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NFL will be first sports league on Snapchat Discover

Snapchat and the NFL are huddling up to bring this season straight to your smartphone.

 

Tess Cagle

Tech

Posted on Aug 2, 2016   Updated on May 26, 2021, 8:34 am CDT

Snapchat users will have a front row seat to every football game this season. The NFL and Snapchat announced Tuesday a multiyear extension of their partnership, making the NFL the first sports league to have a presence on Snapchat Discover.

This extension follows a successful first year of online programming, with more than 70 million people tuning into the app to watch NFL Live Stories in 2015, according to the NFL press release.

The Discover channel promises to be every fan’s backstage pass to games that will include insider access videos, content about the latest trends, and analysis of hot topics in the NFL. Users can also count on there being a Live Story for every NFL game during the season–including the Super Bowl–as well as other events like the NFL scouting combine and the NFL draft.

“We’re excited to expand our partnership with Snapchat, delivering compelling NFL content to a platform where millions of our fans around the world interact on a daily basis,” Blake Stuchin, director of NFL digital media business development, said in a statement. “The launch of the NFL on Discover will provide a key touch point to follow storylines throughout the week, and the expansion of Live Stories will provide fans with a unique perspective of the excitement in and around our stadiums at every game all season-long.”

It’s no wonder Snapchat is eager to expand its partnership with the league since NFL games accounted for the top 25 and 46 of the 50 most-watched TV shows among all programming in 2015, according to the Nielsen Company. 

“The NFL has been a tremendous partner over the last year and a half as we’ve worked to expand our premium sports coverage.” Ben Schwerin, head of partnerships for Snapchat, said. “We’re thrilled to be bringing even more NFL content to Snapchatters and brand partners alike throughout the year.” 

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*First Published: Aug 2, 2016, 7:32 pm CDT