
It used to be pretty straightforward. One broadcaster had the rights to some pro sports and you paid the cable package in order to watch it. But as the rights to live sports have skyrocketed in recent years, the playing field – as it were – has become a lot more complex.
Looking at the betting markets at sportsbooks like Everygame, you will see leagues and events from all over the world – and there is a good chance that you will be able to live stream the action in some way or other. Streaming has definitely changed the way we watch television. But it is sports that are driving the change these days.
Traditional Broadcasters
Before the advent of Netflix and the streaming revolution, we were quite content paying our cable bills to watch live sports and television as part of a package. The traditional broadcasters and new cable companies showed the sports that we wanted, and the viewers took little notice of the bidding wars for rights.
In countries outside the US, the situation was even more straightforward. Many without cable, like the UK, had some live sports shown on national state broadcasters and some others on commercial channels. Most sports were not even shown live outside of major international events.
The Move to Streaming
The introduction of streaming has changed the picture entirely. Suddenly there were more options open to customers – including sports fans. In fact, outside a few exceptions, sports is now just about the only live streaming that viewers want to watch. Everything else is consumed as part of a binge-heavy diet.
This desire to watch sports as it happens can be seen as the final link to the traditional linear television model. But, with so many different providers, customers have much more choice than before. These streaming bidding wars also cause financial issues for sports fans.
The Race for Content
Sports is now seen as the moneymaker when it comes to streaming. Not every streaming subscription is sports-only, but the live action is definitely the selling point. Everything else is routinely bundled in as part of the package. Streaming companies need to have live sports to reel the customers in.
But these streaming companies are not able to show live sports all the time. So there is an entire branch of sports broadcasting producing related content. The standard of these programs is mixed but is rolled into a package to attract fans of sports – or, more commonly, leagues.
League and Player Specific Streaming
One of the more noticeable changes in televised and streamed sports in recent years is the deals done by individual leagues. Although leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB all have their own deals with streaming companies and broadcasters, there is also a wealth of content on their own channels.
With a more global audience in mind, these pro sports leagues are able to sell their own subscriptions tailored to the fans’ interests. Individual athletes are also now wealthy enough to get in on the action. Investing in niche or smaller leagues and offering streaming packages is funneling money into new avenues.
Technology Issues
Although advances in technology have enabled the sports broadcasting industry to evolve and expand, there are restrictions. The internet was never built to deliver real-time bandwidth. Delivering content reliably was the initial aim, not quickly. A latency issue is not one that can be dismissed, as sports fans would not allow it.
These latency issues are not a technical problem anymore. But making sure that viewers can stream live sports that are actually live is an expensive process. That means that smaller streaming companies are priced out of the equation.

Streaming Giants
Those streaming and latency costs are not the only reason why we have seen new names entering the live sports arena recently, though. Where traditional broadcasters have affiliated themselves with streaming companies to remain relevant, it is the likes of Amazon and Apple that have made the biggest splashes in recent years.
Not content with branching into just about every other business sector and taking over deliveries, Amazon is now a major player in live sports. It has muscled in on the biggest sports in the US and the world, football, and soccer, to great effect and looks set to win even more broadcasting contracts in the years to come.
Apple’s move into live sports has taken a little longer – but it has made inroads too. An exclusive agreement with MLS may not seem quite as impressive as Amazon’s NFL and EPL deals, but it is a calculated effort to control the content of the most popular sport in the world (albeit just one league) and one that is capturing newer audiences.
Capturing a Younger Audience
Apple’s $2.5 billion 10-year deal for MLS rights on a worldwide level has been seen as a statement of intent by the industry. It won’t be the end of the company’s sports empire, but it is very interesting that so much has been invested in what is regarded as a weaker league in global standards.
MLS will drive a younger, more diverse audience towards Apple TV+, which is designed to help sell more Apple products in the first place. Brand loyalty is already strong, and soccer in the States is now seen as a younger and more diverse sport than traditional American sports like football and baseball. With the FIFA World Cup just around the corner – and scheduled to be held partly in the US – Apple seems perfectly placed to expand its market share.
The Future of Sports and Streaming
The arrival of Apple into the live sports streaming world could be the beginning of a new chapter. Other top leagues will recognize the opportunity to bypass third parties and provide their own streaming packages. Joining up with one streaming company could be even more profitable than the multi-billion deals they enjoy now.
Simply turning on the television to catch the game is now not much more than a distant memory. Live sports are controlling how we stream in general, and it will be interesting to see whether traditional streaming success stories, like Netflix, can keep up without entering the sports arena.