In a move that signals Twitter’s plans to move beyond being a repository for Kanye West rants and online fights between celebrities, the San Francisco-based company has won the right to stream Thursday night National Football League games.
The deal, which the NFL announced early Tuesday, lets Twitter live-stream all 10 of the league’s Thursday Night Football games for the 2016 regular season. Twitter is believed to have beaten out Verizon, Amazon and Yahoo for the right to show the weekly games.
“This is about transforming the fan experience with football. People watch NFL games with Twitter today,” said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, in an NFL statement announcing the deal.