Twitter and its live NFL games might be coming to Apple TV

by James Vincent

Aug 15, 2016, 10:20 AM UTC

Twitter is reportedly negotiating with Apple to bring the Twitter app to Apple TV — a move that would give the streaming platform’s millions of users access to upcoming NFL games. The talks have been reported by The New York Times as part of the social media platform’s plans to broaden its appeal using live sports. (NFL content is already available on Apple TV for paying NFL Game Pass subscribers, but games aren’t live-streamed in the US.)

Back in April, Twitter beat out rivals such as Facebook to secure the rights to live stream a number of NFL games, and has since signed similar deals with Wimbledon, the MLB, the NBA, and the NHL. The company wants this content to attract new users to its service as well as bolster its credentials as a home for live experiences. More video content also gives Twitter the opportunity to sell lucrative video ads — although exactly who sell these ads (Twitter or the content provider) differs from deal to deal.

Getting a Twitter app onto platforms like Apple TV would help deliver this content to more people, and traditionally, people love watching live sports on their TV — not on a mobile app or desktop. Such a partnership might also complement Apple's plans for the TV business, with the iPhone-maker reportedly shelving its ambitions to sell users its own TV subscriptions in favor of creating a new interface that makes it easier to find digital content. Adding Twitter's increasingly large catalog of live sporting events to such an "Apple TV Guide" could be a smart move.

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