While streaming movies and TV shows feels like old hat at this point, live sports has been a bit slow to get to the table, likely due to long-term contractual agreements keeping them stuck in place.
However, as these agreements expire, new, multi-billion dollar negotiations between sports leagues and media companies are taking their place. It’s apparent that sports leagues are looking to make up for lost time and join the streaming party in a big way, reconnecting with viewers who have abandoned traditional cable platforms for streaming content.
We’re not even halfway through 2021, but we’ve seen a multitude of new relationships forged. Here’s a recap of where we are so far with sports streaming this year:
The Future of the NFL
In spite of baseball’s reputation, football is, without a doubt, America’s favorite pastime. Out of the 100 most-watched TV programs in the last five years, 77 of them have been NFL games. In March of this year, the NFL reached a $100+ billion arrangement with CBS, NBC, Fox, and ESPN/ABC. The agreement allows these companies’ streaming networks to broadcast games for the next 11 years.
Comcast plans to leverage its NFL deal using its streaming platform. Peacock will get exclusive national rights to stream six regular-season games, one per season, from 2023-2028. This is in addition to its ongoing streams of NBC’s regular weekly NFL broadcasts. Peacock will also launch a virtual NFL channel highlighting classic games and content from NFL Films.
Paramount+ will stream CBS games to local customers on both their ad-supported and ad-free tiers.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
ESPN+ will air one international NFL game and will continue to simulcast Monday Night Football games that air on ESPN and ABC. Additionally, starting with the 2022 season, ESPN+ will stream one exclusive national game each year.
Amazon Prime Video grabbed exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football, beginning with the 2022 season.
The Future of the NHL
In April of this year, NHL) revealed that it is leaving NBC Sports for the greener pastures of Disney and Turner Sports.
The deal will bring NHL regular season, Stanley Cup playoff games, and Stanley Cup Finals games to TNT and TBS starting next season and running through the 2027-2028 season. Turner will host the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2025, and 2027; air one conference final series each season and half of the first two rounds of the playoffs along with 72 regular-season games per season (ESPN would claim the even-numbered years for the Stanley Cup.) Turner also won the exclusive rights to broadcast the Winter Classic, the league’s outdoor celebration of hockey that takes the game back to its roots.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
HBO Max and Bleacher Report subscribers will also gain access to some NHL fun.
According to WarnerMedia, the agreement between Turner Sports and the National Hockey League includes live streaming and digital rights across WarnerMedia including HBO Max. However, WarnerMedia’s Zucker says there will be no immediate plans to use HBO Max for NHL coverage during the next calendar year.
The Future of MLB
Disney also reached an agreement with Major League Baseball, securing the rights to televise the games through 2028. That agreement is valued at $560 million per season and will last for seven years.
ESPN+ will stream one regular-season game every day of the season, with all games that are televised across ABC and ESPN also made available for ESPN+ viewers.
The Future of the WNBA
The WNBA will be streaming on social media and Paramount+, with 20 games hitting Facebook and another 12 on Twitter for the 2021 regular season. The WNBA has also forged a deal with Amazon Prime Video, bringing 16 regular-season games to the streamer as well as exclusive streaming rights to the Commissioner's Cup Championship.
The Future of the WWE:
After trying their hand at their own streaming platform, the WWE shut down their proprietary WWE Network in early April and moved their back catalog of a whopping 47,000 hours of content over to NBC’s Peacock to the tune of more than $1 billion.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
While reception to Peacock’s handling of streaming WWE content thus far has been mixed, to put it lightly, the platform saw an encouraging increase in subscribers after the move and would do well to keep its audience happy due to the void left from the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and the continued anxiety around their possible cancellation in 2021.
The Future of Soccer
Previously, only available on ESPN, Paramount+ will be the home of matches from Italy’s premier soccer league Serie A for the next three years starting with the 2021-2022 season thanks to ViacomCBS forking over $224 million for the rights. The platform will be streaming all 380 regular season matches and at least 25 Coppa Italia games. Paramount+ will also be showing the Supercoppa Italiana between the leading teams in Serie A and Coppa Italia.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Paramount+ continues its efforts to own the American soccer audience with rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the National Women’s Soccer League. 300 matches of Argentina’s Liga Profesional de Fútbol, 360 matches of Brazil’s Brasileirāo Serie A league, and 200 matches of CONCACAF Nations League make sure that every fan has a seat at the table.
Lastly, the platform will also be streaming Australia’s A-League and W-League matches.
ESPN+ will be the exclusive home of Spain’s Copa del Rey and its final, live streaming an estimated 65 matches per year.