The 2020 NFL season is set to kick off this week and the league is teaming with Verizon Media and Yahoo Sports to provide co-watching features for fans.
The new Yahoo feature Watch Together will give users the ability to co-watch, interact and “immerse themselves in entertainment events ranging from sports to music.” The NFL is the first launch partner for Watch Together, which will be available on the Yahoo Sports app.
Watch Together for NFL Live on Yahoo Sports will give fans the ability to invite up to three family and friends to watch live local and primetime NFL games on their phones through a synchronized livestream. Watch Together will debut on September 10 as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
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“Watch Together is a result of Verizon Media and NFL’s innovative spirit to deliver next-gen experiences that create connection and community,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media, in a statement. “Leveraging Verizon Media’s ecosystem, technology and streaming capabilities, we have the unique ability to create powerful and immersive entertainment experiences of the future like no other.”
In late 2017, the NFL and Verizon announced a multi-year partnership for Verizon’s digital and mobile media properties including Yahoo Sports to stream in-market and national games, including national pre-season, regular season, playoff games and the Super Bowl nationwide. For the first time this season, Yahoo Mail users will have a new Videos tab on the Yahoo Mail iOS and Android app that will feature the NFL live local and primetime NFL games from their inbox.
Yahoo Sports is also launching a new augmented reality experience, “Yahoo Sports PlayAR,” that will let users see graphical replays of plays across all games in near real-time by layering the NFL’s Next Gen Stats proprietary tracking data on-screen with games stats for players who are part of the play. The feature will be available in time for Sunday’s live NFL matchups on Yahoo Sports.