It seems like hte RSN Bubble might be Close to bursting... this + the issues with Bally Sports.... Hopefully this is what is needed to kickstart league run streaming packages (and no blackouts)
It’s detrimental to all teams who have broadcast packages and one of the largest areas of ripping off consumers. There’s no reason why in 2023 everyone in New England who has cable should pay for NESN. It’s a legacy model and teams need to adjust. There’s a reason YouTube and others told them to pound sand and it’s not unique to the RSNs . The regional channel model seems to be going away. Can MLB survive without a significant income hit and have to rely on only the people that watch the product to pay for it? We will see.
Oh sure- but be ready for an insanely expensive product- like it was when NESN went DTC- or for the team to lose any kind of competitive advantage it has, or probably both. A world where only people who want NESN pay for it (which used to be the case) is a world where the Red Sox have much less revenue and thus spend much less on payroll. Sure it would happen to every team but the Sox have a lot more to lose than most.
Does it? I'll check that out. That being said, I just want to have all of NESN. I want access to the random weekly stuff too. I'm also speaking to NBC Sports Boston. Why can't I watch the folks in studio talk about the game instead of some bozo doing somersaults at halftime?
It would be kind of funny to see things come full circle with local broadcast games returning to local broadcast TV channels after all this time. I miss WSBK!
I'd be happy to be proven wrong but among everything I've considered, DirecTV is the only single service with both NESN and NBC Boston - and I'm even in market. I moved to DTV when YouTube dropped NESN (the stream quality itself has also been a lot better). I still would love a cheaper option.
Yes and no re: the bundle ripping off customers. Is it objectively obvious that it sucks for somebody with no interest in sports to have to pay $15/month to access NESN and ESPN? Sure… and it also sucks for someone with no interest in Viacom’s networks to have to pay about $10/month for those. Or someone without kids paying $6/month for Disney Channel. And while a fan of both sports and entertainment and news is probably delighted with the $12/month they’re paying for TBS/TNT/CNN, anyone who doesn’t love all three isnt happy. It sickens me I pay a few bucks a month to Fox News.
I don't want to subsidize any of that crap at the tune of $200+ per month. I know people who pay that for cable/internet/phone bundle. I'm paying a little over 2/3rds of that per month, with most of my bill due to cable ISP. I don't care if the system collapses if the system is porking me for a mediocre product.
The system collapsing will end with you paying more for less (with products requiring multiple subs to various streaming services), or with things like NESN just not existing. Doesn’t feel like a win.
You get it. And I’m in the same biz.
You’re free not to. And the internet/phone has nothing to do with TV. People still pay that portion when they cut the cord.
Sure, paying more for multiple subs, but only if you want them all. I think a lot of people - and I do this too - just rotate through different streaming services as content comes and goes. My entertainment bill (including internet service) rotates between $125-150, but several of these services I pay for offer other benefits. Amazon Prime is worth it for the shipping alone. Both my girlfriend and I work remotely and are on Zoom/Teams meetings all day so the internet is vital to our income. I could easily cut down to Amazon Prime, Youtube (the free version, not Red) and Hulu (I get the ad-supported version through my Spotify sub) and suddenly my bill is around $100/month.
I think that's a good analogy, just not for the reasons you think.
Only if you go to shitty buffets. I assume you do.
My best guesses on your questions…
This may be true in the long-term but it is certainly not true in the short term. The leagues affected by Bally/ATT falling apart (MLB, NBA, NHL) have all been paying very close attention to the Apple/MLS situation. It's the dream scenario for the NHL or MLB. I view the NBA a bit differently since they actually still have viable national game appeal.
To buffets, or cable?
You didn’t read either of my posts. Go back and finish the first one. You may be surprised at what I said.
Cable companies haven't died in any way whatsoever. You're throwing dirt on Comcast, worth a tiny 155 billion dollars, and Charter, worth 57 billion dollars? Where is the demise you're speaking of?
Those companies are at their core now broadband companies. They say so themselves. Video is an increasingly low margin business. The money is in broadband, and now also mobile.
I think the NBA is far and away the most secure of the big four leagues in North America. Their pie is increasingly growing due to its global appeal. While the RSNs like Bally going away will hurt, they know that their deals abroad have that covered while they figure this problem out.
This is insane.
Glad you posted this.
I thought you might be interested in this article - https://stratechery.com/2023/what-the-nba-can-learn-from-formula-1/ - which talks about the pros of the "bundle" in basically the same terms you do. (The article was originally posted in the Port Cellar to discuss the NBA but thought it would be an interesting follow-up to your post.) One part:
