SPORTS NEWS
Twitter Inc. obtained the global rights to stream 10 of the National Football League’s Thursday night games, a bid to move from the periphery to the center of live events by leveraging the most popular U.S. sport.Twitter will pay roughly $10 million for the rights, according to people familiar with the matter, edging out bigger rivals despite offering less money. The next highest bid exceeded $15 million, one of these people said.Twitter will stream 10 Thursday night games broadcast by NBC and CBS, and simulcast on the NFL Network. The deal allows the games to be seen on broadcast television, cable television and digitally, the NFL said Tuesday.
NFL ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF ROOKIE TRANSITION PROGRAM
The NFL announced Tuesday the Rookie Transition Program, a new rookie onboarding platform hosted by each of the league's 32 clubs, expanded to all NFL rookies -- both drafted and undrafted -- and designed to provide the resources for a successful transition to the NFL.The program replaces the centrally located Rookie Symposium that was open only to drafted rookies."Our goal is to onboard every NFL rookie with the best resources and practices for a successful playing experience both on and off the field," said NFL Vice President of Player Engagement Charles Way. "By shifting the model to the clubs from a centrally located program exclusive to drafted rookies, we can reach all of our rookies, introduce them to resources in their community, and afford them the experience from active and former players at their club who successfully transitioned into the NFL.