The social-media outlet is launching “NFL Gametime,” a new project that offers an NFL feed weaving data, news and creators into the overall user experience. X users can choose to put the new topic-focused stream alongside mainstay feeds like “For You” and “Following.” The stream will be available from season kickoff through the end of the 2027 Super Bowl. The move is seen not only as a way to court sports fans, but also big advertisers that may have felt more ambivalent about working with the Elon Musk-backed social giant in months past.
The NFL feed also features a “GameTime” hub, a static element in the NFL timeline that features real-time scores and statistics alongside the gridiron conversation. X and the NFL have had an alliance in place since 2013, and in the interim have tested concepts that have included audio and sponsored “Spaces,” the live conversations that take place outside the service’s mainstream feeds. Advertisers, who often redirect marketing dollars away from platforms where their support might become controversial, became wary of the entrepreneur’s unfettered musings on politics and culture.
Among the marketers alleged by X to have participated in a boycott were Mars, CVS Health, Shell and Lego. A federal court dismissed the lawsuit in March. X and WFA reached a settlement in July and said the deal “resets the relationship between the two organizations,” with both agreeing ” brands, platforms and consumers will all benefit from brand-safety innovation.” The new stream of NFL content would seem to bolster those vows.
The new feed features posts by top football journalists and columnists, as well as some of the industry’s top commentators and hosts. A recent scroll though the feed found comments from ESPN’s Pat McAfee and Mina Kimes; Cleveland.com Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot; NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy; and The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones. Executives, citing research they say shows two out of three U.S.
X users are NFL fans, believe the new NFL feed will open a bevy of opportunities for sponsors who want to align themselves with conversations tied to the sport. The new feed is “fully discoverable across every surface fans already use,” X says.
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