The NFL enters the streaming wars

If all of your friends jumped off a cliff entered the streaming wars, would you do it, too? If you’re the NFL, the answer is yes: the league's first standalone streaming service, NFL+, officially launched yesterday for $4.99 per month (or $39.99/year).

🏈📺 More deets… With its launch, the NFL joins the MLB and NBA as the only pro sports leagues with a streaming service. Subscriptions will include live out-of-market preseason games across all devices, live local and primetime regular-season and postseason games on mobile devices, live local and national audio for every game, NFL Network shows on-demand, and more. 

• The service won’t initially feature exclusive regular-season games, but could eventually in the next decade or so, per NFL Media executive vice president and chief operating officer Hans Schroeder. The league has already locked up its local broadcast rights for the next 7 to 11 years.

💰 Zoom out: The NFL is currently in the process of renewing the rights for its Sunday Ticket package, which DirecTV has held since 1994 (their deal expires after this season). The league is reportedly asking for $2.5 billion per year, with the top candidates being Apple, Amazon, Disney, and Google.