In time for the 75th NFL Draft, Verizon Wireless customers can download NFL Mobile, a new application available on select 3G smartphones and multimedia phones that gives football fans access to information about their favorite teams, players and games.

NFL Mobile provides the latest news and information, including in-depth profiles of current players and draft prospects, team updates, mock drafts and expert analysis. The new application lets fans watch NFL Network, including live coverage of the 2010 NFL Draft, which will be held at New York?s Radio City Music Hall, April 22-24. 

?Our fans increasingly want more content on more devices, especially as they are in more places,? said Hans Schroeder, vice president of media strategy and digital media at the National Football League, New York. ?We feel offering a compelling content experience on mobile devices is a key part of giving our fans what they want.

?We?ve had a great relationship with Sprint for the past five years delivering content wirelessly to our fans, and we are excited to build on that experience with Verizon,? he said. ?Verizon Wireless will be a great partner for us and we are excited to work with them to expand the NFL experience on mobile phones, including making available this year NFL RedZone and Sunday Night Football as part of the NFL Mobile experience.

?Our fans have an insatiable appetite for football, and we will be able to keep them connected wherever they are during the Draft, on game day and all other days throughout the year.?

The upcoming NFL regular season is tentatively scheduled to begin with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Sept. 9, at the Louisiana Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, and end on Jan. 2, 2011.

Verizon Wireless is the No. 1 carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers.

NFL partners with Verizon
NFL Mobile on Verizon Wireless will add new features later this year, including content from NFL training camps, preseason games and games throughout the 2010 NFL season.

?We believe the mobile experience we offer will be attractive to all NFL fans, but especially to those who are on-the-go, at NFL games or who can?t get to their television to watch the draft or the game, but who want to stay up-to-date on everything happening on any given Sunday,? Mr. Schroeder said.

The new application also will offer live streaming of NBC?s Sunday Night Football and NFL Network?s Thursday Night Football.

In addition, fans will have access to fantasy information, news, and player and team statistics, as well as receive NFL Network, which airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. 

NFL Mobile provides Verizon Wireless customers access to live radio broadcasts of every regular season and playoff game and postgame highlights, as well as ringtones, graphics and alerts for each team.

Also later this year, NFL RedZone, the channel from NFL Network that airs live or near-live look-ins of every key play and touchdown from Sunday afternoon games, is coming to mobile for the first time. 

At launch, NFL Mobile will be available on 13 3G smartphones and 3G multimedia phones, including Droid by Motorola, Motorola Devour, Droid Eris by HTC, BlackBerry Curve 8530, BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Storm2, BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, LG Chocolate Touch, LG enV TOUCH, LG VX8360 and Samsung Rogue. 

Customers with Android phones can download the application from the Verizon Channel in Android Market.

Customers with BlackBerry devices can enter http://mobile.vzw.com/nfl on their smartphones? browsers to download the application.

Over the next few weeks, BlackBerry customers will also receive a virtual pre-load of the NFL Mobile application to the homescreen of their smartphones.

Customers with select 3G multimedia phones can get the application by texting the keyword NFL to the short code 2777 to receive directions on how to download. 

The exclusive application is part of Verizon Wireless? multi-year sponsorship agreement with the NFL. Verizon Wireless is the official wireless service provider for the NFL.

In addition to placement on its Web site at http://www.verizonwireless.com/nfl, Verizon Wireless is promoting NFL Mobile on-deck, online and on TV.  

?Verizon Wireless hopes all its customers?those who are a little bit or a lot interested in the NFL?will enjoy NFL Mobile,? said Debra Lewis, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, Basking Ridge, NJ. ?It's especially great for smartphone customers.

?This app is all about the NFL and is available only for Verizon Wireless customers,? she said. ?We've worked together to get it to our customers just in time for the draft and hope they enjoy the news, stats and other information that's available to them.?