The NFL and Verizon appear to be in talks to start delivering football content via a dedicated application. Word is that it will be geared toward the tablet form factor. More specifically, we’re hearing that this may have some relation to the new Motorola Android tablet that we’ve been hearing so much about lately.
The Motorola tablet for Verizon has been leaked recently, apparently codenamed Stingray, and it could be just what gets this NFL deal with Verizon kicked off. According to the Wall Street Journal:
“The NFL will be on a tablet,” said Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s senior vice president of media strategy. “It’s a question of what shape or form. We are currently talking to Verizon about it.”
There is a chance that it can be on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, too, once it becomes available for the carrier. However, our sources point us to the new Motorola tablet for this particular deal. And since the tablet form factor is ideal for consuming multimedia content like videos, it looks like Verizon is really moving forward in that direction.
“We are trying to drive awareness of video,” said Colson Hillier, executive director of multimedia and entertainment at Verizon Wireless. “It is rapidly becoming one of the most significant drivers of traffic.”
While this is good news for everyone who just can’t get enough multimedia and entertainment, like football games and videos straight from the NFL, one has to wonder about cost and just what kind of justification Verizon might have in further locking down devices and filling up Android with crapware that users don’t want.
It’s going to be tricky business. Tablets are clearly all the rage right now, but just how much of that experience would be ruined if Verizon bloated them with a ton of unwanted apps, or forced services like Bing onto users who want something else? I’m not saying this will happen, but I wouldn’t rule it out given Verizon’s history and tendency with Android devices.
[Via: WSJ]