The fragmentation of sports broadcasting has created a "golden age" for leagues, but it has made following sports more expensive and confusing for fans. Viewers now need multiple subscriptions to various services to watch their favorite teams, a significant departure from past simpler viewing experiences.
For example, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, Mark Loftus, now faces a complex and costly landscape to watch his team. Yankees games are spread across broadcast networks like Fox, cable channels such as TBS and ESPN, premium sports networks like YES, and streaming services including Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Apple TV+.
The venue and platform for watching a game can change nightly, with exclusive deals for services like Apple TV+ on Fridays and Peacock on Sundays. Most games are no longer consistently found on local broadcast stations. This makes it challenging for fans to keep up with their teams without subscribing to a dizzying combination of services, potentially costing hundreds of dollars.
While technology allows for access to more live sports than ever before, the process of simply watching a game has become a nuisance. The NFL, for instance, requires a combination of broadcast television, cable, Peacock, Netflix, Amazon, Paramount+, and/or YouTube TV to watch all games. This shift has led to criticism from fans who feel neglected by providers and leagues, prioritizing revenue over viewer convenience.
