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NFL revamps mobile app to provide constant stream of football goodness

The National Football League's NFL Mobile app has more bells and whistles, but you still can't watch the games unless you're a Verizon Wireless customer.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng
2 min read

Only Verizon Wireless customers will be able to stream NFL games on their mobile devices. Verizon

The National Football League upgraded its mobile app to include more features, even if still won't stream live games to all of its fans.

The company on Tuesday launched its new NFL Mobile app, which now incorporates its signature new service from a year ago, NFL Now, as a component of the app that brings a constant stream of video, news and other related content. NFL Mobile will also allow all Verizon Wireless customers to stream select games each week, including their local game, as part of the carrier's deal with the league. Previously, Verizon customers needed to subscribe to a certain tier of service to access the games.

The move makes it easier for football fans to access the treasure trove of content that is produced to compliment the games itself, something it had attempted to push through its standalone NFL Now service. When announced last year, it was seen as the latest organization or company to embrace the idea of over-the-top content, or the idea that video can be streamed over the Internet rather than a traditional cable line.

The change to incorporate NFL Now into the core NFL Mobile app was made when the league discovered that fans were confused about which app to click on for which content.

The video content is free and doesn't require cable authentication, according to David Jurenka, vice president of digital media operations for the NFL.

NFL is also combining its premium services into one package called NFL Game Pass, which will include live preseason games, ,replays of all games in demand, a "Coaches Film" feature with multiple angles of each game, 30-minute "Condensed Games" and replays of older games from past seasons. Game Pass will cost $100 a season, versus the previous combined cost of $140 for all of the services.