NFL tries a different sort of snap: Weekly stories on Snapchat
The National Football League will post original video and photos each week this season on Snapchat, the social network prized for its young users.
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The National Football League is taking snaps off the gridiron.
The NFL said Thursday it is working with social app Snapchat to create weekly photo and video packages that combine content about the sport posted by everyday people with media from inside the league itself.
But don't get any ideas about watching games there -- mobile live-streaming of the NFL is still Verizon's turf.
The partnership is a play by the NFL to reach younger fans and for Snapchat to lure in richer advertising. Snapchat, where users share videos and photos that disappear when a timer runs out, is prized by brands and media companies for its large, young audience. About 100 million people use it daily, and researchers like ComScore and eMarketer estimate the majority of them are under 34. The partnership will acquaint Snapchat's young audience with the NFL in a different way. While it may also make some football diehards experiment with Snapchat, the Los Angeles-based startup really wins by drafting off the NFL's advertising power. The league is one of the most-valued media brands in the country, routinely attracting the largest audiences on television that command high ad rates.
The packages are called Live Stories, a Snapchat format that strings together "snaps" (the company's lingo for posts of video or photos) revolving around a particular event. The first NFL Live Story made its debut last week. Each one will be curated by Snapchat to show fan perspectives and official NFL behind-the-scenes content.
The content will follow a weekly programming schedule during the NFL's regular season and continue into the postseason through Super Bowl 50. The Live Stories will feature the league's 32 teams and be accessible to all Snapchat users worldwide. NFL and Snapchat will offer brands the chance to advertise within the Live Stories.
The next NFL Live Story will go live Thursday night ahead of a game between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
The only way to watch NFL games live on a mobile phone, still, is to be a Verizon Wireless customer. Verizon, the country's biggest carrier, pays the NFL hefty fees for the mobile live-streaming rights for local and prime-time games.