Not technically a college topic, but Amazon may be getting some exclusive rights to a major sports property. If it works out then it will have ripples.

From Cord Cutters News

Quote:The NFL and Amazon are reportedly nearing a deal to give Prime Video rights to streaming many games exclusively. The Wall Street Journal reported the news Wednesday, sharing that a deal could be announced as soon as next week.

The deal would not begin until after the 2021-2022 season, according to sources for WSJ. Amazon would get exclusive streaming rights to a “significant number” of Thursday night games while Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN would keep deals in place for Sunday and Monday night games. Those deals would go into effect after the 2022-2023 season.

If Thursday Night Football more or less moves to Amazon then this is going to be an interesting experiment for everyone. It's the lowest rated package so it's also the least risky to shove off on a streaming service.

Thursday night football is the ultimate money grab

It was created so the NFL would have live games on the NFL Network and now exists so the NFL can get an extra payday from the highest bidder

(03-04-2021 09:59 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Thursday night football is the ultimate money grab

It was created so the NFL would have live games on the NFL Network and now exists so the NFL can get an extra payday from the highest bidder

In college terms, the Thursday night games are second/third tier rights. They're to the NFL Network/Amazon as the second/third tier college games are to the BTN, SECN, etc.

I'm still skeptical of the top leagues (pro or college) moving marquee content to streaming-exclusive services for a very long time (as the on-demand capability of streaming services is irrelevant for live sporting events compared to linear television), but it makes perfect sense to create lower tier packages for these streaming providers. With Paramount+ coming online today (owned by ViacomCBS), sports leagues with new rights packages coming up in the next couple of years could very well benefit from a bidding war with all of the competing streaming services looking for content.

Of course, my long-term view is that we'll reach a breaking point where the price arbitrage that we witnessed over the past few years where buying separate streaming services would be clearly cheaper than buying a cable package for the same content is eliminated. Heck, we may already be at that breaking point. (I use Hulu Live to stream my cable channels. 18 months ago, it was cheaper to get that package along with Disney+ and ESPN+ on top of it compared to a basic cable package. That's no longer the case - the price increases are coming fast and frequently.). At that juncture, consumers may demand an all-inclusive bundle of all of the major streaming services... which is basically the cable model that all of these streaming services are trying to get away from.

(03-04-2021 11:18 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 09:59 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Thursday night football is the ultimate money grab

It was created so the NFL would have live games on the NFL Network and now exists so the NFL can get an extra payday from the highest bidder

In college terms, the Thursday night games are second/third tier rights. They're to the NFL Network/Amazon as the second/third tier college games are to the BTN, SECN, etc.

I'm still skeptical of the top leagues (pro or college) moving marquee content to streaming-exclusive services for a very long time (as the on-demand capability of streaming services is irrelevant for live sporting events compared to linear television), but it makes perfect sense to create lower tier packages for these streaming providers. With Paramount+ coming online today (owned by ViacomCBS), sports leagues with new rights packages coming up in the next couple of years could very well benefit from a bidding war with all of the competing streaming services looking for content.

Of course, my long-term view is that we'll reach a breaking point where the price arbitrage that we witnessed over the past few years where buying separate streaming services would be clearly cheaper than buying a cable package for the same content is eliminated. Heck, we may already be at that breaking point. (I use Hulu Live to stream my cable channels. 18 months ago, it was cheaper to get that package along with Disney+ and ESPN+ on top of it compared to a basic cable package. That's no longer the case - the price increases are coming fast and frequently.). At that juncture, consumers may demand an all-inclusive bundle of all of the major streaming services... which is basically the cable model that all of these streaming services are trying to get away from.

There was an article pushing for a Warner Media - NBC Universal merger on the premise that a combined entity was needed to take on Disney+, Amazon and Netflix

Misleading title...

Although on the topic of streaming, what's Yahoo's deal streaming all (or most) NFL games absolutely for free? There are few exceptions such as some select TNF or late season Saturday games, but all the games are available to stream live. How much are they paying for that and how is the business model sustainable? Are they running the same amount of ads as network TV? Doesn't appear to be so. I streamed almost all my NFL consumption on the Yahoo App (Fox, CBS, and ESPN have their own apps but you need cable subscription).

So if Thursday night football becomes an Amazon exclusive, that means no NFL Network simulcast.

So what is the NFL going to do to ensure NFL Network maintains an audience?

(03-04-2021 11:25 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  Misleading title...

Although on the topic of streaming, what's Yahoo's deal streaming all (or most) NFL games absolutely for free? There are few exceptions such as some select TNF or late season Saturday games, but all the games are available to stream live. How much are they paying for that and how is the business model sustainable? Are they running the same amount of ads as network TV? Doesn't appear to be so. I streamed almost all my NFL consumption on the Yahoo App (Fox, CBS, and ESPN have their own apps but you need cable subscription).

It's part of the Verizon (owner of Yahoo!) deal with the NFL for mobile streaming:

https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/nf...234763249/

Verizon's deal started in 2017 and is 5 years for $2 billion (an average of $400 million per year).

The lesson: if you have a few billion dollars laying around, go buy an NFL team. They're making $400 million per year on just tertiary mobile rights and that number will surely be going up a lot for the next contract.

(03-04-2021 12:18 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  So if Thursday night football becomes an Amazon exclusive, that means no NFL Network simulcast.

So what is the NFL going to do to ensure NFL Network maintains an audience?

What I've read is that the NFL Network's deal with cable carriers mandates that they have at least 5 exclusive games per year, so they'll carry that amount at a minimum. TBH, it wouldn't surprise me if the Thursday night package looks effectively the same as now (as Amazon was already streaming most of that package). The growth area might be more of those late-season Saturday exclusive games and other "non-standard" game days (e.g. the 49ers-Cardinals game that was an Amazon exclusive this past season). The pandemic unintentionally created some weeks where there was an NFL game nearly every day with rescheduling... and the league might have liked the results of that unintentional experiment.

(03-04-2021 11:23 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 11:18 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 09:59 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Thursday night football is the ultimate money grab

It was created so the NFL would have live games on the NFL Network and now exists so the NFL can get an extra payday from the highest bidder

In college terms, the Thursday night games are second/third tier rights. They're to the NFL Network/Amazon as the second/third tier college games are to the BTN, SECN, etc.

I'm still skeptical of the top leagues (pro or college) moving marquee content to streaming-exclusive services for a very long time (as the on-demand capability of streaming services is irrelevant for live sporting events compared to linear television), but it makes perfect sense to create lower tier packages for these streaming providers. With Paramount+ coming online today (owned by ViacomCBS), sports leagues with new rights packages coming up in the next couple of years could very well benefit from a bidding war with all of the competing streaming services looking for content.

Of course, my long-term view is that we'll reach a breaking point where the price arbitrage that we witnessed over the past few years where buying separate streaming services would be clearly cheaper than buying a cable package for the same content is eliminated. Heck, we may already be at that breaking point. (I use Hulu Live to stream my cable channels. 18 months ago, it was cheaper to get that package along with Disney+ and ESPN+ on top of it compared to a basic cable package. That's no longer the case - the price increases are coming fast and frequently.). At that juncture, consumers may demand an all-inclusive bundle of all of the major streaming services... which is basically the cable model that all of these streaming services are trying to get away from.

There was an article pushing for a Warner Media - NBC Universal merger on the premise that a combined entity was needed to take on Disney+, Amazon and Netflix

If this is just about streaming, it would be easier for the separate companies to just aggregate their streaming content in a single subscription service (kind of like what Hulu originally was). For that matter, they could put the HBO Max, Peacock, and Paramount streaming content on a single service if they think the total volume of content is what they need to compete with Disney+ and Netflix. Only real obstacle to doing that is negotiating what percentage of the streaming revenue each company gets.

I was surprised that FOX lost money on TNF. That said, why would Amazon go for what Frank denotes as 3rd tier right when they could just do what Murdoch did and heavily overpay for the NFC or AFC package?

(03-04-2021 01:34 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  I was surprised that FOX lost money on TNF. That said, why would Amazon go for what Frank denotes as 3rd tier right when they could just do what Murdoch did and heavily overpay for the NFC or AFC package?

This is more about the NFL than it is about Amazon.

The NFL simply isn't ready to take that step yet no matter how much Amazon might offer. As much as Fox was a nascent network back in the early-1990s, it was still an OTA network accessible in every major market.

The core product for the NFL still consists of the Sunday afternoon NFC/AFC packages where, most weeks, it's where you watch *your* team (whoever your team might be). I've long said that what the NFL does better than anyone (particularly college football) is giving everyone the feeling that *your* team is important and in the playoff hunt for as long as possible into the season. The NFL still needs to provide that core product in as widely of accessible of a manner to continue its power.

It's the old saying that pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. The NFL would risk becoming a hog if it sold its core product to a streaming service simply because it was the highest bidder. Amazon could surely outbid Fox/CBS if it wanted to do so, but the NFL's long-term power comes from how every team has such strong local allegiances (which then leverages up to interest in national games). Breaking those local allegiances is a risk not worth taking (which is why even the Amazon "exclusive" games will still be shown OTA in the participating teams' local markets).

(03-04-2021 01:31 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 11:23 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 11:18 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(03-04-2021 09:59 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Thursday night football is the ultimate money grab

It was created so the NFL would have live games on the NFL Network and now exists so the NFL can get an extra payday from the highest bidder

In college terms, the Thursday night games are second/third tier rights. They're to the NFL Network/Amazon as the second/third tier college games are to the BTN, SECN, etc.

I'm still skeptical of the top leagues (pro or college) moving marquee content to streaming-exclusive services for a very long time (as the on-demand capability of streaming services is irrelevant for live sporting events compared to linear television), but it makes perfect sense to create lower tier packages for these streaming providers. With Paramount+ coming online today (owned by ViacomCBS), sports leagues with new rights packages coming up in the next couple of years could very well benefit from a bidding war with all of the competing streaming services looking for content.

Of course, my long-term view is that we'll reach a breaking point where the price arbitrage that we witnessed over the past few years where buying separate streaming services would be clearly cheaper than buying a cable package for the same content is eliminated. Heck, we may already be at that breaking point. (I use Hulu Live to stream my cable channels. 18 months ago, it was cheaper to get that package along with Disney+ and ESPN+ on top of it compared to a basic cable package. That's no longer the case - the price increases are coming fast and frequently.). At that juncture, consumers may demand an all-inclusive bundle of all of the major streaming services... which is basically the cable model that all of these streaming services are trying to get away from.

There was an article pushing for a Warner Media - NBC Universal merger on the premise that a combined entity was needed to take on Disney+, Amazon and Netflix

If this is just about streaming, it would be easier for the separate companies to just aggregate their streaming content in a single subscription service (kind of like what Hulu originally was). For that matter, they could put the HBO Max, Peacock, and Paramount streaming content on a single service if they think the total volume of content is what they need to compete with Disney+ and Netflix. Only real obstacle to doing that is negotiating what percentage of the streaming revenue each company gets.

It's funny that you mention the original Hulu because I was thinking the same thing: it started as a true aggregator of content from multiple sources (ABC/Disney, NBC/Comcast, Fox), but it's now a Disney property. (Comcast technically still has a minority stake, but there are provisions for Disney to buy them out.) We probably would have been better off as consumers if Hulu had stayed with its original shared ownership structure.

Of course, that percentage revenue split is what would be difficult if there was a streaming aggregator. I see that as a mountain to overcome as opposed to an obstacle. It's also complicated by the fact that Comcast (owner of Peacock) and AT&T (owner of HBO Max) control a large portion of the nation's distribution access to broadband Internet and/or mobile, so they have different interests compared to a pure media company like ViacomCBS (owner of Paramount+).

Am I missing something? Most Thursday night games are already on Amazon.

(03-04-2021 02:23 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Am I missing something? Most Thursday night games are already on Amazon.

They were also on Fox and NFL Network

Now, most likely they will only be on NFL Network with Amazon

(03-04-2021 02:23 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Am I missing something? Most Thursday night games are already on Amazon.

They are currently simulcast. The rumored deal would give Amazon exclusive access to many of those games.

Would this mean for people that have stream services such as Hulu, Sling, YoutubeTV that we couldn't watch the game on the stream on CBS/Fox Channels?

1 billion for exclusive streaming rights is the rumor. But the NFL might say no because as others have said, it would hurt the NFL Network brand.

It seems like the better play for the NFL would be to try to stream the NFL Network on Amazon Prime. They could probably get more than $1 billion for that move.

I have not watched a NFL game for over 5 years. I have come to hate the NFL. I wish them ill luck and self destruction.

I know that no NFL fan will understand this and I have no intent to convert any of them.

I am beginning to feel the same way about the NBA.

Take your best shot if you wish.

(03-07-2021 08:35 AM)Rob3338 Wrote:  I have not watched a NFL game for over 5 years. I have come to hate the NFL. I wish them ill luck and self destruction.

I know that no NFL fan will understand this and I have no intent to convert any of them.

I am beginning to feel the same way about the NBA.

Take your best shot if you wish.

The ratings just haven’t fallen on a cliff as they have in the NBA MLB and NCAAF. The NFL just doesn’t have the same problem, but they’ve seen declines for sure. But they have not killed the golden goose as of yet.

With that said, I just don’t see the huge advantage with holding TNF. It wreaks havoc on team scheduling and preparation. The home teams have a disparate advantage. There is enough data to show this is definitively the case.

Give Amazon exclusive Saturday windows when NCAAF is out of view. They get an extra weekend with 18 weeks now (it will probably be 19 in the not too distant future). I think the TNF experiment would have long been over if MLB actually had a watchable game instead of 1 vs 1 strikeout or home run bashing in October. Also, NCAAF has completely flubbed on Thursday night by not featuring some marquee games. P5 schools don’t want to play in that slot and that used to be a prime window for Big East Football. I’d actually prefer a MNF double header (hopefully ESPN loses it because they’ve been awful with the broadcasts).

I don’t blame NFL for monopolizing Thursday nights because of the lack of competition, but it’s really a disservice to the players and coaches and it needs to go. But leave it to Amazon to overpay for a diluted product in this climate.

(03-07-2021 09:25 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  With that said, I just don’t see the huge advantage with holding TNF. It wreaks havoc on team scheduling and preparation.

I don’t blame NFL for monopolizing Thursday nights because of the lack of competition, but it’s really a disservice to the players and coaches and it needs to go. But leave it to Amazon to overpay for a diluted product in this climate.

I agree. I hate Thursday Night Football and wished it went away with the exception of the Kickoff Game and Thanksgiving.