Twitter App To Stream NFL Games On Apple TV, Amazon Fire & Xbox One
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) — A new Twitter app is coming to Xbox One, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, where viewers will be able to watch NFL games on Thursday nights.
The short-messaging service secured the rights to stream 10 Thursday night games this year as it attempts to broaden its appeal. It's hoping that live video of sports and other events will help stimulate more interest in its service.
Make history and watch the first ever #TNF Livestream: @nyjets face the @buffalobills! #NYJvsBUF
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2016
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/BrvmVNHWme
It's a crucial time for the faltering company that is trying to improve stagnating user growth, not to mention boost its appeal to advertisers.
The apps, which are free, will have all the live-streaming video available on Twitter. Besides the football games, this includes content from the NBA and Bloomberg News. It will also have other Twitter content, such as top tweets and Periscopes (video from Twitter's live-streaming app).
Users won't need a Twitter account or a pay-TV subscription to watch the content. But they will be exposed to advertising from Twitter — and ideally might be lured into signing up for an account.
Twitter has never made a profit, and in the most recent quarter posted a 20 percent revenue increase, compared with 59 percent growth at Facebook. It averaged 313 million users a month in the period, a gain of just 3 million from the previous quarter. Facebook has 1.71 billion users.
TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.