Streaming live sports online is the future of TV
By Jason Buckland, Sympatico / MSN Finance
CBS is again set to stream live March Madness games on the web for free next week, sending hoops fans rabid and preparing the office world for production that will sag lower than Kathy Bates in About Schmidt.
But for those thinking the ability to watch the college basketball tournament online is just something cool to keep you in the loop when you’re not near a TV, think again. Millions are hurtling themselves onto the bandwagon of watching sports streamed live on the net, ushering in a new era of viewer choice and perhaps foreshadowing the demise of the ever-costly monthly cable subscription.
The CBS online broadcast of March Madness represents the best of a growing industry that saw its 2008 revenue increase 16% over the year before to $147 million. Each game of the 64-team tournament will be available live or on-demand, is now streamed in HD and – most importantly – costs you nothing.
A movement that first began with Major League Baseball in 2002, every pro league has now started streaming their full regular season and playoff schedules online. Many charge expensive subscription fees, but that could be changing.
CBS is able to offer the NCAA tourney without charge because of increased advertising and a partnership with Facebook that allows users to stream games right from the social networking site. Yet ads don’t detract from viewing anymore than they would on a normal TV broadcast, and marketers are sure to jump at the opportunity to partner with pro sports leagues, in turn subsidizing the cost for viewers to watch online.
Subscription prices seem to be following that idea, too. The cost of the MLB package is down ten bucks from last year’s fee, available for as low as $80 for the entire 162-game season.
It’s going to be interesting to watch this trend develop once the majority of pro sports games become fully available at little or no cost. With TV streaming sites and movie services like Netflix, sports in 2009 had evolved into about the only thing you had to rely on a TV to watch, so who knows where this could go?
Not only that, but as more products like Slingbox, Roku and Apple TV make their way in as mainstream purchases, streaming online content to your TV is getting pretty easy. Most people don’t want to huddle around their computer, but after a few simple steps you can be watching your favourite shows run from CTV.ca or Global as if they were coming straight from your DVR.
Sounds intriguing, no? Who needs cable or satellite?
Posted by: wilf | Mar 19, 2009 7:40:34 PM
I like to comment on the Nortel plan to give the CEO a bonus of 23 million. I feel these ceo's earn enough. Nortel ceo's can't be that smart when there shares are worth only a dime. What about all these people who invest in this company. let's give these people the 23 million they trusted these the ceo's enough to invest in this poorly managed and corrupt people. Yes the ceo's should be rewarded
but not with 23 million how about unemployement!