With Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey under pressure to improve the social network's user base and financial coffers, analysts are split on the company's deal with the National Football League.
Twitter and the NFL announced today that they have signed an exclusive deal in which Twitter will live stream Thursday night NFL football games for the upcoming season. The 10 streamed games will be free and will run across devices.
In a bid to extend the NFL's social media presence, Twitter will also offer pre-game Periscope broadcasts from players and teams, giving fans a more immersive game experience.
Last year, the NFL had a deal with Yahoo to offer free live streaming of regular season games.
It's not clear if Yahoo bid for a deal for the upcoming NFL season, although Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reported that Verizon Communications, Amazon and Yahoo tried to get the Thursday night streaming deal.
Bloomberg also reported that Twitter paid approximately $10 million to live stream the 10 games.
"Twitter is where live events unfold and is the right partner for the NFL, as we take the latest step in serving fans around the world live NFL football," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a statement. "There is a massive amount of NFL-related conversation happening on Twitter during our games and tapping into that audience, in addition to our viewers on broadcast and cable, will ensure Thursday Night Football is seen on an unprecedented number of platforms this season."
Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner, Inc., called the deal a great move for Twitter and for Dorsey's push to move the company in a positive revenue direction.
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