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CBS All Access will stream NFL games starting this weekend
Starting Sunday, December 4th, CBS All Access subscribers will be able to stream weekend and Thursday night NFL action through the service. The network announced today that it agreed to terms with the league on a multi-year deal for live access via its $6 monthly option (or the pricier commercial-free tier). The slate of games not only includes the Sunday schedule, but Thursday night action that CBS broadcasts as well as preseason and postseason slates.
WSJ: Amazon ponders live sports on Prime
Amazon already offers a robust library of movies and television for streaming, but the online retailer could be looking to tackle one of the last remaining strongholds of pay television. The Wall Street Journal reports the company has held talks over the last few months with the NBA, MLB, NFL and MLS. Amazon has reportedly also met with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which has it's own network with a hand from ESPN, in addition to Campus Insiders and 120 Sports for college athletics coverage.
The NFL's first VR series is coming to Daydream and YouTube
Virtual reality is all the rage these days and the NFL is hopping on the bandwagon. The league announced today that it's expanding its partnership with Google via a new VR series for YouTube and Daydream. Produced by NFL Films, the 9-part show will offer a look "a 360-degree perspective of life" from the point of view of players, coaches, executives, cheerleaders and fans. While the first episode is set to debut Thanksgiving Day on the league's YouTube channel, the series won't be available inside the NFL VR app for Google's Daydream platform until "later this year."
Bill Belichick is through with the NFL's Surface tablets
You'd think Patriots coach Bill Belichick is feeling over the moon right now. After all, his golden boy Tom Brady is finally back from a four-game suspension, handed to him by the NFL for his role in a cheating scheme now widely known as "Deflategate." But no, Belichick isn't happy. Instead, the Super Bowl-winning coach is lashing out at tablets. And while he doesn't mention Microsoft's Surface by name, that's the device the tech giant pays $80 million dollars a year for teams to use on the sidelines. It's also the one he just smashed in a game against the Bills earlier this month.
NFL could fine its own teams for social media posts
Sports reputation as being DVR-proof has led some leagues to try and tightly control how and where their highlights show up online. While the NBA is relatively loose about allowing its clips on YouTube or Twitter, the NFL has gone after websites for posting video or GIFs before, and the Olympics banned outlets from posting GIFs this summer. Now, a leaked memo obtained by TheMMQB and Mashable reveals how the NFL can go after its own teams for posts by their social media accounts. Now, teams can be fined for exceeding the limits on video and any moving content (read: GIFs) posted during the 60 minutes before a game or during the game.
Twitter counted over 2 million viewers for Thursday Night Football
Twitter's first big splash in TV arrived with last night's NFL simulcast, and now the numbers are in. According to the stats, the livestream averaged some 243,000 viewers that it says watched an average 22 minutes of action, with 2.3 million people watching at least 3 seconds of the game or pregame show. Despite being mostly well received by viewers, those numbers are quite a bit lower than the 2.36 million average / 15.2 million unique Yahoo noted for its stream of a London NFL game last year. This Jets/Bills game was also a national simulcast on CBS and NFL Network, with a viewing audience across platforms that had an average audience minute basis of 15.7 million. Another difference is that Yahoo had a number of international viewers, and featured the game on its homepage which still gets a lot of traffic.
Twitter comes to the Xbox One, Apple and Amazon TV boxes
Much like Shia LaBoeuf declaring that he isn't famous anymore, Twitter is now out and proud about not being a social network. No, instead, Twitter is now a broadcasting platform, which means that it needs to put itself in the sort of places you use to watch TV. That's why the company has announced that it's launching apps for Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and Microsoft's Xbox One. It'll be on these that you can watch some of the new video content that's coming to the service, including Thursday Night Football.
The Eye-Sync system can diagnose concussions in one minute
Concussions are no joke -- just ask Cam Newton -- but a new diagnostic system developed in conjunction with Stanford University could revolutionize the way these head injuries are determined. The Eye-Sync, from the SyncThink company, uses a modified VR headset and custom software running on a consumer tablet to diagnose concussions in just one minute.
Amazon Prime Now delivers supplies to tailgaters at 49ers games
Amazon's one-hour Prime Now deliveries were already available to customers in the San Francisco area, but the company is going a step further for football season. The online retailer is teaming up with the San Francisco 49ers to deliver supplies to tailgaters at Levi's Stadium during this year's slate of NFL games. This will certainly come in handy when fans run out of game-day essentials and can't easily drive out of the lot to go on a grocery run.
NFL reportedly using ball tracking chips in pre-season games
The NFL is using sensors inside footballs during pre-season to track quarterback throwing speeds, running back acceleration, ball position and other stats, according to Recode. The chips are reportedly made by Zebra, a company that already already tracks player statistics for the league using shoulder pad-mounted chips. The NFL used the same ball tracking tech before at the Pro Bowl last year, but the experiment is a first for pre-season. Officials haven't decided if they'll continue it once the regular season starts.
NFL Network launches on PlayStation Vue ahead of football season
Last month, Sony announced that NFL Network and its RedZone channel for keeping up with scoring plays would arrive on PlayStation Vue before the start of the season. Well, the time has come. The company announced today that those two channels are now live on the service for Core and Elite subscribers. Those two tiers are priced at $35 a month and $45 a month, respectively, but if local channels are available in your area you'll have to pay $10 more. If you're interested in that RedZone add-on, you'll need to hand over $40 for the entire season.
Recommended Reading: What happened at Hyperloop One?
How Hyperloop One went off the rails Sarah McBride, Bloomberg The folks at Hyperloop One are one group trying to make Elon Musk's seemingly crazy idea of a levitating pod transportation system a reality. That task hasn't been without its fair share of issues, including infighting and employee lawsuits. What the heck happened? Well, Bloomberg takes a look at the company's inner workings to provide some context for the recent headlines.
Twitter in talks to livestream NFL games on Apple TV
Twitter paid $10 million for the rights to stream NFL games and is reportedly talking to Apple about building an Apple TV app, according to the New York Times. That would let fans to watch ten Thursday Night Football games on a big screen using Apple hardware, even without a cable subscription. "Having that live programming every night when sports are playing -- with no paywall, no logging in and directly from the source -- that's key to us," Twitter CFO Anthony Noto told the NYT.
Microsoft rolls out new Surface Pro Type Covers for NFL fans
Now that the NFL preseason is underway, Microsoft is taking advantage of the moment with a product designed specifically for football fans. If you own a Surface Pro 3 or Surface Pro 4, the company's rolling out new Type Covers featuring logos from all 32 NFL teams, in case you're interested in showing everyone your true colors. The themed peripherals, dubbed Surface Special Edition NFL Type Covers (say that ten times fast), are made from "premium quality" materials according to Microsoft. That said, they don't feature the same high-end, suede-like Alcantara fabric as the Signature Type Covers introduced a few months ago. Doesn't matter? Then you can get one today from Microsoft's site or one its retail stores for $160.
NFL Network and NFL Redzone are now live on Sling TV
After striking a content deal with the NFL last week, Sling TV is now making the NFL Network and NFL Redzone channels available on its streaming service. The company announced that, starting today, Sling Blue subscribers will have NFL Network on their guide -- that bundle is $25 per month, in case you're not familiar with Sling TV's offering. Meanwhile, NFL Redzone requires the Sports Extra add-on for Sling Blue, which costs an extra $5 monthly. Thankfully for cord-cutters who love watching football, the timing couldn't be better, as the NFL preseason kicks off tomorrow with a game between the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.
Wilson's smart football hits stores next month for $200
Back in February, only a few months after Wilson introduced its smart basketball, the company followed that with a similar product for football players. Up until now, however, Wilson hadn't shared any pricing or availability details about the X Connected Football. But today it announced that the smart football will arrive on September 8th for $200, the same price as the basketball version. With the Wilson X Connected Football, you can use an iOS app to get a breakdown of your throw, such as the distance, speed, spin rate and spiral efficiency.
Dish and Sling TV cut a deal for NFL Network streams
That didn't last long. On the heels of Dish Network deal with the NFL expiring, the company has announced that Sling TV (owned by Dish, of course) will have the NFL Network and NFL RedZone available for the 2016 season. Neither the streaming service or the NFL have said anything about pricing yet, but those details will shore up soon. It's part of a bigger deal with Dish, as well, with the aforementioned channels coming back to Dish's satellite customers as well.
The NFL and Snapchat make their partnership official
While Snapchat has been courting sports fans and major leagues for some time now, the National Football League will be the first to announce an official, multi-year deal with the social media platform. According to the league's announcement, Snapchat Discover and NFL Media will produce official content and Live Stories for every single game of the season, including the Super Bowl.
What's on your HDTV: Summer Olympics, NFL preseason
It's time for the 2016 Summer Olympics, broadcast live from Rio (in HD, Ultra HD 4K with HDR and VR!), so you know what I'm watching this week. The tape-delayed Opening Ceremony kicks things off Friday night, but all the sports will be broadcast or streaming live (check out the schedule here, before the first action starts Wednesday afternoon). Football fans can rejoice as preseason action gets rolling, while gamers have several nice choices with Telltale's Batman game on all platforms with Crowd Play, or Don't Starve: Shipwrecked on consoles. Key & Peele's Keanu is here on Blu-ray and Netflix is ready to premiere a new David Cross comedy special plus The Little Prince.
NFL Network and RedZone are coming to PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue just became much more enticing if you're a fan of American football. Sony has announced that both NFL Network and NFL RedZone will be available by the time the regular NFL season kicks off this fall. It's not clear what packages will include the channels, but you will get typical Vue features (such as a cloud DVR and simultaneous streams) and access through the NFL's dedicated apps and websites. Combined with ESPN and other sports coverage on Vue, you may not have much reason to hold on to a conventional TV subscription if you're all about the gridiron.
