NFL Looks To Get Content Onto Verizon Tablets
Haven't you heard? Tablets are all the rage. They're blowing up, and it
seems that everyone wants in on them. Even cell phone carriers. All four
of the major U.S. carriers managed to acquire Samsung's Galaxy Tab, but
a recent report at the Wall Street Journal hints that another may be in
the works. Recently, Verizon Wireless was selected in place of Sprint
to be the major distribution partner of the NFL, and now the National
Football League "is in talks with Verizon Wireless to
distribute its football programming via a tablet computer."
DirecTV has recently touted the ability to watch live games on cell phones across the nation, but watching a full-scale game on a small screen for hours isn't exactly the most optimal scenario. Instead, tablets are nearly as portable but provide a much larger screen for viewing. They are obviously better suited to handle displaying full games.
Brian Rolapp, the NFL's senior vice president of media strategy, recently said the following: "The NFL will be on a tablet. It's a question of what shape or form. We are currently talking to Verizon about it." Verizon wouldn't comment on the report, and that's all the NFL is handing out. Extra details surrounding the kind of tablet, how soon, what kind of plans will be involved, etc. are still a mystery for now. Verizon recently announced plans to get their LTE network live in major NFL cities as soon as possible, and now this all makes more sense. Light up LTE in NFL cities, and then sell tablets in those cities with LTE support. It sounds like a great way to kickstart a new network; we'll have to wait and see if that actually pans out.
DirecTV has recently touted the ability to watch live games on cell phones across the nation, but watching a full-scale game on a small screen for hours isn't exactly the most optimal scenario. Instead, tablets are nearly as portable but provide a much larger screen for viewing. They are obviously better suited to handle displaying full games.
Brian Rolapp, the NFL's senior vice president of media strategy, recently said the following: "The NFL will be on a tablet. It's a question of what shape or form. We are currently talking to Verizon about it." Verizon wouldn't comment on the report, and that's all the NFL is handing out. Extra details surrounding the kind of tablet, how soon, what kind of plans will be involved, etc. are still a mystery for now. Verizon recently announced plans to get their LTE network live in major NFL cities as soon as possible, and now this all makes more sense. Light up LTE in NFL cities, and then sell tablets in those cities with LTE support. It sounds like a great way to kickstart a new network; we'll have to wait and see if that actually pans out.
