The NFL is launching a streaming service called NFL Plus — which could be available as soon as July, according to a recent report.

The service was reportedly approved by owners during their league meetings in Atlanta and is expected to cost $5 per month, but that figure could change. NFL Plus will focus on providing access to live games for phones and tablets. 

The games would be the same matchups aired on local TV stations and not include the out-of-market games on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket, a package expected to fetch more than $2 billion each year.

• Yahoo previously provided the games for laptops, tablets, and phones.
• That deal expired, clearing the way for the NFL to stream its own games.

NFL Plus could also include “radio, podcasts, and miscellaneous team-created content,” according to the report.

The league already has a free content service. NFL Now launched in 2014 as a “personalized video service providing fans with the NFL news, analysis, and highlights they want across their Internet-connected devices,” the league’s announcement reads.

Media Makeover

The NFL has also reportedly been in talks with companies like Amazon and Apple about taking an equity stake in the league’s media business. Yahoo’s Engadget indicated that such a deal could make NFL Plus available as part of another streaming service.

Amazon and Apple already have experience with live sports: The former streams the NFL’s  “Thursday Night Football,” while the latter streams MLB’s “Friday Night Baseball.”

Qatar seems to have an answer for the large number of fans expected at the 2022 World Cup in November: shuttle flights.

The country hopes to attract 1.2 million people during the event, but with only 90,000 hotel rooms in host city Doha, there are concerns over how the country will accommodate the anticipated number.

Qatar Airways announced on Thursday that fellow Gulf Arab airlines would provide more than 180 daily shuttles from nearby Middle Eastern cities to Qatar in the morning and back in the evenings.

• Oman Air will bring as many as 3,400 with 48 daily flights. 
• Saudi Arabian Airlines will bring up to 10,000 people with 60 daily flights.
• Kuwait will have as many as 1,700 fans with 20 flights per day.
• Flydubai will carry up to 2,500 with 60 daily flights.
• UAE’s Etihad and Air Arabia may also participate.

Sharing is Caring

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said the country’s goal is to share the “huge economic benefit” expected with surrounding countries. Estimates for Qatar’s cost for hosting could run as high as $220 billion. Reports from last year anticipate the event will have $20 billion in economic impact.

Baker’s statement comes after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain came to a resolution in early 2021, following a boycott of Doha for over three years.

Manchester United generated $192 million in revenue in fiscal Q3, up from $149 million in revenue for the same period last year despite lackluster results on the pitch this season. 

The club owned by the Glazer family, however, experienced a net loss of $35 million compared to $23 million in Q3 2021. 

• Commercial revenue reached $83 million in fiscal Q3, a 12.9% increase year-over-year.
• Broadcasting revenue hit $65 million, down from $74 million in fiscal Q3 2021.
• Matchday revenue was $45 million, compared to $2 million for the same period last year.

The results follow an underwhelming 2021-22 season for Manchester United, which is the third-most valuable soccer club in the world at a $4.6 billion valuation, per Forbes. 

Manchester United finished sixth of 20 Premier League clubs this past season despite a star-studded men’s roster that included Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Looking ahead, the club stands to be impacted by UEFA’s plans to rewrite existing Financial Fair Play rules. The desire to impose new regulations comes after European clubs saw $7.7 billion collectively removed from their balance sheets during the pandemic.

Existing regulations have been met with criticism for their inability to alleviate financial inequality in European soccer.

New Look

Manchester United is in the process of redesigning its iconic home field since 1910, Old Trafford. The club has appointed architecture firm Populous and entertainment experiences company Legends for the redesign, which is expected to cost more than $261 million.