• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 9, 2025
Join us May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own Register Now

Inside The NFL’s First-Of-Its-Kind Deal With Snapchat

By: Zach Seybert, @zlseybert

The NFL has become the first pro league to reach a deal with Snapchat. Photo via fortune.com.

Recently, Snapchat has been in the news for a variety of reasons, including Instagram’s adoption of a “story” feature awkwardly similar to the whole Snapchat platform, but in other news, Snapchat has partnered with the NFL to create a channel on the platform’s “Discover” page.

By doing so, the NFL will become the first professional league to announce an official, multi-year deal with the mobile messaging application used to share photos, videos, text and drawings. According to the official announcement from the NFL, Snapchat Discover and NFL media will produce official content and “Live Stories” for all 256 regular season games and the Super Bowl.

This comes after Snapchat’s creation of “Live Stories” (collections of snaps from a specific event) for close to 50 NFL games last year, which had over 70 million people watching. To compare this number, there were 199 million TV viewers tuned into NFL games, according to Nielsen. The engagement numbers from Snapchat alone are expected to jump significantly given there will be almost five times as many games for Live Stories in addition to the Discover channel.

The platform has certainly taken over the social scene in the past few years and is looking to bring in $300 million in revenue this year, which is much more than the $50 million the company projected for 2015 revenue. With the creation of new features on the app, there has also been some experimenting with ads which can sometimes be overlooked by users given their almost seamless integration. As part of their agreement, Snapchat and the NFL will sell ads for each Live Story and the Discover channel, the revenue for which will be split.

Examples of how Snapchat was used during the 2015 season. All 256 regular season games will have customized Geofilters. Photo via theverge.com.

A popular feature for users has been the Geofilters customized for different locations around the globe, which can be applied to photos and videos when a user is in that location. With this partnership, NFL fans will be able to use customized Geofilters for each of the league’s 32 teams, which allow users to access team-specific content when they are near NFL stadiums and practice facilities.

“We’re excited to expand our partnership with Snapchat, delivering compelling NFL content to a platform where millions of our fans around the world interact on a daily basis,” said Blake Stuchin, Director of Digital Media Business Development for the NFL.

“The launch of the NFL on Discover will provide a key touch point to follow storylines throughout the week, and the expansion of Live Stories will provide fans with a unique perspective of the excitement in and around our stadiums at every game all season-long.” For a joint press release by the two companies, click here.

The NFL’s expansion of its partnership with Snapchat continues the league’s trend of venturing into social media. Earlier this year, the NFL and Twitter agreed to a deal allowing the platform to broadcast the league’s Thursday night football games online. This was a move that surprised those in the sports and media industries, with Twitter outbidding Amazon, Yahoo and Facebook.

With this partnership and Snapchat’s continual evolution as a go-to social media platform, football Sundays (Mondays and Thursdays) have become even more accessible to fans worldwide.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sports Creators Brace for Potential TikTok Ban

A TikTok ban would fundamentally alter the NIL industry.

Skechers Wasn’t Cool. Then NBA Stars Started Wearing Them

The brand is not traditionally cool. Embiid, Randle, and others don’t care.
Manchester City replaces Real Madrid, who now ranks second after four years at the top.

Manchester City Named Most Valuable Club Soccer Brand at $1.6 Billion

Manchester City is the most valuable club soccer brand, per Brand Finance.
FaZe Clan

Verizon Gaming

Verizon becomes the latest company to deepen its partnership efforts within the esports industry, signing a deal with FaZe Clan.

Featured Today

Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Actor and filmmaker Spike Lee (l) greets former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the game between the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

‘Friends of the Garden’: Inside the NBA’s Most Exclusive Celebrity Suite

“Among the titans of industry, deals are done at Suite 200.”
exclusive
May 9, 2025

Shams Charania on Draft, Breaking Dončić Trade, ‘Whirlwind’ ESPN Tenure

Charania will work on his first NBA draft lottery for ESPN on Monday.
Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.
May 7, 2025

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

YouTube golf is big business. The rival tours are staging formal events.
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
May 6, 2025

Before the Villanova Knicks, There Were the Kentucky Celtics

Three decades ago, Boston tried its own version of the college-teammate experiment.
Allyson Felix

Allyson Felix on Olympic Pay, Nike, and Track’s Big-Money Era

Felix talked to FOS about her push to help Olympic parents and more.
April 15, 2025

MLB Sticks With Jackie Robinson Tributes Despite DEI Pushback

The league’s customary celebrations clash against a White House-driven DEI purge.
Jordon Hudson
April 30, 2025

Bill Belichick Accuses CBS of ‘Selectively’ Editing Awkward Girlfriend Clip

The North Carolina coach cited his “professional” relationship with Jordon Hudson.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
March 19, 2025

As American World Cup Approaches, USL Approves Promotion, Relegation

The move aligns the upstart league with the sport globally.
Tennis
March 14, 2025

At Indian Wells, Even ‘Lucky Losers’ Can Bank $100K

It’s a function of the tournament’s enormous prize purse.
Ryan Wedding
March 7, 2025

Feds Put $10 Million Bounty on Olympic Snowboarder for Drug Trafficking, Murder

Ryan Wedding competed at the 2002 Winter Games for Canada.
Caitlin Clark
February 28, 2025

Chicago Sky Finally Move Caitlin Clark Games to 21,000-Capacity United Center

The games could enter WNBA attendance record books.