X will really mark the spot for NFL content.
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 can now reach highly passionate fans across the entire funnel, from awareness and cultural conversation to real-time engagement during live games, all on X,” said Monique Pintarelli, who heads up global advertising for X parent SpaceXAI, in a statement. “Together with the NFL, we’re giving brands a powerful, authentic way to show up throughout the season.”
X in July settled a lawsuit Musk levied in 2024 against the World Federation of Advertisers, an industry organization, alleging a “systematic illegal boycott” of his social platform after he purchased it for $44 billion in 2022. 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.
“For years, X has been a key platform for NFL fans to connect, react and engage around every NFL moment,” said Brent Lawton, the NFL’s vice president of media strategy and business development, said in a statement. “We’re excited to deepen our partnership with NFL Gametime on X, allowing our fans to have official scores and stats, team content, and the conversation together in one place.”