Is The NFL Going To OTT? NFL Commissioner Goodell Spotted With Yahoo Execs

• Yahoo! Inc. YHOO live streamed in October an NFL match in October that attracted 15.2 million unique viewers.
• ESPN noted at the time that the NFL's agreement with CBS Corporation CBS for Thursday night games is only a one-year deal.
• Will the NFL ditch traditional cable networks and stream matches online?

Tweet by Matt Maiocco, a sports journalist that covers the San Francisco 49ers. Football fans are jumping to the conclusion that the high profiled meeting could only imply one thing: future football matches will be live streamed over the internet. The NFL and Yahoo teamed up in October to live stream a match between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. Yahoo said that it registered 15.2 million unique viewers and registered 33.6 million streams. ESPN commented on the event, noting that the stream "appeared to go pretty smoothly" and was "pretty clear for the most part." The publication also pointed out that the NFL's agreement with CBS to broadcast its weekly Thursday night game is only a one-year deal. This may explain why Goodell would be meeting with Yahoo's most senior executive. According to Awful Announcing, a popular sports media blog, Yahoo's stream attracted a global audience that was higher than expectations. In fact, "more people around the world tuned in to a game between two mediocre teams than the NFL had anticipated." "That leads to an opportunity – one clearly Goodell doesn't want to miss," the blog added. As more and more television viewers embrace the "cable cutting" trend, the NFL is looking for ways to ensure its fanbase is able to watch games. Will Google Want To Secure The Streaming Rights? What About Netflix? Investors may be incorrect in assuming that a longer-term partnership between Yahoo and the NFL is a done deal. Awful Announcing cited the investment research firm MoffettNathanson who suggested that a "very competitive bidding process" for streaming rights to NFL matches is expected. The research firm also added that "other online players could look to acquire these rights." Will Alphabet Inc GOOG present itself as a bidder for NFL streaming rights? It's quite possible, although there is no reason to conclude either way at the present time. Meanwhile, when asked if Netflix, Inc. NFLX has any plans to enter the live streaming market, the company's content boss Ted Sarandos said "never say never." "Now that the concept has worked—at least in terms of interest if not quality of play," Awful Announcing concluded. "It's time for everyone to pony up the real money. That goes for the cord cutters as well."