Verizon is ready for some football

For the last five years, Sprint has been the official wireless carrier for the National Football League (NFL). This means their logo has graced football stadiums and halftime shows. It also means exclusive NFL content from player stats to actual games has been available for streaming on Sprint-serviced devices. That all changed a few days ago when Verizon used its muscle to push Sprint out of the way and become the new official carrier for of the NFL.

A Verizon wireless press release said the NFL “has joined forces with Verizon Wireless, the owner and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network…” when announcing the newly inked deal. But let’s be honest. Like so many things in business—most things, really—it came down to money. Verizon simply offered the NFL an amount more than double what Sprint had paid: $720 million for four years.

The deal goes into effect next month, just in time for the draft on April 22. Verizon customers won’t get access to every single game, but they will get live video of “Sunday Night Football,” and Thursday games, as well as 24-hour news coverage. They’ll also have access to the RedZone channel, which is Sunday afternoon coverage of multiple games played every week. Also included are radio broadcasts, video highlights, and even stats and rosters for fantasy football enthusiasts.

All of this will be available on some Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android devices. Verizon hasn’t announced package pricing yet, but plans to do so later this year, just before football season starts.

This is a big loss for Sprint. A spokeswoman said the company decided not to continue with the sponsorship because the cost, “reached a point where we questioned the return on our investment,” which sounds a bit like spin on just not being able to compete with a $720 million bid.

Sprint still maintains its relationships with NFL teams such as the Indianapolis Colts and the Kanas City Chiefs, and sponsors the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Image courtesy NFL

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