Verizon Media teams up with NFL to let fans virtually watch games together

Verizon Media on Wednesday said it’s launching two new Yahoo features designed to enhance live events. Watch Together will let NFL fans video chat with friends for free while watching live local and primetime games via the Yahoo Sports app. Additionally, Yahoo Sports is adding an augmented reality experience called Yahoo Sports PlayAR, which allows fans to see graphical replays of key moments. 

Watch Together will allow users to invite up to three family members and friends to watch games on their phones via a synchronized livestream. The feature will launch during the 2020 NFL Kickoff on Thursday, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. The NFL is the first launch partner for Watch Together, which is slated to extend to a variety of events, ranging from other sports to music. 

Yahoo Sports PlayAR will show replays of key plays in almost real-time “by layering the NFL’s Next Gen Stats proprietary tracking data on-screen with enhanced games stats for players,” according to Verizon Media’s release. Fans can start using the feature for Sunday’s NFL matchups on Yahoo Sports.

Live local and prime-time NFL games are available free on Verizon Media mobile properties including the Yahoo Fantasy Sports app, the AOL app and, for the first time this season, the Yahoo Mail iOS and Android apps. Live games are also available for free on NFL properties such as the NFL App and the NFL Fantasy App.