Dive Brief:
- NFL Mobile from Verizon tripled from a year earlier the number of mobile devices reached during the webcast of the NFL draft. It also saw an 187% increase in the number of minutes watched during the event’s live broadcast on Thursday, MediaPost Communications reported.
- The number of devices streaming the event rose 37% to 1.3 million, the NFL said, citing data collected by Adobe analytics. The average video streaming audience rose 38% to 38,000.
- The annual selection of new players also was popular on social media, with Facebook recording 9.2 million interactions with Facebook NFL Draft content, according to Nielsen Social data. Twitter interactions grew 8% from a year earlier to 2.7 million, while the @NFL user handle doubled its engagements to 467,000.
Dive Insight:
The NFL, coming off a season when TV ratings slumped 10% and player scandals grabbed headlines, needs mobile media to help re-build its audience. With the tumultuous presidential election behind it, the league can focus on providing entertainment to audience that is seeking an escape into live sporting events.
The jump in mobile usage for Verizon indicates that dedicated fans are eager to embrace mobile technology to watch live programming and interact with social media. Wireless devices provide the opportunity to deliver video content and ads to an audience that isn’t tethered to a living room couch or barstool.
The Verizon news is the latest indication that digital platforms are eager to gain rights to live sports events and show the major leagues their ability to connect with fans. Recently, Amazon won the rights to stream a handful of NFL games during the upcoming season, dropping a reported $80 million in fees and marketing support to beat out other platforms also competing for the rights like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Mobile technology also gives the NFL and other professional sports organizations a way to connect with a generation that has grown up on cell phones. Given the wide variety of entertainment options that are available to younger audiences, professional sports don’t have the same kind of relevance they had in the past. In order to connect with the next generation of sports fans, the NFL needs to find more ways to integrate mobile technology with its programming.
