To bolster the effort, Twitter is in talks with Apple to bring the Twitter app to Apple TV, which would potentially let millions of Apple TV users watch the streaming N.F.L. games, according to the two people briefed on the discussions.

It seems to me that Twitter is betting a lot on this streaming deal with the NFL. There was quite a bit of competition for this broadcast contract from both traditional television networks and rival tech giants, but Twitter ultimately won. Live sports programming naturally drives massive real-time user engagement. This active viewer base attracts premium ad placements from daily fantasy sports leagues, online casino operators, and regional food delivery services. Now we’ll see if this expensive gamble actually pays off for them in the long run.