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Amazon’s NFL series returns for a third season April 27th
Amazon's sports documentary series All or Nothing is coming back next month for a third season and this time it follows the Dallas Cowboys. The eight-episode season starts off on a handful of positive notes -- owner Jerry Jones was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and head coach Jason Garrett is 2016's NFL Coach of the Year. But it's not all good news. The league suspends running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games following an investigation into allegations of repeated instances of domestic violence -- a decision that was then appealed and put on hold multiple times. And the team is put in the spotlight over its and Jones' response to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Ultimately, the Cowboys' season, full of ups and downs, ends just short of the playoffs.
Technology can’t save football players' brains
Tregg Duerson was 25 years old when his father committed suicide in 2011. A former defensive back for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Phoenix Cardinals, David "Dave" Duerson made a career out of being one of the most feared tacklers during his 11-year stint in the National Football League. His skill set helped him win two Super Bowl championship rings, one with the Bears in 1985 and another with the Giants in 1990, cementing his legacy as one of the NFL's all-time greats. Along the way, he was also selected to the Pro Bowl, a postseason game that rewards the league's best players, four consecutive times from 1985 to 1988. Duerson had the NFL career most players can only dream of, but it ultimately cost him his life.
Every NFL player can get a smart bed to track their sleep
The Super Bowl is almost here, and that means one thing in the tech world besides new ads: conveniently timed sports partnerships. The NFL and Sleep Number have unveiled an agreement that will offer every league player a Sleep Number 360 smart bed. The auto-adjusting design will theoretically improve their rest, of course, but the real star is the sleep tracking. Sleep Number will work with teams to incorporate the players' habits into their training regimens, so they'll know whether or not they're getting enough sleep to make the most of their performance on the field.
Facebook adds variety series hosted by NFL star Von Miller
The latest sports star to get a Facebook Watch show is Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller. Variety reports that Miller will get a live weekly variety series that brings together comedy, celebrity guests, teammates and Miller's brothers. "Having my own show is a dream come true," Miller told Variety. "I look forward to bringing the fans into my home and into my world each week. I know we are going to have some fun."
Twitter COO Anthony Noto resigns to lead a finance startup
If there was one person at Twitter who was more important than co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey, it was COO Anthony Noto. Now, in what could be big news for the social network, Noto has announced that the rumors are true and he is leaving the company to become CEO of personal finance startup SoFi. Noto will begin his responsibilities leading SoFi on March 1st, but the move is likely to cause some fallout for the imperiled microblogging site.
Yahoo Sports starts streaming NFL playoff games this weekend
Last month, Verizon signed a new deal with the NFL, exchanging its rights to be the exclusive wireless carrier for NFL games for rights to air games on a wider range of devices. That has led to a few new options for NFL fans when it comes to how they can watch games on their phones and today, Verizon announced that playoff games will be available for viewing on the Yahoo Sports app starting this weekend as will the Super Bowl next month. "Consumers in the US will be able to watch all four playoff games with one click on the Yahoo Sports app," Oath CEO Tim Armstrong told CNBC.
ESPN lands mobile streaming rights to ‘Monday Night Football’
Ever since Verizon traded in its status as the exclusive wireless carrier for streaming live NFL games in order to gain streaming rights across multiple platforms, others have sought deals with the NFL to stream games to smartphones. Earlier this week, NBCUniversal signed a deal with the NFL allowing it to stream Sunday Night Football on all mobile devices through TV Everywhere starting in 2018. Today, ESPN announces that it has also reached a deal with the NFL and it will now add smartphones to the devices through which ESPN subscribers can stream Monday Night Football.
NBC will stream 'Sunday Night Football' to your phone in 2018
The end to Verizon's NFL streaming exclusive is already paying dividends. NBCUniversal has cut a deal with the NFL that gives it the rights to stream Sunday Night Footbal through TV Everywhere on smartphones, not just bigger-screened devices like PCs, tablets and TVs. The deal takes effect starting with the 2018 season, so you might not get to watch the Super Bowl on your handset in February. So long as you have TV service, though, you'll at least get to tune into regular season games throughout 2018.
Verizon’s NFL streaming isn’t restricted to its own customers anymore
Verizon and the NFL signed a new $2 billion, five-year deal today. In it, Verizon traded its previous status as the exclusive US wireless carrier for NFL games for the exclusive rights to livestream games to any device, whether a cell phone, a computer or a streaming device attached to a TV. The new deal kicks off in January 2018, and brings the NFL playoffs to Yahoo and Yahoo Sports.
Microsoft extends NFL deal for Surface on the sidelines
About five years ago, Microsoft scored a $400 million deal to supply the NFL with Surface tablets. With the deal about to expire, the football league just renewed its partnership for the sideline tech with Microsoft for another year, according to a report at SportsPro.
Dish customers can no longer access CBS TV channels
If you're looking forward to watching the NFL this Thanksgiving you might find yourself stuck watching holiday reruns instead, as CBS is making good on its threat to black out dozens of channels in response to its ongoing subscription feud with Dish. According to Dish, the network last night barred customer access to 28 local channels in 18 markets across 26 states.
Bloomberg: Verizon's new NFL streaming deal will stretch to TV
Since 2010, Verizon's wireless arm has had an arrangement for streaming NFL games to phones (and, after they became a thing, also tablets), but Bloomberg reports it will stretch to TVs soon. According to unnamed sources, both parties are close to a new deal that will not only include all sizes of screens but also drop the company's exclusivity. That's key even for people who don't have Verizon because until now, it has kept internet TV services like DirecTV Now and Sling TV from streaming NFL games to mobile devices. On Verizon's end, expanding and adding content from sources like the NBA and NFL is expected to "prime the pump" according to Bloomberg, for the whole Oath media unit (which Engadget is a part of.)
Google’s latest VR series takes you to the set of ‘Austin City Limits’
While Apple continues to expand its library of exclusive music documentaries, Google is now bringing a little music to its slate of VR series. Austin City Limits: Backstage takes you behind the scenes of the legendary music show and gives you backstage access to the performances, the crew and the artists that take the stage.
Dwyane Wade is the latest athlete to have a show on Facebook
Facebook's next pro athlete-centered show will feature the Cleveland Cavaliers' Dwyane Wade. The five-part series will premiere on November 20th and will show what keeps Wade busy when he's off the court. BackCourt Wade follows the three-time NBA champion as he attends Paris and Milan fashion weeks, tries to learn golf and manages his businesses.
TSA Precheck will let you into some NFL stadiums faster
TSA's Precheck clearance isn't just useful for getting around the security theater at airports. Idemia has started making deals with NFL teams to use Precheck as a "fast pass" for stadiums, starting with the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium and the New York Jets' MetLife Stadium. You can even enroll on the spot and use that pre-screening the next time you're flying. Levi's Stadium will also use Idemia's biometric scanning to "assist in fan experience and security" in the near future, although the company hasn't elaborated on what that means.
NFL's new digital ticket system tries to cut out scalpers
While there has been a fair amount of technical progress in concert and show tickets, sports tickets haven't quite made that leap yet: they're still either partly analog (read: old-school paper) or tend to be limited to a narrow group of sellers. NFL and Ticketmaster are hoping to fix that. They're extending their partnership to create what they say is the first open, all-digital ticketing system for sports. It'll both modernize the ticket process with less chance of fraud or other security woes, but will validate tickets at other sites. You can go through a third party knowing their tickets are the real deal and aren't coming from scalpers.
Facebook snags a Kerry Washington-produced drama
Facebook continues to add to its slate of original content and the latest show to join the lineup is a Kerry Washington-produced drama called Five Points, Variety reports. The show follows high school students living on the South Side of Chicago and covers the fallout of a life-changing event from five different points of view.
Hulu makes it easier to find what’s on its live TV service
Hulu keeps refining its live TV service, introducing new changes to the interface and programming aimed at helping its customers find things they want to watch, whether live or on-demand. The streaming service is available on a ton of devices, including Roku, Xbox 360, Fire TV and your Mac or PC via the web. The company is adding features to its refreshed interface, too. Today, head of experience at Hulu, Ben Smith, announced a new channel guide that's been added to the web version of Hulu to help you find what's on live TV more easily than before.
DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket refunds following player protests
Once you subscribe to DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package, usually you're locked in. According to their support site, no cancellations are allowed once the regular football season starts. But in an unprecedented move, The Wall Street Journal reports the satellite broadcaster is offering refunds to fans -- a $280 value -- if the reason for cancellation is players choosing to kneel during the national anthem, protesting injustices against people of color in the US.
Facebook scoops NFL video highlights and in-depth recaps
With its recently launched Watch video section still fresh, Facebook is wasting no time in expanding its line-up. This time it's ditching original shows in favor of football. The company just announced that it's teaming up with the NFL to bring highlights for all 256 regular season games, as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl, to its social network. On top of that, it's getting three in-depth segments in the form of NFL Game Recaps, NFL Turning Point, and Sound FX for its Watch tab. Those outside of the US can catch the video blitz by following the NFL Facebook page or any of the league's 32 clubs. The shows will each be available globally via their respective pages as well.
