Two more nails in traditional TV's coffin
Two of the things keeping would-be cord-cutters on the hook -- premium cable and live sports -- might be left hanging by a string.
This week, NFL inked a deal to let Yahoo broadcast a game live, worldwide, over the Internet, and Showtime unveiled a new standalone streaming service that will let users watch movies and original programming without a cable subscription.
Showtime's announcement Wednesday said that it will begin streaming shows July 14, including its series "Masters of Sex" and "Ray Donovan," which both return that night. The service will cost $10.99 a month and be first introduced exclusively on Apple devices, including the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. CBS Corp., which owns Showtime, said it will be available on non-Apple devices soon.
HBO went a similar route in March, launching HBO Now in partnership with Apple. It costs $14.99 per month.
The Yahoo-NFL alliance announced Wednesday follows up on the NFL's previously announced plan to stream the Oct. 25 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. The game, which will be played in London, is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
It will be the first time that the NFL has allowed one of its games to be streamed live in its entirety by an Internet outlet. The Bills-Jaguars game will still be televised, like all other NFL games, in the local markets of the two teams playing each other.
Landing the rights to show the game represents a coup for Yahoo, which is trying to widen its audience and sell more advertising after more than six years of little or no revenue growth.
Yahoo Inc. declined to say how much it is paying the NFL to stream the game.
NFL games are among the most-watched events on TV, making them a valuable commodity. The NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox networks signed long-term deals in 2011 calling for them to pay the NFL an average of about a combined $5 billion per season through this decade. That works out to an average of almost $19 million per game, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.
Sports represent a significant shortfall for most TV-over-the-Internet companies. Dish Network's Sling and Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming services offer live sports, though the former has the market cornered on lucrative ESPN programming.