X

Verizon Media teams up with NFL to let fans virtually watch games together

The feature will eventually extend to a variety of sporting and music events.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
NFL Verizon Media partnership

You can soon watch live local and primetime games with a group of friends in the Yahoo Sports app.

 Getty Images

Verizon Media on Wednesday said it's launching two new Yahoo features designed to enhance live events. Watch Together will let NFL fans video chat with friends for free while watching live local and primetime games via the Yahoo Sports app. Additionally, Yahoo Sports is adding an augmented reality experience called Yahoo Sports PlayAR, which allows fans to see graphical replays of key moments. 

Watch Together will allow users to invite up to three family members and friends to watch games on their phones via a synchronized livestream. The feature will launch during the 2020 NFL Kickoff on Thursday, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. The NFL is the first launch partner for Watch Together, which is slated to extend to a variety of events, ranging from other sports to music. 

Yahoo Sports PlayAR will show replays of key plays in almost real-time "by layering the NFL's Next Gen Stats proprietary tracking data on-screen with enhanced games stats for players," according to Verizon Media's release. Fans can start using the feature for Sunday's NFL matchups on Yahoo Sports.

Live local and prime-time NFL games are available free on Verizon Media mobile properties including the Yahoo Fantasy Sports app, the AOL app and, for the first time this season, the Yahoo Mail iOS and Android apps. Live games are also available for free on NFL properties such as the NFL App and the NFL Fantasy App.