The Rise of Online Football Streaming Services

I don’t know which side you might be on – traditional cable TV or over-the-top streaming services. 

However, by 2025, one-third of Americans are predicted to livestream football rather than catch the action on cable TV. 

And frankly, I buy that. 

These streaming services provide a sweeter experience through high-definition video quality, the ability to watch games on any device from anywhere, and a bunch of more perks. I personally prefer to stream these games on my laptop tucked in my soft furry blanket. 

Anyway!

Seeing the prospects of live streaming, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch have acquired exclusive streaming rights for Thursday Night Football. This marks one of the peak times for the streaming services.

A big chunk of football fans is switching to these streaming services. Why is that happening? What are the driving factors behind this change? Let’s talk about that in detail.

The Evolution of Football Broadcasting

Let’s start here with the debut. The first ride for American Football on these newly invented radio waves wasn’t until 1920. The first broadcast was in 1920 through radio, and then there was a college football broadcast in 1921. 

Then comes the league, which reignited the interest among the football fans living in North America. Detroit Lions were put against Chicago Bulls on Thanksgiving and that’s when things took a roll. 

It started on the radio first, but it wasn’t that well taken as compared to the television experience. The game that enabled the ratings to go through the roof was the Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Colts. The historic game was termed one of the greatest events in American Football history. 

And the rest is history. The popularity of the game went bonkers and the demand was huge. 

Later, when the lifestyle shift happened, more people were using their handheld phones to consume content. This change initiated a switch to digital live streaming instead of traditional cable TV broadcasts. 

Yahoo jumped in and broadcasted a match between the Buffalo Bills & the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time. The first digital stream attracted a viewership of around 15 million. The overall experience from the users was pretty fine. Some of the users reported that they ran into issues with the stream getting frozen and blurry. Even though the stream was malfunctioning for some, it didn’t fail completely and pulled a massive audience.

Why did the internet stream attract that massive viewership and establish a bright future for online streaming?

I have already stated some of the factors so let me mention them here too.

The driving forces behind that great response to the digital streaming of the games were:

• Ease of use – you can watch the games from any device from anywhere
• Good video quality – traditional TV has comparatively inferior video quality
• Flexibility – watch the game whenever it suits the users
• Affordability – users were only paying for the sports they wanted to watch

Major Players in Online Football Streaming

As the shift toward digital streaming boosted, more players joined the market to take up their chunk. Those who were the leaders couldn’t keep up with that so, new streaming services like Disney+, ESPN+, and Amazon Prime started to dominate the market. 

How did it start? It starts with the broadcasting rights. Initially, the organizers of the tournament or league have the broadcasting rights. Then, these organizers, to generate revenue, sell these rights to the broadcasters (Amazon Prime and ESPN+). 

For example, ESPN and Turner Sports joined to bid a whopping $24 billion for acquiring the official broadcasting rights from the NBA. 

Pros of Online Football Streaming Services

Accessibility: The online streaming platforms have further increased the fanbase of American Football. It doesn’t matter where you are located, you can always tune in to stream the game. Whereas, with the traditional cable TV, it wasn’t possible.

Convenience: Do you like to watch matches on your phone while you catch a subway to your home? No problem. 

Cost-Effectiveness: Increased competition has led broadcasters to cut costs to attract more users. In the end, consumers win.

Additional Features: Gone are the days when you could catch the action only in 2-D. Now, you can use VR with some streaming services to experience the real madness of the game. 

Challenges and Criticisms

Streaming Quality and Reliability: Though the quality of the streaming on these platforms can be good, it is highly dependent on your home WiFi. That’s why, I rely on my fast home internet to stream the NFL.

Subscription Overload: Choosing the on-demand games may sound good only when you have one or maybe two leagues to follow. When that number goes beyond two, it can add up to a great monthly total, because you will be paying separately for each subscription.

Geographical Restrictions: If you love to travel and don’t want to miss your favorite games, it might be troublesome for you because some streaming sites are region-locked.

Piracy Concerns: When these broadcasts are exposed to the internet, there are chances that some websites will use their streams to earn revenue without paying the one that deserves.

The Impact on Football Fans and Culture

American Football used to be locked to just the US, but now, thanks to the internet and social media, people from across the globe are taking an interest in the sport. 

Online streaming platforms have enabled sports fans to get in touch with this amazing and energetic game of Football that has been enjoyed by only Americans for a long while. Not only that, the post-game analysis and the chat that goes on and on is a routine thing now from around the World. 

The Future of Online Football Streaming

Watching a thrilling game between the Cowboys and Eagles on a 4k screen is great. Now, imagine watching that on a fully immersive 360-degree experience through VR technology. Sounds super fun!?

This won’t take long before digital streamers will be experiencing that. Massive resources are being invested to bring the technology to the common sports fans through the help of 5G and AR & VR technology.

This will increase the pricing of these subscriptions immensely but as the technology becomes common, the price of these subscriptions will decrease. 

How will It affect the fanbase? I think it will further increase the number of fans; first, because of the catchy headlines that will be roaming on the world wide web, and second because of the experience as more people would want their hands on the latest technology.

Case Studies and Success Stories

DAZN: DAZN – arguably the biggest player when it comes to the sports streaming. How has it reached the heights of being the top platform? I think there are multiple factors involved but the greatest one is the cost. 

DAZN offers comparatively affordable subscriptions. Apart from the cost, it produces and offers good quality content that catches the attention through its supreme marketing.

ESPN+: The next name that comes to my mind after DAZN is ESPN. The 40-year-old streaming service has covered a wide range of sports ranging from ice hockey to UFC, to American Football. 

It offers a nice but little on a higher-priced plan to stream your favorite sports. As for the NFL, it has somewhat little rights to broadcast the games on its platforms.

Amazon Prime Video: Prime has taken it one step ahead with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It’s an exclusive that will be available for fans on just the Prime Video for Thursday Night Football. They will gain insights into the game, watch a quick recap of the match, and more exclusive features.

Final Words

Based on the arguments I have presented; these online streaming platforms will soon take over the whole share of broadcasting and cable TV will become a rare commodity for watching the games. 

With that said, if you are one of the cable TV users who wants to switch to an online streaming platform, I recommend reading this guide. It details out all the pros and cons of the common streaming services so, you make just the near-to-best decision.