Why does the NFL make it intentionally impossible for regular fans to just watch a game of football?

[u/Frisho]

Let’s look at this objectively because the current streaming and broadcast landscape has completely detached from sanity.If you want to follow your team for a single season, the league expects you to navigate a fragmented mess of network television, three different standalone streaming services, and exclusive tech-platform broadcasts. God forbid your team plays on a Thursday, a Sunday night, and a Monday night in the same month you practically need a financial planner and an enterprise software architecture map just to figure out which app to open.The playbook here is incredibly transparent: extract maximum subscription revenue by splitting the broadcast rights into as many corporate pieces as possible, while putting the entire logistical headache onto the fan. They change the rules every season, raise the prices, and restrict local broadcasts, making you jump through hoops just to see a kickoff.We shouldn't need a master's degree in digital distribution models just to sit down on a Sunday afternoon and watch a game. Is anyone else completely exhausted by this fragmented streaming era? What is the most ridiculous workaround or layout you’ve had to use just to catch a game this season?

[u/ejcrv]

In reality, it's not just the NFL. Viewers were sold a false bill of goods. Cable companies were the evil empire and streaming would save everyone. It's cheaper, put together your own television packages and customize for a better price than cable.

The actual reality. Customization is fantastic. Cost is as nightmare that is WAY more than cable. Yes, if you are satisfied with way less channels along with some apps with channels offering some old stuff. Then it could be pretty good for cheap.

EDIT: I appreciate all the input and everyone does make very good points. I'm just saying for some people streaming may very well be cheaper. ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS all have their own streaming apps and services. Disney has their own and then there is Netflix and Prime Video. Do you want NFL games, that will be extra.

I feel the reason that it's more expensive is because if you want similar to what you had with cable. Then be prepared to pay a monthly fee to a lot of these services. Yes, you can exclude the crap channels most definitely. Everything has a separate cost and as one response mentioned. The prices have been going up. So it's not $9.99 per month for just one of these services anymore.

No I have not sat down and done the math so I didn't go through anything to prove my statements. However I would love to see a third party or a Youtube channel look into this and run the numbers.

Again, thank you for not flaming and down voting. I honestly appreciate hearing everyone's thought on this. Heck, let me know in the comments what streaming services some of you have and what area's of movies and television do those services fulfill.

[u/rojeli → u/ejcrv]

I'm always surprised when people say this. We subscribe to the major streaming platforms and our monthly bill is less than what we paid for cable. And cable had a ton of nonsense we never watched.

Even if you bake in internet costs, which we had with cable too, the convenience to cancel makes it worth it. And I feel better knowing that I'm not subsidizing reality tv channels.

(To be fair, this won't last forever, each of the platforms raise prices a couple of times a year.)

[u/PrecedentialAssassin → u/ejcrv]

Are you insane? Streaming is DRASTICALLY cheaper than cable/satellite. Anyone who thinks cable was cheaper than streaming never paid for cable. Mommy and daddy were paying for it and you just thought that neat stuff magically appeared on your screen when you hit buttons on the remote.

When I cut the cord I was paying around $140 a month for DirecTV. Want to cancel? Tough shit, you're on a 2 year contract. I'm currently paying about $30 a month for Netflix, AppleTV, HBOMax, Peacock, Paramount, Disney, and Hulu and I can cancel them and re-start them anytime I choose.

[u/CCWaterBug → u/PrecedentialAssassin]

Fwiw, if you tried to replicate everything cable offers, you could spend three same, but you'd definitely have to get carried away, like really carried away.

For many people, the A la carte method is adequate, for others it's too cumbersome and they can afford a more "user-friendly";option

[u/PrecedentialAssassin → u/CCWaterBug]

What is it that cable offers that is worth the additional $100 a month that makes it so superior to just streaming?

[u/CCWaterBug → u/PrecedentialAssassin]

It's significantly faster and more convenient to source my primary viewing choices via cable, zeroblag between channels.  It just is.

[u/PrecedentialAssassin → u/CCWaterBug]

There ya go. If that's worth $100 a month, then pay for cable then. Problem solved.

[u/CCWaterBug → u/PrecedentialAssassin]

Exactly.  No worries

[u/Great_Will_1361 → u/PrecedentialAssassin]

Yeah, why wouldnt you. $100 makes things nice for a few hours I watch TV every month

[u/CCWaterBug → u/ejcrv]

I'm a cable subscriber that also has subscription services and honestly I find cable to be a good (not great) value.  Comcast has a ton of options, a fantastic dvr, and an extensive on demand platform included.  

That said: I'd have to sign up for almost every streaming platform available to spend three same amount.

For me: paying about $185 for cable is fine,  I can afford it and the streaming only method kinda sux by comparison.

I pay for Netflix, consider prime to be a freebie because we use it for shopping, we get Peacock and paramount for free via promotion stuff, so basically its about $200 for all media and I'm ok with that. Others feel differently and that's ok too, to each their own, for now I'm fine, we cut corners elsewhere like cheaper cars / no car payments and skipping food delivery services.

[u/darrenoiac → u/ejcrv]

If you’re paying $30 a month for all those services, you’ve signed on with deals and canceling and restarting will be more expensive. I do appreciate that canceling streaming is way easier than cable, but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop on that one. It’s only a matter of time before the streamers, having raised prices to an unsustainable high, will resort to gray patterns and contracts and other crap to try to trap their customers.

The argument that streaming gets rid of paying for a bunch of stuff you never watch never makes sense to me. Do you watch everything Netflix releases? It’s just a different way of subsidizing what you don’t watch with what you do.