Social media company Twitter has launched new applications on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Xbox One to allow users of the three services to stream its sports content free of charge.
Users will be granted access to Twitter’s portfolio of sports rights, which includes 10 Thursday Night Football games from the 2016 NFL American football season.
The apps will also show content from the NBA basketball league; MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball; Pac-12 Networks, the content and multi-platform media company for the Pac-12 US college sports conference; and Campus Insiders, a digital video network for college sports.
The content will be paywall-free and will not require a Twitter log-in to be accessed. Other Twitter content such as top Tweets, Vines and Periscopes will also be included.
Apple TV viewers will receive exclusive access to a side-by-side video experience, whereby users can enjoy live premium video and tweeted video clips simultaneously. Twitter for Apple TV is available globally via the App Store.
Twitter for Xbox One will be accessible in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the UK and the US. Twitter for Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick is available in the UK and the US.
Twitter’s chief financial offer, Anthony Noto, said: “These devices will bring Twitter’s live streaming video experience to life on the TV screen. Twitter has always been a great complement to TV, and now fans can enjoy even more premium video with live tweets – and the best content on Twitter – right from their TVs. We’re excited to introduce this new experience to people, without requiring a paywall or having to log in to Twitter.”
In April, Twitter was selected by the NFL as the league’s exclusive partner to deliver a live over-the-top digital stream of its TNF games to a global audience across all devices.
Later today (Thursday), Twitter will stream its first live NFL game when the New York Jets take on the Buffalo Bills. Twitter will stream the 10 TNF games broadcast by the NBC and CBS networks over the course of the 2016 season.