The NFL’s major media partners remain the traditional television networks of NBC, CBS and FOX, the cable network ESPN and the satellite provider DirecTV. But it’s only a matter of time before an online distributor also becomes a major media partner of the NFL.
That’s the word from Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, who said today on PFT Live that he expects an online video distributor like Amazon, Netflix or YouTube will some day out-bid the traditional television companies to broadcast NFL games.
“There’s no doubt it’s coming,” Bidwill said. “The question is how we transition into it. What we need to do is do a great job of listening to our fans about how they want to consume NFL content. Our fans are switching to digital, they’re switching to handheld and mobile devices, and we want to respond to that.”
The Cardinals teamed with Amazon for the new documentary series All or Nothing, which debuts July 1 on Amazon Prime. Bidwill is excited about the way that series can help the team draw fans from outside Arizona.
“This was a great way for us to tell our story across the country,” he said. “We want to expand our footprint, expand our fan base.”
Eventually, the NFL hopes to expand the fan base around the world, and the path to doing that will be broadcasting games online.