Contacts:
Chris Widmaier/Brian McCarthy
National Football League
212-450-2066; 212-450-2069
widmaierc@nfl.com; mccarthyb@nfl.com

NFL FORMS NEW INTERNET NETWORK

The NFL clubs voted to establish the NFL Internet network at the league’s annual meeting today in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The NFL Internet network positions the league to capitalize on the strength of the NFL which has always been the aggregation of the teams. The guidelines, which have been developed to foster the growth of NFL.com and all Club sites, cover existing and future elements of the Internet such as game highlights, links, game day applications, radio broadcasts, advertising, commerce, auctions and photos.

"We believe this is the best possible model right now for a sports league internet structure. It emphasizes strong club sites and links everyone together into a unified national network," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

The NFL was the first professional sports league to go live on the World Wide Web in April 1995. The site received 50,000 visits during the NFL draft weekend at that time.

In January 2000, the NFL’s official site, NFL.com, received more than 2.9 million users, while its companion site, Superbowl.com, received more than 1.2 million unique users. NFL.com ranked as the most popular sports league site and the third most popular league site overall.

Today, NFL owner passed a league resolution stating the following:

Resolved, that in order to promote their joint entertainment product and to enhance their ability to compete with other entertainment providers, the NFL and its member clubs shall own and operate their new media businesses as part of a single integrated exclusive network in accordance with the attached framework.

The fundamental principles of the concept are attached.

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NFL INTERNET FRAMEWORK

The following principles and operating guidelines have been carefully developed to foster the growth of NFL.com and Club sites in an exclusive network framework.

Fundamental Principles

• All clubs participate in the NFL network; All Club site traffic count will be aggregated only with NFL.com traffic count for Media Metrix (or other Internet measurement service) reporting.
• NFL.com will link directly to Official Club Sites (No NFL.com club pages); Clubs must include key content formerly on NFL.com (rosters, etc.) and standardized promotion/links to NFL.com

and approved League Internet partners.

• League and Clubs will work together to implement technology, design, and content integration plan.

• All NFL game video is a collective League asset and will be managed and distributed by the NFL Network. Video will be available on Club sites as described below.
• Full-length NFL football games (live or archived) will be distributed only on NFL.com (or successor League new media outlet).

• To ensure compliance with non-Internet agreements negotiated and approved by the League, new media applications affecting or governed by such contracts (which include the CBA, network TV contracts) will be administered at the NFL Network level.
• To ensure protection of NFL intellectual property, all NFL media content (such as video and photos) will be licensed to third parties only at the NFL Network level.

• Clubs must file all web hosting, commerce, and related agreements with the League Office.
• Club site web agreements will have a term of 2 years or less; Club (but not developer) renewal options allowed.
• Club site agreements are subject to League approval in the respects that affect NFL.com or other Club sites; League will provide approval or responses within 10 days.
• League will provide Clubs with a list of suggested web site developers. Clubs may select their own developer, subject to these Principles and Guidelines.

• NFL Films will provide video highlights programming for use on Club sites.
• Clubs may offer their coaches’ shows and other local TV shows on Club sites.
• NFL Films will provide footage for Club site archival features (i.e. top 10 Club plays of all time.)
• NFL Films will also produce other custom programming for Club sites. (Similar quantities of footage as licensed for local broadcast programming.)
• Clubs may not sell sponsorships or advertising in conjunction with game video programming. (i.e., Club secured advertisers may not receive exposure in the video or on the web page(s) associated with the video programming.)
• Video may not appear on Club sites during network broadcast windows or otherwise violate network broadcast agreements.

• Clubs may link to local media, local sponsors, etc., without NFL Network approval, but may not link to sports site and/or sports content aggregators or major portals without NFL Network approval.
• Clubs may not participate in third party networks involving the aggregation of audience, ad sales, or commerce.
• Networking and sale or licensing of content to third parties are solely the prerogative of the NFL Network.

• Real-time statistics and "game-day live" applications will reside only on NFL.com., as required by the ESPN internet contract.

• All action-simulation and other types of games produced by League level game developer(s) will reside on NFL.com or an NFL "game channel."
• Clubs may produce and develop their own trivia games consistent with the terms of the League level agreement.
• All fantasy games will reside on NFL.com only; clubs will link to NFL.com fantasy games. Customized Club prizes and incentives can be created in coordination with NFL.com.

• Any radio broadcasts of NFL games on the Internet will be available via NFL.com (all games) and Club sites (Club’s broadcast).
• The League and Clubs will collaborate to create additional radio programming (i.e. greatest moments, archived games), available via Club sites and NFL.com.

Club Site Advertising

• Club sites to include Club-sold and League-sold advertising.
• Clubs to sell all site ad inventory except advertising associated with NFL Films video programming, which will be sold by the League to a national sponsor(s). Revenues from league-sold advertising will be divided equally. Clubs to retain 100% of revenues from Club-sold advertising.
• Official Club sponsors will receive category protection on Club sites.

• Clubs may link directly from their Club site to a team-specific e-commerce "Shop" administered by Venator.
• Clubs may choose other e-commerce providers/partners, but such deals will have a term of 2 years or less with Club (not developer) renewal options allowed.

• A central auction engine will be created on NFL.com.
• Clubs are encouraged to create customized auction "store fronts" on Club sites.

• Clubs and League will work to develop a common credentialing policy to protect against "bootlegged" photos.
• Clubs should include photos on their sites.

• Non-compliance will subject violators to fines, etc., for conduct detrimental.