FOX Sports to Offer Greater Digital Presence Across Its Sunday and Thursday NFL Games this Season
Increases in Capabilities and Inventory Coupled With Surge in Streaming Viewers Offers Greater Opportunities for Brands
LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports is poised to see its NFL digital impressions increase meaningfully this year thanks to expected continued digital viewership growth, new FOX rights to Thursday Night Football presented by Bud Light (TNF), and expanded mobile distribution of all FOX NFL games. FOX holds exclusive sales rights to national inventory within its Sunday and Thursday Night games, including all live game streaming. The increased digital inventory expands brands’ opportunities to advertise on America’s most popular sport and on FOX’s digital platforms, which are experiencing tremendous viewer growth, including a 70% increase in minutes of live sports consumed year-over-year.
FOX will stream and sell ad inventory within all of its Sunday afternoon and Thursday Night games across FOX Sports digital platforms, extending its authenticated TV Everywhere access to mobile phones for the first time. FOX also represents the national inventory within streams of its games on the NFL app across all devices, Yahoo Sports on phones and tablets, and, in addition, for the 11 FOX TNF games, on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch. These new distribution endpoints add scale to the audience and additional digital advertising opportunities for FOX Sports across its NFL games.
Fox Networks Group Executive Vice President of Advertising Revenue David Levy commented: “With the support of our partners at the NFL, we are improving the fan experience by making it easier to watch football games, while also making it more effective than ever for brands to reach fans on the digital platforms that they are increasingly turning to. Our live sports streaming is becoming more and more popular with viewers; our minutes of consumption grew ten-fold over past three years. With the addition of TNF, we believe the digital consumption of our live sports is going to increase exponentially, offering incredible opportunities for fans, brands, FOX and the League.”
Thursday Night Football games broadcast on FOX will also be distributed on television via NFL Network and FOX Deportes between Weeks 4-15 (excluding Thanksgiving night). The games also be available on FOX Sports and FOX Deportes digital platforms on an authenticated basis across devices, NFL.com and the NFL app on connected TV devices on an authenticated basis, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch across devices, and the NFL app and Yahoo Sports (along with Yahoo, AOL Sports, AOL, and Tumblr) on phones and tablets on a cross-carrier basis.
Sunday afternoon and postseason NFL games broadcast on FOX will be available on FOX Sports digital platforms on an authenticated basis across devices, NFL.com and the NFL app on connected TV devices on an authenticated basis, and the NFL app and Yahoo Sports (along with Yahoo, AOL Sports, AOL, and Tumblr) on phones and tablets on a cross-carrier basis.
About Fox Networks Group
Fox Networks Group (FNG) is a primary operating unit of 21st Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA). FNG consists of Fox Television Group, which includes Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox Television; Fox Sports Media Group; Fox Cable Networks, which includes FX Networks and National Geographic Partners; and Fox Networks Group Europe, Asia and Latin America. Together these units create, program and distribute the world’s most popular entertainment, sports and nonfiction programming.
