Finally, I can pay for and watch a single game on my FireTV at home.
Let's be fair -- the new media universe with numerous streaming services and countless league/network broadcast agreements is making it increasingly frustrating to just "turn on the TV" to "watch the Big Game." To watch the NFL, you can't just flip on any channel with your local programming or cable provider: some games are on ESPN, others on CBS (or some variation of CBS/Paramount+), a few on Prime Video but not always. It's a cluster for the average sports fan. And for people who have tried to "cut the cord" with media behemoths like Comast/Xfinity or DirectTV, it's often impossible to watch anything.
But this week, thanks to SlingTV working with Amazon Prime Video and, apparently the NCAA, I was able to "purchase a day pass" to watch the games of CFP (College Football Playoff), which made for a totally chill New Year's Day with the family and a thrilling ride last night as Miami - "The U" - punched its ticket to the NCAA National Championship Game by grinding out a gritty victory through a nail-biting fourth quarter over the Rebels of Ole Miss.
And, that's the way it should be.
With so many streaming services splitting access to so many sports, activities, and events -- Netflix, PrimeVideo, Hulu (or I guess Disney now), Paramount, Paramount+ (which might have something to do with CBS - I can't remember), Peacock, Tubi, Fubo, SlingTV -- it's overwhelming and confusing for anyone that doesn't just pony up several hundred bucks a month to subscribe to everything.
Because, well, no I do not want a monthly or annual membership to some channel that I will watch three or four times all year. But, just like going to a movie, or attending a game, or paying a cover at a bar, I will gladly pony up $5-$10 a pop when some event -- like the World Series or SuperBowl or NCAA National Championship (football, basketball, hockey, etc) -- is on and interests me.
It's just like Pay-Per-View back in the 90s, ... or was that even back in the 80s? Anyway, I can't for the life of me figure out why it's not lucrative for any channel to sell single day/event access to specific broadcast events like the NFL playoffs. And, considering pretty much everything runs through Amazon these days (don't forget the recent crash of the internet worldwide when Amazon Web Services went down), let's just normalize the a la carte purchasing of broadcasts.
No comments:
Post a Comment