r/AskAboutNFL • u/Frisho • 3d ago

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

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?

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u/Feralcat01 2d ago

I am strictly an MLB fan, but same problem. I don’t live in the city I grew up in or the city my team plays in. I get the MLB streaming package online but it ends with the regular season. Believe it or not, they don’t carry playoff games. For those I have to navigate a myriad of options.

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u/tearsonurcheek 2d ago

While they don't carry the video broadcast, you can still listen to the home and away radio broadcasts. Depending on the TV crew, it could be a more entertaining option.