In 2016, a National Football League (NFL) fan could watch almost any primetime game with a basic cable subscription. Now, they need cable along with three other streaming services to watch all primetime games.
This NFL season will feature 65 primetime (standalone) games, but 20 of them are exclusively available through streaming platforms, which require a monthly subscription.
These platforms include Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, Netflix, and NBC NFL, for which the NFL signed long-term agreements to distribute games and additional media rights.
Though some might argue that most people already have these streaming platforms, according to Statista, only 25% of U.S. households have Netflix, 10% have Peacock, and 49% have Prime Video.
The end result is that televised football games are becoming increasingly less accessible. Even if a fan has cable or NFL Network, they cannot watch certain primetime games unless they have the sole streaming service that provides the game.
Why is the NFL doing this? To increase their profits.
The NFL is taking advantage of fans because it knows that the demand is high enough that fans will go to extreme lengths to watch the game.
This year, Peacock exclusively streamed the Wild Card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. Fans, media members, and players were angry over social media about the NFL taking advantage of its customers.
The game drew a record-breaking average audience of about 23 million viewers. And in the three days leading up to the game, Peacock saw 2.8 million additional sign-ups.
Peacock paid a reported $110 million for that Wild Card playoff game. The NFL is gaining a lot of money by selling games for hefty prices, and streaming sites are seeing increased users. That was just one of many exclusively streamed games yet to come. This season, Netflix will have two Christmas games, Peacock has a game in Brazil, and Prime Video has all Thursday Night Games as well as a Wild Card playoff game.
The fans are getting the short end of the stick as they overpay for games they should already have. It is not hard to imagine the NFL is on its way to becoming a pay-per-view service.
The league needs to balance increasing its own profits by selling streaming rights without making them exclusive to maintain customer loyalty and satisfaction. This means they could sell streaming rights to Peacock and broadcast the same game on NBC.
The NFL has a massive and passionate fan base. The league should do its best to nurture and build that fan base rather than alienating them by making access to games more expensive. Fans are fickle and can always go elsewhere.
