NFL teams find creative ways around the league’s new social media policy

The NFL is finding out what a lot of publishers have learned over the years: Don’t give away your best stuff on social media unless you can control it. With declining TV ratings for the NFL for the first time (ever?), the NFL has put in place new rules on what teams can post on social media. It means they can’t post game-day footage and limits the number of times they can post on non-game days.

· Teams can’t post highlights of game action onto social media

· Teams can’t turn clips into GIFs and post them

· Teams can no longer shoot video inside a stadium during a game and post it

· No Facebook Live or other streaming apps within the stadium

· No more than 45 videos on non-game days

Darren Rovell at ESPN says the league wants to make sure content generated within the stadium is hosted by team websites and the league can better control how and where it shows up.

Violating the policy could cause fines ranging from $25,000 for a first offense to $100,000 a pop.

Of course that meant some NFL teams finding fun ways to work around the rules. Wonder how the NFL feels about the posts by the Browns and Eagles this week?

Maybe the fact that the Browns video has been taken down tells you all you need to know.