There might be some relief on the way for sports fans tired of the increasing costs just to watch their favorite teams on TV or devices. More sports sources are working harder to make their network(s) and services available direct to consumer separate from the high monthly charges through cable/satellite distributors.
Reports continue to surface that ESPN will be ready to introduce a direct to consumer service within the next year. The significance is that subscribers would no longer need to access via their cable/satellite distributor. ESPN is starting the new year by locking up an eight year deal with the NCAA to televise 40 NCAA championships to include various sports (such as volleyball and tennis) with men's and women's games.The staggering $115 million annually for this deal is nearly triple the current deal in place.
Even with financial cutbacks at ESPN over the past year, there are reasons for committing to this deal. Those include having a leg up for upcoming negotiations for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the college football championship series, the latter of which ESPN has a strong urge to retain.
Meanwhile, in New York City, MSG Network and YES Network are close to forming a surprising but interesting partnership to offer their independent live streaming services to other providers around the country. Both networks now offer their services direct to consumer, with YES costing $24.99 per month and MSG Network costing $29.99. Rumors are that the two might combine to have a discounted cost to receive both services. We have no idea how much ESPN would charge for a subscription which does not require cable, and doubt that it will be inexpensive.
However, with many cable/satellite monthly bills coming in at well over $100 per month, being able to subscribe to a couple of a fan's "most important" sports network could very well cost less than half of that. Many sports fans don't want to continue paying for a group of channels showing the same reruns every day when they don't need to. Even a $50 per month savings amounts to $600 per year saved.
Looking ahead to Week 18 Sunday (1/7), it is quite surprising that the lackluster NFC North Division is receiving such prominent coverage from CBS and Fox. Although the Detroit vs. Minnesota (early) game has playoff implications for both teams, it will be the primary telecast with Joe Davis and Daryl Johnston on the call to most of the country. Among the late games, it is shocking that CBS selected the Chicago vs. Green Bay game as its primary doubleheader game, sending the lead team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo to most of the country. The Bears chances of making the post-season are extremely slim. Frankly, this telecast is likely to be crushed by Fox having Dallas vs. Washington for its doubleheader game.
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