It gave the company a chance to educate the public about its new hardware.ģ/ The best thing that happened was Surfaces being called iPads in the first year. But those fumbles may have been a blessing in disguise for Microsoft. The deal was turning into a marketing disaster. Then, in 2016, the New England Patriots weren’t able to access their tablets during a game against the Denver Broncos.Ī column headline from the Chicago Tribune, from that year: Microsoft Surface, NFL marketing flop. “For fans, the NFL on Xbox will provide the most complete way to enjoy live football by bringing the first fully-integrated fantasy football experience to the TV, exclusively through Xbox,” Don Mattrick, then-president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, said in a press release at the time.
Microsoft wanted to use the partnership to showcase how people could use their Xbox to watch live games and access fantasy football stats. The deal, worth a reported $400 million over five years - and later extended in 2020 - was originally set up to be all about Xbox, according to Hall. Former Seattle Seahawks coordinator Tom Cable shows a previous play to a lineman during a game. “This thing had EVERY opportunity to fail along the way!” he tweeted. “It’s been a great outcome.”Įarlier this NFL season Hall shared behind-the-scenes insights about the deal.
“It’s a feel good story,” said Brian Hall, a former Microsoft exec who helped lead the Surface business when the NFL deal kicked off. Northwest Women VC & Angel Investor List.Geeks Gift Guide 2021 – sponsored by Seattle Bank.2025 Podcast – sponsored by Northern Trust.Geek Real Estate by Realogics Sotheby’s.Junior Geek of the Month presented by Northern Trust.Health Tech Podcast presented by Premera.Geek Life presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union.Startups presented by Madrona Venture Group.