A common theme in sports in 2024 is companies trying to establish themselves as a pointer to sports content, even content that lives elsewhere. The latest example saw ESPN recently debut a “Where To Watch” guide on their app and website (after talking about that for years). But Roku has been building those kinds of content hubs for years with their various sports zones, including the customizable NFL Zone they launched last season. And they and the league announced Thursday that the Roku NFL Zone will return for the 2024 season, and with some new features, including highlights of every game. Here’s more from a release:
The NFL Zone is back on the Roku platform in the U.S., just in time for the 2024-25 season. A cohesive experience that viewers can tailor to their favorite teams, the NFL Zone guides fans to their most anticipated live and upcoming NFL games, plus clips, League highlights, and other great NFL content. Viewers can easily access the NFL App and NFL’s FAST Channel in the Zone.
…“For the millions of football fans gearing up for the gridiron season, the NFL Zone offers a one-stopshop experience that can guide them to NFL games, content and more,” said Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports at Roku. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the NFL, and we’re proud to present this uniquely designed destination to our streamers for the second year in a row.”
“Last year, millions of fans clicked into the NFL Zone to find ways to watch their favorite matchups, must-see highlights, and clips of the 2023-24 season, and now they can do it again,” said Grace Senko, Vice President of Media Strategy and Business Development at the NFL. “We hope to continue to innovate with Roku to grow the NFL presence on the Roku platform.”
New for the 2024 season, fans can now enjoy team-vs.-team highlights for every game and watch exciting off-season moments. The multi-year renewal of the NFL Zone continues the partnership between the NFL and Roku and builds on the many ways the two companies bring engaging NFL content front and center for NFL fans. Viewers can find the NFL Zone directly from Sports in the Roku Home Screen Menu.
The zone concept has worked out well for Roku to date. Roku director of product for sports Drew Adams spoke to AA on it this summer around their NBC Olympic Zone, and cited the fragmentation of the sports landscape as part of what makes the zone strategy worthwhile .
“I think it’s key because the macro trend is pulling things in the opposite direction where it’s just hard to find things,” Adams said. “”It really comes down to simplifying the streaming journey, right? It’s being complicated by lots of factors. And at the end of the day we want people to be able to look to Roku as just an easy way to stream sports content.”
An interesting part of the NFL Zone in particular is that in addition to pointing people to games, highlights, and the NFL app and FAST (free advertising-supported streaming television) channel, Roku has its own NFL content. That includes Roku Originals documentaries such as the NFL Draft: The Pick Is In series , as well as shows like the new Good Morning Football: Overtime (the 10 a.m. to noon ET hours of GMFB, which stream for free on The Roku Channel ) and The Rich Eisen Show (while not exclusively about the NFL, it’s certainly NFL-heavy). So there’s a lot they can pull in here. And this then works out for Roku by providing value for users, letting them sell ads (for this season, their NFL Zone sponsors will include Total Wireless and more), and continuing their overall NFL partnership.
The zone or guide strategy overall seems to be gaining some adoption. ESPN’s move into that space was just the latest one. But Roku has been established here for a while, launching their first overall Sports Zone in November 2022 and following that with specific zones for the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics. And they continue to expand their overall sports programming and options, including with their new 24/7 FAST network, the Roku Sports Channel . They’re certainly continuing to focus on sports, and on league partnerships, and the NFL Zone renewal is a notable part of that.
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