The SportsBusiness Journal reports that Sprint may be on the verge of signing a 5-year deal with the NFL for $200 million with the total potential value reaching $600 million over the life of the contract. The league voted last week to divide mobile rights between local and national, and grant national rights to show highlights on mobile phones. The deal would include video highlights of games, a first for the NFL. But it comes with lots of strings attached by the always prudent NFL, perhaps the shrewdest league when it comes to licensing. Live game action is not included, unlike the Monday Night Football deal with ESPN that allows live transmission of those games starting in 2006. (Wonder if you’ll have to be an ESPN MVNO subscriber to watch.) This year, video will be available on a 24-hour-delay; when the new broadcast agreements kick in, highlights of at least some games will be available within hours. The national rightsholder also gets footage from NFL Films and official fantasy league status along with video and audio highlights. The marketing impact could be huge for Sprint and Nextel once the merger goes through; Nextel is already the NASCAR title sponsor and adding the NFL would give it an unmatched 1-2 punch. But the company won’t be the only mobile operator in the NFL spotlight; teams retain the right to sell local sponsorships.This approach differs dramatically from that of Major League Baseball, which is selling video and audio access through a variety of mobile instead of going with one sponsor. SportsBusiness Journal (sub. req.)
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