"As sports leagues transition away from traditional broadcasting into the age of streaming, the media rights deals they've made with preexisting platforms has resulted in a patchwork of viewing plans. There are various stipulations of these deals- Apple TV airs Major League Baseball games on Friday nights, for example, while MLB.TV airs all match-ups, but has blackouts that only permit subscribers to watch out-of-market games. That requires purchasing multiple subscriptions so die-hard fans never miss a game."
"These complexities have come at the expense of the consumer, who now pays an average of $88 per month to watch sports on streaming platforms versus $64 per month for those not watching sports, according to tech research firm InterDigital. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published last month found about half of respondents who follow sports were at least "somewhat" dissatisfied with the cost of streaming and cable services."
Every sport is widely available through streaming, but fragmented media-rights deals have created a patchwork of platforms and viewing rules that make content hard to find. League and platform stipulations, such as Apple TV carrying Friday-night MLB while MLB.TV enforces local blackouts, force fans to buy multiple subscriptions to avoid missing games. Consumers now pay about $88 monthly for sports-capable streaming bundles versus $64 for non-sports viewers, and many fans report dissatisfaction with costs while roughly 30% resort to password sharing. These frictions threaten growth in the estimated $2.65 trillion sports industry and will require changes to improve access and user experience.
Read at Fortune
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