NFL Discussions Highlight SBJ Media & Tech Conference Reps from the league and Amazon Video report on their partnership By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, November 13, 2017 - 11:59 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The NFL was front and center at Sports Business Journal's Sports Media & Technology Conference last week. Jim DeLorenzo, head of sports, Amazon Video, and Vishal Shah, SVP, digital media business development, NFL, explained Amazon's Thursday Night Football streaming efforts, and Mary Ann Turcke, president, NFL Digital Media and NFL Network, discussed her first eight months on the job and the future of NFL Digital Media and the NFL Network.
It has been a resounding positive experience across all devices that is delivered in HD and is also seamless to users, Shah said. The international market is a strategic priority for the league as we want to be a global entertainment property. So Amazon Prime helps drive engagement and teach us about fans in the global market.
Jim DeLorenzo of Amazon said the company will evaluate its next step regarding any future NFL deals after the season is complete.
DeLorenzo said that, on average, viewers are watching 50 minutes of each game.
It's not just fly-by viewers; they are actually engaged with it, he said. That goes to the expertise of our technical and product teams and a lack of latency as in some cases we are ahead of the cable platforms. Negative latency is something people were not expecting.
Amazon is only a few games into its NFL streaming package, and DeLorenzo considers it far too early to say what the next step will be or even if there is a next step.
We want to see how things continue to perform and then work backwards to find out that next step, he said. Whether the content is sports or not. we always start with the customer and work backwards from there.
The NFL deal made sense, he added because the content is in high demand in the U.S. and globally.
Mary Anne Turcke of the NFL said that the NFL Network has seen ratings gains in crucial dayparts.
Turcke has been in her new post for only eight months, and, at the NFL Network, the recent returns on ratings have been positive. Key dayparts are seeing gains of 20% over last year as shows like Good Morning Football shift focus.
We have seen great growth in the younger demo as a show like Good Morning Football combines pop culture with sports, she said. Some avid fans give us a hard time but it is easy viewing and that helps.
When asked about a technology that exited her Turcke left aside the usual suspects like VR or HDR and instead focused on what Shah hinted at: understanding NFL fans. Amazon understands customer data and how to make sense of it.
What wins the day is capabilities, not technology, said Turcke. Right now, we have a one or two-dimensional view of our fan base.
Turcke believes NFL content will continue to be seen on more global platforms. Also, things like curated news feeds will be important to keeping fans engaged and monetizing those fans.
You want to be where the younger people are, but you need to put a governor on going all the way [to where they are today], said Turcke. One day, they will have a mortgage and kids and will realize that TV is a cheap form of entertainment.
For example, there are occasional reports of concerns that the Red Zone channel is taking viewership away from the regular regional and national NFL game broadcasts.
If you can get a millennial viewer into the NFL by having them watch the Red Zone channel at some point, she said, you can attract them to watch full games.
The subject of the next round of NFL rights came up and the constant debate is whether the likes of Amazon, Google, or Facebook would want to take a stab at snagging one of the current major NFL TV deals. One advantage the traditional TV networks currently hold? Production experience.
The production element is not a minor one, said Shah. The ability to be able to produce games every single week in a differentiator for our TV partners. So, when thinking about digital distribution how do you build out that capability as well?
Social media is also an important part of the NFL's plan for growth, and Turcke said that there is an opportunity to use it to make players into superstars and to create a funnel of superstars so that fans are constantly engaged.
There are cool ways to integrate different kinds of content, like snapchat and short stories, she explained. During this time, it is really about test, iterate, fail fast, then try again. But at the root [of our efforts] are a couple hundred players and helping them curate their social media experience. Provide them with a safe environment that, unless they do something stupid, has upside for their brand and exposure.
Turcke says the key to the future will be having a ubiquitous presence for fans: People are going to be annoyed if you are not everywhere. The quilted patterns of where to find content aren't tolerable anymore.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
12/05/2026
CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video and broadcast solutions, has appointed Randy Koeman as Sales Manager, Netherlands, marking anot...
12/05/2026
Taiwan Television has expanded its HD content ingest workflow capabilities by investing in the PlayBox Neo Suite - a leading multi-channel multi-server UHD/HD/S...
12/05/2026
Jigsaw24 is strengthening its media team with the appointment of Tom Laker as Client Director and Ashish Chauhan as Project Manager. These strategic hires bring...
12/05/2026
Broadcast playout leader showcases hybrid IP infrastructure and workflow automation with Videoland deployment as regional benchmark...
12/05/2026
dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its centralised approach to production workflows...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
NFL Discussions Highlight SBJ Media & Tech Conference Reps from the league and Amazon Video report on their partnership By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
