The Battle for Live Sports Streaming: How Cable TV Giants are Fighting Back
In the ever-evolving landscape of television and streaming services, the battle for sports broadcasting rights has reached a fever pitch. For years, traditional cable TV has been losing viewers to streaming giants like Netflix, Apple, and Amazon. However, these same companies are now aggressively vying for the rights to stream live sports, one of the last remaining draws for audiences to stick with traditional cable packages.
AppleTV+ has secured a massive 10-year, multibillion-dollar deal to stream MLS soccer matches and also features some MLB games. Netflix has also made moves by acquiring the rights to WWE wrestling. But it is Amazon that has been at the forefront of this shift, recently adding Monday night NHL games to its streaming offerings.
“We’re committed to driving more innovation for fans as we bring the NHL into more Canadian homes and across more devices on Monday nights than ever before,” said Magda Grace, head of Prime Video, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
In addition to NHL games, reports suggest that Amazon is on the verge of securing the rights to stream next season’s NBA games as well. This aggressive push into sports streaming has analysts like Wade Payson-Denney warning that this trend spells trouble for the already struggling cable TV industry.
Sports have long been a lifeline for cable companies, with major events like the Superbowl and NHL playoffs dominating the most-watched television lists. However, as more sports migrate to streaming platforms, the decline of cable TV may accelerate.
Traditional broadcasters like Rogers are not giving up without a fight, with plans to pursue a renewal of their NHL broadcasting deal. As the landscape continues to shift, viewers may find themselves caught in the middle, needing to subscribe to multiple streaming services to catch all their favorite sports teams in action.
As the industry heads towards a “great re-bundling,” where viewers may need to subscribe to multiple services to access all their desired content, the future of sports broadcasting remains uncertain. Fans may ultimately be the ones left footing the bill as the battle for sports rights rages on.