I have the NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV which allows me to watch nearly every NFL game on my laptop or PC. Of course, I must pay a gazillion dollars for the privilege. Well, the rest of you will be able to get 17 NFL games streamed on your computers for free. The games will be from the NBC feeds which the NFL will stream live. The advertising that NBC sold will be taken out of the streaming broadcast and the NFL will re-sell ad time.The move is significant for the NFL, as it continues to ramp up its digital offerings and open its content on more platforms. The league always has been extremely protective of its game action, doling out limited use of highlights and vigorously safeguarding the television broadcast. Two years ago the league took management of NFL.com in-house, and last year that site was the only place on the Web where users could find limited game highlights.

Now it will be interesting to see if America's most valuable television sports property, already bringing in more than $3 billion a year from its television partners, can find value on the Web without harming its lucrative TV contracts.