Where are YOU Watching Your Favorite Teams?
A comprehensive look at the current state of streaming platforms and live sports
It’s not new that consumers prefer streaming services to network television, but has the sports industry caught up to the trend to accommodate Fluid Fans?
According to Forbes, fans tend to prefer streaming services because of the lower cost and greater flexibility, and professional sports leagues are noticing. Since Hulu released its Live TV option in 2017, the platform has established partnerships with the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). However, Amazon Prime Video owns exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football until 2033. With this acquisition, the streaming platform recently hired long-time football commentators Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels to the roster. Michaels, known for his coverage of Sunday and Monday Night Football, and Herbstreit—ESPN’S famous college football commentator—will team up to lead Thursday Night Football coverage starting in September. According to Blake Stuchin, NFL Vice President for Digital Media Business Development, the NFL has no plans of halting games on Local TV networks due to the success the league has had previously with streaming via local channels.
Al Michaels pictured left and Kirk Herbstreit pictured right
WWE’s contract with Hulu ends in 2022, which currently includes a next-day replay of the brand’s flagship program, WWE Raw. At the beginning of 2021, Peacock signed an agreement to become the exclusive streaming platform for fans to watch the WWE Network. The brand saw a huge first-quarter revenue boost just months after WWE began streaming on Peacock.
WWE Raw
Although Major League Baseball’s (MLB) season has not begun, it has not stopped the league from making deals off the field. MLB recently announced an agreement with Apple TV Plus for viewers to stream a new product called, Friday Night Baseball. The league also signed a multi-year streaming deal with Peacock and NBC, while experimenting with numerous streaming options on Facebook in the past.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) appears to be moving away from streaming rights deals and instead is working with Microsoft to develop a platform solely for the NBA and WNBA. For now, professional basketball games can be found on ABC, TNT, and ESPN.
When it comes to soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) streams all regular games through Paramount Plus, the CBS Television Network, and the CBS Sports Network. You can currently watch Major League Soccer (MLS) on ESPN, FOX, and Univision, but the contracts are set to expire at the end of the 2022 season. Starting in 2023, all US National Team soccer matches will be streamed via HBO Max, TNT, and CBS, but the MLS is reportedly not involved in the deal. HBO Max will get the rights to all Men and Women’s National Team matches, including World Cup Qualifiers. The MLS continues to search for a $300 million deal with a streaming service, even though their current contract is worth only $90 million. After US Soccer’s $200 million agreement with the respective platforms, the MLS is looking to Apple and Amazon to negotiate a future contract.
In a recent announcement, the Premiere Lacrosse League (PLL) indicated that it would be moving away from NBC Sports and pursuing a four-year media rights agreement with ESPN. All games in the League’s fourth season will be available exclusively on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and the streaming platform, ESPN+. Mike Rabil, co-founder and CEO of the PLL, says that the league has seen consistent viewership growth year-over-year and is excited to bring even more attention and awareness to the sport through this new streaming contract. With this deal, and the platform’s existing relationships with college and high school lacrosse, ESPN has dubbed themselves as the “home of lacrosse.”
Top 10 Streaming Services for Sports
Sling TV
Hulu + Live TV
ESPN+
DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV
Fubo TV
Peacock
Amazon Prime Video
DAZN
Twitch
So What Does it All Mean?
The switch to live sports primarily being broadcasted on streaming services is widely supported. Tech giants from across the industry are beginning to swallow up media rights left and right. We’ve seen Facebook, Amazon and Apple take on major sports media rights, but why the recent push? Fluid Fans are behaving differently and are more digitally native than ever before. Our data shows Fans of Women’s Sports are digitally savvy because they have been forced to consume their sports on digital platforms. There is more opportunity to engage and foster a sense of community, and the other major leagues are beginning to notice. Additionally, these big tech corporations are trying to go to where the fans already are. Consumers feel having the opportunity to stream live sports benefits them as it is one of the sole reasons people continue to subscribe to paid television. If fans are already paying for numerous streaming services to watch their favorite shows and movies, then it makes sense that live sports would move to the platforms as well. Various outlets agree that if streaming services want to compete with live TV, sports have the power to drive subscribers and attract eyeballs.
Sources: Variety, Forbes, Cord Cutters News, CBS Sports, Fierce Video