Twitter lines up with the NFL to stream Thursday night football - CNET

"Twitter is where live events unfold and is the right partner for the NFL as we take the latest step in serving fans around the world live NFL football," said league commissioner Roger Goodell, who was amped up enough about the deal that he tweeted for the first time since September 2014.

In August, the NFL and the social network signed a two-year deal to show in-game highlights, custom game recaps, breaking news, analysis and archival videos to fans. The relationship between the NFL and Twitter actually goes back to 2013. And it just so happens that Twitter CFO Anthony Noto was previously the chief financial officer for the NFL.

Terms of the deal were not announced. A Twitter spokesman said the company has nothing to say yet on how exactly the games will work within the service.

Twitter will also be the home of in-game highlights and pregame via Periscope live broadcasts. All of the Thursday night game content will be available to registered and nonregistered Twitter users, which the social network tallies at 800 million.

For Twitter, which has been struggling for months to prove its potential for continued growth, streaming Thursday Night Football may well help attract new users and engage new audiences, including those outside the US who do not already have easy access to games. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he also hopes this will continue to cement the loyalty of NFL viewers by "transforming the fan experience."

Verizon still has the mobile rights to stream all NFL games, a four-year, $1 billion deal that expires after the 2016 season. Last October, Yahoo did a one-off global live stream of a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars, reportedly paying close to $20 million for the privilege.

The Twitter deal is somewhat of a surprise, said James Cakmak, an analyst with Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. Twitter reportedly outbid Yahoo, Amazon and Verizon, while Facebook is said to have dropped out of the bidding.