For almost three decades, live broadcast sports have been the main selling point of traditional Cable and Satellite TV providers. However, over the last 3-5 years with the explosion of broadband, consumers have gravitated to a host of streaming services such as HULU, Netflix, and YouTube TV for entertainment. It’s only logical that live sports would follow.
Currently, American households spend an average of about $110 a month for a traditional pay-TV package (cable or satellite) plus another $50-70 for high-speed internet. Those who cut the cord can save a lot of money but the complexity of watching sports on TV today in the cord-cutting universe can be daunting, as the sports streaming marketplace is messy, and there are trade-offs to consider.
Currently, every major American sports league is available on internet-based TV packages that cost about less than a traditional pay-TV subscription. You can watch out of market NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB games through a number of different packages or subscription services. Where it gets difficult is following your local teams’ as the market is highly fragmented.
For example, Chicago Cubs fans can sign up for Hulu + Live TV online service and get local games, while Chicago White Sox fans can rely on the less expensive YouTube TV. Currently, the NBA’s Houston Rockets are only available on Fubo TV. Local games of the Lakers and Dodgers had long been impossible to watch without a traditional pay-TV subscription until AT&T reached a deal this past April to carry them both.
"The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced their Spring Training broadcast schedule with all 29 games airing on SportsNet LA.” #DodgersST 📺 pic.twitter.com/iqLI7Dwe3B
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 22, 2021
New York City is even worse. The cheapest option for New York Knicks fans is FuboTV, which also carries the NHL’s New York Islanders, Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils. Yankees fans need to subscribe to AT&T TV, and the Nets are only found on HULU + Live TV.
That’s still better than local fans in Pittsburgh. Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pirates are unavailable to local cord-cutters. Other teams that have no streaming coverage options for locals are the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, and Baltimore Orioles.
Perhaps no other fans have it worse off than those in Denver, Colorado. Currently, because of broadcast disputes, it is impossible for anyone in Denver to watch the Denver Nuggets, the Broncos, or the Colorado Avalanche, and the Rockies. While broadcasters sometimes find themselves in disputes with one pay-TV company or another, in Denver there is a blackout from all major providers at the same time.
Despite these horror stories, it’s likely that your team is carried by a streaming Live-TV bundle. The Wallstreet Journal recently found that over 91% of U.S.-based teams in the four major sports leagues were available on at least one service.