For years I've heard people clamoring for ala carte cable television packages. Well it is finally beginning to head in that direction. The question will be is how much are you willing to pay for all your favorite programming you still want to see?
I am huge Cincinnati Reds fan and FS Ohio shows all the Reds games. The only online service that provided FS Ohio was Hulu, that ended last month. So the only option to see Reds games in Louisville would be to go back to Spectrum or AT&T Uverse. However, per the story below it appears now I will be able to pay for BALLY's to watch the Reds, but how much is that going to cost?
I could see this becoming a trend where you'll have NFL, MLB, ACCN, SECN, B1GN etc and other sports like EPL etc all being ala carte and when you add it all up it may cost more than cable.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The ongoing impasse between Sinclair Broadcast Group and live TV providers such as Dish/Sling, Hulu, YouTube TV, and FuboTV has left local sports fans in a quandary. How are cord cutters supposed to watch Cavaliers and Indians games without access to Fox Sports Ohio and Sports Time Ohio?
The good news: the answer is coming thanks to Sinclair’s recent deal with casino operator Bally’s. The bad: don’t expect it to arrive before the NBA season tips off later this month.
During an investor call last month detailing the Bally’s partnership, Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley revealed plans for a new app for the regional sports networks that will introduce a “direct-to-consumer experience.” In other words, fans will be able to subscribe directly to Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio, which will soon be rebranded under the Bally’s name, without an existing subscription to a pay-TV provider like they do with HBO Max, Netflix, ESPN+, etc.,
Ripley said live in-market games will be available at launch, which he anticipates will happen in the spring for existing subscribers with the standalone option becoming available “shortly thereafter.” It’s not yet known how much the service will cost. Currently, only fans outside of the Cleveland viewing area can stream Cavs games on NBA League Pass and Indians games on MLB.TV.
The new app will also prominently feature Bally’s gambling-focused content and, eventually, live betting.
“The overall vision... is to gamify sports, to make watching sports like playing a video game. We think this will dramatically increase the attractiveness of sports, the engagement, especially from the younger generation,” Ripley said. “The more viewers that we can convert from traditional linear viewing over to our new app or to Bally’s app, the faster we can get to that vision.”
Still, the new offering doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have to add yet another subscription to your monthly streaming bill. Ripley also said the Bally’s deal could be the match that reignites talks with providers that have dropped the regional sports networks over the past year.
“More gaming creates more viewership creates more gaming which creates more viewership. This is going to be a huge mega trend in sports, making sports and sports rights more valuable,” he said.
And the new venture doesn’t mean the channels are leaving cable, either. Speaking at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit on Tuesday, Ripley said the standalone product won’t change the company’s relationship with pay-TV providers.
“Whatever we do in direct-to-consumer will be complementary to our existing distribution relationships,” he said, according to The Streamable. “I do think we’ll be living in a hybrid world for many years to come where direct-to-consumer and traditional pay-TV bundles will co-exist for the foreseeable future and that’s the path we’re going to be moving towards in the future.”
I am huge Cincinnati Reds fan and FS Ohio shows all the Reds games. The only online service that provided FS Ohio was Hulu, that ended last month. So the only option to see Reds games in Louisville would be to go back to Spectrum or AT&T Uverse. However, per the story below it appears now I will be able to pay for BALLY's to watch the Reds, but how much is that going to cost?
I could see this becoming a trend where you'll have NFL, MLB, ACCN, SECN, B1GN etc and other sports like EPL etc all being ala carte and when you add it all up it may cost more than cable.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The ongoing impasse between Sinclair Broadcast Group and live TV providers such as Dish/Sling, Hulu, YouTube TV, and FuboTV has left local sports fans in a quandary. How are cord cutters supposed to watch Cavaliers and Indians games without access to Fox Sports Ohio and Sports Time Ohio?
The good news: the answer is coming thanks to Sinclair’s recent deal with casino operator Bally’s. The bad: don’t expect it to arrive before the NBA season tips off later this month.
During an investor call last month detailing the Bally’s partnership, Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley revealed plans for a new app for the regional sports networks that will introduce a “direct-to-consumer experience.” In other words, fans will be able to subscribe directly to Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio, which will soon be rebranded under the Bally’s name, without an existing subscription to a pay-TV provider like they do with HBO Max, Netflix, ESPN+, etc.,
Ripley said live in-market games will be available at launch, which he anticipates will happen in the spring for existing subscribers with the standalone option becoming available “shortly thereafter.” It’s not yet known how much the service will cost. Currently, only fans outside of the Cleveland viewing area can stream Cavs games on NBA League Pass and Indians games on MLB.TV.
The new app will also prominently feature Bally’s gambling-focused content and, eventually, live betting.
“The overall vision... is to gamify sports, to make watching sports like playing a video game. We think this will dramatically increase the attractiveness of sports, the engagement, especially from the younger generation,” Ripley said. “The more viewers that we can convert from traditional linear viewing over to our new app or to Bally’s app, the faster we can get to that vision.”
Still, the new offering doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have to add yet another subscription to your monthly streaming bill. Ripley also said the Bally’s deal could be the match that reignites talks with providers that have dropped the regional sports networks over the past year.
“More gaming creates more viewership creates more gaming which creates more viewership. This is going to be a huge mega trend in sports, making sports and sports rights more valuable,” he said.
And the new venture doesn’t mean the channels are leaving cable, either. Speaking at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit on Tuesday, Ripley said the standalone product won’t change the company’s relationship with pay-TV providers.
“Whatever we do in direct-to-consumer will be complementary to our existing distribution relationships,” he said, according to The Streamable. “I do think we’ll be living in a hybrid world for many years to come where direct-to-consumer and traditional pay-TV bundles will co-exist for the foreseeable future and that’s the path we’re going to be moving towards in the future.”
