NFL iPhone App Not Happening, Says The NFL

Dan Frommer | November 16, 2008 11:25 AM

brett-favre-mouth-open1.jpgMajor League Baseball's iPhone app rocked. Live game updates, almost instant video highlights, box scores, etc. So now that it's football season, where's the National Football League's equivalent?

Not happening, says an NFL rep. Sprint Nextel (S) pays the league $50 million a year to be its exclusive wireless sponsor/content partner, a deal that runs through 2009. And Sprint's rival AT&T (T) has an exclusive on Apple's (AAPL) iPhone, reportedly through 2010. Which suggests the iPhone app store is off limits for the NFL at least through 2009, and perhaps beyond.

Too bad for iPhone users, but probably a smart financial decision for the NFL.

Major League Baseball sold about 140,000 copies of MLB At Bat, its iPhone app. Assuming they all sold for $5 each, MLB made almost $500,000 after Apple's 30% cut. An impressive amount for a first shot at a new mobile platform. But not quite $50 million a year.

The NFL offers an ad-supported mobile Web site that iPhones can access, which includes scores, news, and photo galleries. And there's plenty of sports apps for the iPhone with football info. But nothing quite like MLB's iPhone app.

Meanwhile, MLB has released a free version of its app for the offseason. You can download it here.

See Also:
Major League Baseball's iPhone App: Mobile TV That Makes Sense
Baseball's iPhone App A Solid Hit, Getting New Features

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7 Comments

Don P. said:
Dan how do you figure this is a smart move for the NFL? Are you forgetting about the, "the future" of the NFL? It's not us old farts it's the young kids. Sometimes when I read articles like this and analysts opinions I wonder if they ever go to youtube and check out iphone applications, (specifically games). There is a hot new game called, "Fastlane Speed Racing" that all the kids are buying. Yet you still think the NFL is smart? Try this to see where Apple and its iPhone/iTouch will be 5 years from now. Go to Youtube and just type in, "Apple Store". These young kids are not at home watching football and they sure as heck can't afford to actually go see the games. They are at the Apple store....
Kenny said:
Please update that Favre picture. A nice Jets photo of him going deep or something.
Don P. said:
Nice call Kenny. Ever check out what is the No. #1 selling NFL jersey? Brett's Jets jersey of course. Just curious Dan how old are you?
Don P.: I agree. But I think another year won't kill them. However, $50 million a year probably isn't making much of a dent in the league's overall revenue. So hopefully they *do* have a long-term mobile strategy that will work across all carriers. Exclusive content didn't work and won't work going forward.

Kenny, I'm originally from Chicago and don't like NY sports teams. That's the only Brett I care to know. :-)
mark cuban said:
just wait..someone will fill this gap. The sports apps on iphone are terrible but I hear there are big ones coming soon.
Sumedh Jigjinni said:
I'm a bit confused why everyone is bashing the NFL's decision to go with $50mil in the next year over $500k. The Sprint agreement only goes through 2009. When 2009 rolls around, the NFL can choose to no longer be exclusive and go with the iPhone. If the NFL wants to play it smart, it can just wait and see how successful MLB is in the next year or few years and then jump ship to the iPhone.

It's not like there is any competition to the NFL in terms of brand equity for professional football. As soon as the NFL releases it, every fan will download it.
Deven Nongbri (URL) said:
What gets me is that Sprint is coughing up $50 million a year for this exclusive content - how can they possibly afford that given the state of their affairs in the toughest mobile market to date? Ask any NFL fan if they'd buy a Sprint phone because of this exclusive NFL access, and the answer is no - it's a nice-to-have at most for existing Sprint customers.

The NFL made the right choice, for their pockets, in locking in the Sprint deal through 2009. As Sumedh noted, as soon as the league releases a multi-platform app, every fan will download it (and probably pay for it) on the device they already own.

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