Want To Watch NFL On Internet? Leave North America
NEW YORK -- Football fans outside North America will be able to watch most NFL games live over the Internet under a subscription package the league announced Friday.
The NFL Game Pass service, available through Yahoo Inc. for $25 a week or $250 for the 17-week regular season, is aimed primarily at the most avid football fans, including Americans who have moved abroad. Those fans currently have access to few games on television, said Brian Rolapp, the league's vice president for media strategy.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo will deploy technologies, including a check of a computer's Internet address to pinpoint its location, to block access to the games from computers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda and Antigua because the service would conflict with existing broadcast rights.
Individual games will be blocked from certain countries abroad when a broadcaster has rights there, Rolapp said.
Rolapp described the new service as largely an experiment to gauge demand and improve technologies.
Terms of the NFL-Yahoo deal were not disclosed.
In the United States, the NFL has long-term contracts with CBS Corp.; NBC, which is a division of General Electric Co.; Fox, which is owned by News Corp.; and ESPN, a division of Walt Disney Co. It also has a deal with satellite television operator The DirecTV Group Inc. to show out-of-market games.
The NFL has made live games available before as part of pilots, but this is the first time the league will offer an entire season. Other professional leagues, notably Major League Baseball, also offer live games over the Internet with similar blackout technologies to preserve lucrative television deals. College sports are also making their way online.
Entire NFL games will be available on demand for up to 24 hours after their conclusion. Highlights are available for free in the United States and elsewhere at NFL.com.
It's not entirely clear what the demand for NFL games will be outside North America. Football's following around the world isn't as strong as, say, soccer or basketball. The National Basketball Association, for instance, has passionate fans in China given the presence of its native, Yao Ming; some NBA games are available there over the Internet.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
