NFL+ is making its debut – with some major caveats

New York
CNN Business
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NFL The streaming service launched on Monday. This sounds like a football fan’s dream, but it’s probably not what you think.

For $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, the new NFL+ service will provide access to local and prime-time games. This is the same content that the league has offered for free on the NFL mobile app for the past several years.

NFL+ is also available exclusively on mobile phones and tablets. Users will not be able to stream games to TVs using the service.

The NFL may be drenching its foot in more flowing water, but it’s not getting rid of the old-fashioned way of watching games.

This is good news for the television industry, because the NFL is among the biggest rating drivers on the air. But it does allow the league to experiment a bit in the world of broadcasting, earn some extra cash and build a subscriber base with fans who are more focused on broadcasting.

NFL+ also offers live local and national audio for every game, NFL Network on-demand shows, and access to archives of NFL Films, according to the league.

“Today marks a significant day in the history of the NFL with the launch of NFL+,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Monday. “Enthusiastic and loyal football fans are the lifeblood of the NFL, and being able to reach and interact with them across multiple platforms is very important to us.”

Goodell added that the league is looking to continue NFL+ growth while providing “access to a massive amount of NFL content, including the media industry’s most valuable content: live NFL games.”

There is also a premium version of NFL+, which costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. This level includes all the features of the cheaper version but also comes with a full game replay and other options.

The NFL was far from the top four professional sports leagues in the United States as the only league without a streaming subscription service directly to customers. However, NFL+ is much more limited than the NBA League Pass, NHL.TV, or MLB.TV, which offer out-of-town games in addition to local games. DirecTV remains the NFL’s exclusive partner for out-of-town football matches, though the Sunday Ticket contract expires at the end of this year, and there’s been plenty of speculation about which provider will take the reins.

The NFL TV viewership for regular season 2021 It’s up nearly 10% from the previous year, bringing in an average of 17.1 million viewers per game on TV and digital. That’s the highest average for a regular season since 2015, according to the league.

Last year, the NFL signed 10-year deal starting in 2023 With its TV partners worth over $100 billion.