By Kevin Clark
For the first time in its history, the NFL will use something
other than television to distribute the national broadcast of a
football game, a person familiar with the situation said on
Monday.
The decision was made Monday at the league's owners meetings and
could reflect a turning point in the league's history.
For this upcoming season's Jacksonville Jaguars-Buffalo Bills
game in Week 7, the NFL will sell the rights to a digital
distribution company, be it YouTube, Facebook or another company.
The game will start at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time and will be played in
London.
The game will be broadcast locally on over-the-air networks in
the home markets of Jacksonville and Buffalo. It is unclear when
bids will be submitted. The game won't be on the DirecTV's Sunday
Ticket service, which broadcasts all games nationally.
This marks a clear change in the way the NFL is doing business.
The league has long relied on television--in 2011 it signed $27
billion worth of TV contracts--but they have in recent years teased
the idea of a partnership with an internet company.
The NFL met with tech companies, such as Google, when the Sunday
Ticket package was available, but the league instead re-signed with
longtime partner DirecTV.
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