Yahoo Sports will start streaming NFL playoff games this weekend, says Oath CEO Tim Armstrong
- NFL fans can livestream playoff games on the Yahoo Sports app, courtesy of Verizon.
- The NFL and Verizon signed the streaming deal in December, which reportedly will cost more than $1.5 billion over five years.
NFL fans can watch this season's playoff games and Super Bowl LII on the go courtesy of Verizon, starting this weekend, Oath CEO Tim Armstrong told CNBC.
"Consumers in the U.S. will be able to watch all four playoff games with one click on the Yahoo Sports app," Armstrong said Tuesday on "Squawk on the Street."
Starting this weekend, playoff games and Super Bowl LII will be available to stream on mobile via the Yahoo Sports app, Verizon said in a release Tuesday. The first game will be Falcons versus Eagles on Saturday. More livestreamed games will be available next season, including preseason, Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, local market games and playoff matches.
Verizon has been moving more into the media business, especially through key AOL and Yahoo acquisitions. The company also offers Go90, a millennial-targeted mobile streaming platform. It's been rumored to be preparing its own over-the-top service (OTT), which would allow customers to watch content without a cable or satellite subscription. Verizon will do more service and partnership deals to bring more content to mobile consumers, Armstrong said.
"The movement in the world is for consumers to go mobile," he said.
The NFL and Verizon deal fits with that strategy, with Armstrong saying it was one of the first big "building blocks." The two announced the multiyear partnership in December, saying customers and Oath site users — which include Yahoo Sports, Yahoo and AOL — would be able to stream football games. Previously only Verizon customers could watch livestreamed mobile games. The deal reportedly cost Verizon more than $1.5 billion over five years.
— Additional reporting by CNBC's Julia Boorstin.