How you'll likely be watching NFL games in the future

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CGI_Ram

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How you'll likely be watching NFL games in the future

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...l-likely-be-watching-nfl-games-in-the-future/

If you watch Thursday Night Football this year, it's very possible that you'll be getting a sneak peak of how the NFL will be airing it's games in the future.

One of the NFL's biggest issues over the past couple years has been trying to figure out how to reach cord-cutting fans. Back in 2015, the league started to experiment with streaming games when they aired a game from London exclusively on Yahoo.com. The league followed that up last season by streaming 10 Thursday games on Twitter.

For the 2017 season, Amazon won the rights to stream Thursday games, which will also be airing on CBS or NBC plus the NFL Network (You can see the full TNF schedule here).

Streaming or "over the top" viewing of NFL games is something that fans better get used to because that's the future, according to Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

"This year we're with Amazon and for us the future is [Over the top]," Kraft said, via the New York Post.

Kraft added that the league will be watching the Amazon streaming experiment closely because, for the first time, the stream will only be available to subscribers. Although fans were able to watch the Yahoo and Twitter streams for free, the Amazon games will only be streamable to customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime.

"We'll be very interested to see how Amazon goes as it's behind the paywall. The thing we have to be careful of is millennials," Kraft said. "They don't watch TV, they don't have TVs or subscribe to cable. So we have to bring that audience in. Partly it's done through fantasy games and linking to that. Over-the-top is a great opportunity."

Of course, if the NFL does change its strategy for airing games, that likely won't happen anytime soon. The league has television deals with CBS, NBC and Fox that all run thru the 2022 season while the NFL's Monday contract with ESPN runs thru the 2021 season.

After that, it will all be up in the air.

Patriots president Jonathan Kraft recently said that he doesn't expect the league to strike a similar deal with networks that it has done in the past.

"When we get to the end of this deal, what has been our traditional television deals I'm sure will change in their form and format," Kraft said in mid-June, via the Boston Globe. "I think the way [games are] distributed and the way you access them, by definition, will be different, and we will definitely evolve with the consumer. And between now and then we'll be doing a lot of experimenting so we know exactly what our consumers want."

The most interesting thing with streaming will be how much the league might charge for it. Right now, the only way to stream every game is to subscribe to DirecTV's Sunday Ticket Max, which will cost roughly $380 for a subscription in 2017.

The NFL offers most of its games for free -- you can watch a regional NFL game for free as long as you have a TV with CBS, Fox or NBC -- which means the league will have to find the balance between offering their product for free while also making money from the companies hoping to show their games.
 

LesBaker

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The NFL offers most of its games for free -- you can watch a regional NFL game for free as long as you have a TV with CBS, Fox or NBC -- which means the league will have to find the balance between offering their product for free while also making money from the companies hoping to show their games.

They want millennials, who are losing interest in football.

They have attendance and TV viewing numbers that are down.

They have a problem.

I love football, but hate the NFL.

PPV is coming.
 

Boston Ram

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I'm 49 and cut cable 6 months ago. Got my sports through play station Vue and get the Rams now through my kodi box. TV is normal again
 

Hey Man

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Im 55 and picked up Sky steam one a couple weeks ago. It's an Android system with Kodi and love it. My Comcast is up in October . I had Kodi on my phone and was able to watch Rams games last year.
I know this is the future and it's going to smack our age group in the face
My wife, lol, isn't going to deal with this whole streaming thing.
She wants to keep cable but at a reduced cost.
I'll be able to get all my sports through Kodi.
Thursday games are kinda lame anyway.
 

Boston Ram

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Im 55 and picked up Sky steam one a couple weeks ago. It's an Android system with Kodi and love it. My Comcast is up in October . I had Kodi on my phone and was able to watch Rams games last year.
I know this is the future and it's going to smack our age group in the face
My wife, lol, isn't going to deal with this whole streaming thing.
She wants to keep cable but at a reduced cost.
I'll be able to get all my sports through Kodi.
Thursday games are kinda lame anyway.
Kodi on your phone?! Android?
 

DaveFan'51

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I have Direct TV's Sunday Ticket Reg. not Max! and I get it fore free, because I'm a long time subscriber and I bitched about the cost to them! The ONLY time I miss a game with it is IF it's on Network TV, CBS_NBC_FOX, So I have all the bases covered!
BUT IF they go to a PPV system it would probably put watch NFL games out of my financial reach! Like it would a lot of other Senior Citizens living on a Fixed income!! And that would SUCK!!
 

A.J. Hicks

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It's sad how far behind the nfl is on this. Nba, mls, mlb, etc. Have all given options for streaming.

I'd pay to watch the rams but rather I'll just kodi it because the nfl is lagging behind
 

Merlin

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I used to watch 3x games on Sunday and MNF every week. But now all I watch is the Rams, unless I end up at the bar waiting on a Rams game. Reason why is the game stoppages and commercials simply infuriate me.

It's no longer as good a product as it once was. It is one of the reasons over the past few years I have watched far more NHL than NFL. NHL has more games, but more importantly the product is just better with much fewer stoppages and greedy commercial breaks.

I still love football of course. But it's just become that sport that is best on in the background for me, unless it's the Rams of course. I no longer will sit and really watch multiple NFL games per week, just too painful.
 

dieterbrock

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It's sad how far behind the nfl is on this. Nba, mls, mlb, etc. Have all given options for streaming.

I'd pay to watch the rams but rather I'll just kodi it because the nfl is lagging behind
Lol
How far behind?
The NFL is light years ahead.
You could probably combine the revenue made by the other sports compared to the revenue the nfl gets from its broadcasting
 

LARams_1963

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The problem with Kodi for me is I work weekends and rely on DVR'ing my games. Not sure how to do that with Kodi or if it's even possible to stream after the fact?
 

wmc540

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I always enjoy how people generalize millennials. I don't even have a TV I guess...
 

CGI_Ram

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13
I always enjoy how people generalize millennials. I don't even have a TV I guess...

Unless you count the one in your parent's basement...

:p
 

Psycho_X

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Watched on kodi last season for free. Cut the cord and will never go back to the archaic pay and support system of Direct tv or cable. Amazon would be a fantastic partner to do streaming through.
 

den-the-coach

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Direct TV has the NFL package locked up until 2022

This is reality, but the NFL will continue to offer as much as they can and as for the Communication Companies, well, get ready for data caps in more ways than one.

One way or another, I'm gonna find ya'
I'm gonna get ya', get ya', get ya', get ya'
One way or another, I'm gonna win ya'
I'm gonna get ya', get ya' ,get ya', get ya'
 
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DCH

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If it's not on local OTA broadcast or part of my existing cable package, I don't watch it.
Soon, if it's not on local OTA broadcast, I won't watch it, although I might illegally stream it on the Interwebs.
 

bubbaramfan

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Phuc 'em. I'm not giving those rich bastids a dime. They've already made it so I can't attend a live game its so expensive. Now I have to pay to watch? Like I said, Phuc 'em. I'll either pirate (been doing that the last 5 years) or I go fishing on Sunday's.

I've never paid to watch on TV and I never will.
 

Boston Ram

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The problem with Kodi for me is I work weekends and rely on DVR'ing my games. Not sure how to do that with Kodi or if it's even possible to stream after the fact?

Not that I am aware of, but I can record game with PlayStation Vue, but if it goes over 3 hours you are kind of screwed. The wife records her shows but I have yet to record anything sports related on Vue