If you were counting on your NFL team to boost those ratings this fall, your numbers might have just gotten a little smaller. Sprint and the NFL have just announced a new deal to broadcast all games, as well as video cast the NFL network Thursday night games and various video highlights to its $70 a month 3G subscribers for no additional charge. This will let Sprint 3G users listen to every radio broadcast via their cell phones, meaning that your radio station gets no credit for the broadcast...Here's Sprint's press release..
Sprint and NFL Bring Fans New ‘NFL Mobile Live’ Application Free
of Charge, Including Live Radio Broadcasts of All NFL Regular-Season Games and
Live NFL Network Game Telecasts
Through NFL Mobile Live, Only Sprint Customers
Can Receive Live NFL Content via Wireless
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Sprint (NYSE:S) and the National Football League are bringing NFL
fans closer to the game with NFL Mobile Live, the only wireless source for
complete, live access to NFL action. NFL Mobile Live is free of
charge to Sprint data subscribers and is only available at Sprint.
For the first time in wireless, Sprint customers will be able to listen to
the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season
and will also be able to watch all eight of the Thursday Night Football
telecasts carried by NFL Network live beginning on Nov. 6 via the new NFL
Mobile Live application. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by
carrying a live radio broadcast for each game including pregame and postgame
reports in most instances.
Users can choose a favorite team and every time they use NFL Mobile Live that
team’s information will appear on the screen first with
the latest information and quick links to live broadcasts for that team on game
days, thus eliminating the need to navigate through several screens.
“NFL Mobile Live demonstrates how Sprint brings its
Now Network to life,” said John Garcia, president of
Sprint’s wireless division. “With NFL Mobile Live, fans will be able to listen to any NFL
game as it happens, watch live streaming action of NFL Network games or check
stats of their fantasy players and get updated scores –
all from their phones. And they can do this from wherever they happen to be
– at their child’s soccer
game, shopping at the mall or even sneaking a peek while they’re raking leaves in the yard.”
NFL.com fantasy owners no longer need to be tied to their computer. NFL
Mobile Live allows fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in
real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will
be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats,
rankings, player profiles and photos. And for the first time fans will be able
to watch video highlights for some players on NFL Mobile Live via a link on the
player’s main page. Players with video highlights will
vary week to week.
“The NFL continues to explore new ways to feed our
fans’ insatiable appetite to get NFL games, news and
highlights, anytime, anywhere and on any screen,” said
Brian Rolapp, NFL senior vice president of media strategy. “NFL Mobile Live, exclusively from Sprint, enables fans to
enjoy Thursday Night Football and other exclusive content on their
terms.”
In addition to the live radio broadcasts and NFL Network game telecasts, fans
will again have live access to NFL Network’s non-game
programming throughout the season including training-camp reports and previews
for every team along with popular programs, such as NFL Total Access,
NFL GameDay and NFL Playbook.
Fans will get the latest news and analysis from training camp through the
Super Bowl from NFL.com’s experts along with video
highlights of the top plays available each week throughout the season.
NFL Mobile Live is included at no additional charge in Sprint’s Everything plans starting at $69.99, including Simply
EverythingSM, which combines unlimited voice, messaging
and extensive data services – such as NFL Mobile Live
– for just $99.99 per month. With other Sprint plans,
customers can get NFL Mobile Live by adding a Data Pack, starting at $15 per
month. NFL Mobile Live is available on most Sprint handsets.
In addition, Sprint and Motorola will introduce the MOTORAZRTM VE20 as an ideal wireless handset to experience NFL Mobile
Live¹. Harnessing the speed of Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network, MOTORAZR VE20 offers access to
additional Sprint-exclusive multimedia content including Sprint TV®¹ with an
extensive selection of live and on-demand programming, Sprint Music StoreSM¹ offering over-the-air downloads
of full-length songs2 and Sprint Navigation¹ with GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving
directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings.
MOTORAZR VE20 features touch sensor controls on the external display, an
integrated MP3 player, a 2.0 MP camera and stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology. The MOTORAZR VE20 became available in
all Sprint retail channels, including www.sprint.com and 1-800-SPRINT1, on August 17. The device
will cost $99.99 with a two-year contract agreement and after a $50 mail-in
rebate.
Fans can find information on how to access NFL Mobile Live, only from Sprint,
at nfl.com/mobile or sprint.com/nfl.