broadcasts. These weren't even subtle attempts, either. In addition to using the identities and email addresses of some people without their consent, the campaign relied on some obviously fake messages -- at last check, Bilbo Baggins was more interested in magic rings than cheering on American football teams.
CBS will stream Super Bowl LIII on mobile devices without a sign-in
CBS is determined to make the most of the NFL's loosened streaming rules. The broadcaster has revealed its streaming plans for Super Bowl LIII, and you'll finally have the option to watch on mobile devices without a sign-in through CBS Sports' website and mobile apps. You'll also have mobile access through authenticated apps from CBS' cable, satellite, telecom and streaming TV partners. To no one's surprise, you can watch through All Access on mobile if you're a subscriber.
Snapchat deals with NFL, NBC add more sports videos
The jury's still out on whether or not Snapchat Stories are successful, but giants in the sports realm are apparently happy. Snap has signed deals with the NFL and NBC that will bring more sports programming to your phone. To begin with, it's extending its NFL partnership to include a "best of" Sunday Story in the Discover section that summarizes American football news and highlights for the past week. You'll continue to see Snapchat-produced NFL Our Stories material as well as Bitmoji, filters and lenses.
Bixby will start collecting sports scores and news next month
Bixby Home is getting smarter. Well, in the sense that now in the US, Samsung's virtual assistant will offer sports scores and up-to-the-minute news coverage through a partnership with theScore. Swiping right on "select" Galaxy device home-screens including the S9 and S9 Plus gives access to the stats and news. To make the feature a little more useful, you can even follow your favorite teams and leagues so only the news that matters to you will show up.
CBS All Access NFL games will stream on mobile devices this season
CBS announced today that it has extended its deal with the NFL and the network will stream NFL games via CBS All Access through the 2022 season. Additionally, those games can also be streamed on mobile devices starting this season. "We're very pleased to extend and expand our partnership with the NFL and give our viewers and CBS All Access subscribers the ability to stream NFL On CBS games on mobile phones in addition to all other platforms for years to come," Marc DeBevoise, COO of CBS Interactive, said in a statement. "This deal enables us to deliver even more value to NFL fans, our subscribers and our distribution partners."
NFL renews deal with Amazon for ‘Thursday Night Football’ through 2019
A year ago, Amazon secured the rights to stream Thursday Night Football, reportedly beating the previous year's online broadcast partner Twitter (along with Facebook and YouTube) with a $50 million bid. Today the NFL announced it's renewed its deal with Amazon for both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
