The floodgates have opened for the delivery of premium sports via streaming. Here are three indications involving YouTube TV, Amazon, and the NFL that sports now drive streaming TV performance.
YouTube TV subscriber gains and losses driven by the NFL season
Another sign that vMVPDs have reached an equilibrium point is that data from MoffettNathanson suggests YouTube TV’s 
growth is now seasonal and driven by the NFL. In the first quarter of 2024, the company says that YouTube TV lost subscribers for the first time. It says the 150,000 decrease was likely due to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers canceling their subscriptions at the end of the football season. Adding credence to the idea, there was only a small rebound of 50,000 subscribers in Q2. The clincher will be the results for Q3. If we see 700,000 subscribers added to rolls, it is almost certainly the impact of NFL football.
YouTube allows viewers to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket directly via YouTube channels or as a cheaper add-on to YouTube TV. So, where do most NFL fans sign up? It is significantly more expensive to get Sunday via YouTube TV. Last year, Sunday Ticket cost $450 for the season via YouTube and $300 through YouTube TV. However, YouTube TV costs $73 monthly. Over the full season, buying through YouTube TV costs over $250 more than buying through YouTube. Notwithstanding the higher cost, YouTube TV is the better deal because fans can also watch their local team live on broadcast TV.
This data also shows why it is a no-brainer for a committed NFL fan to cancel YouTube TV at the end of the season. They can save more than $500 a year that way.
Almost half of NFL games available to stream without a pay TV package in 2024/25 season
More data from MoffettNathanson shows that almost half—133 games—of NFL football will be available on streaming platforms this season. The company says 7%—20 games—will be exclusively on streaming platforms. These include Amazon Thursday Night Football and the two games coming to Netflix on December 25.
However, saying “available on streaming platforms” is a confusing statement. Strictly speaking, YouTube TV is a “streaming platform”, and when you include NFL Sunday Ticket, virtually all games are available on streaming platforms. Perhaps the statement is better read as available to stream without a traditional pay TV bundle of channels. Even that statement is a little shaky though, since NFL Sunday Ticket is available to purchase directly from YouTube.
Amazon returns to Bally’s with a new deal
Hot from its landmark deal with the NBA, Amazon withdrew its offer of a $115 million investment in the bankrupt Bally Sports. That deal would have seen Amazon take responsibility for streaming all the local games carried by Bally. Those games included local fixtures for teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB leagues.
Now that Amazon knows it has a large number of NBA games in the bag, it is back at the negotiating table with Bally’s to pick up where it left off. The New York Post says Amazon is trying to persuade Bally’s to abandon its DTC apps and move them to the Amazon platform. It wants to stream the local games of 12 NBA franchises, five MLB teams, and nine NHL teams, charging local viewers $20 a month to watch. There is no word on whether the $115 million will be back on the table, but it certainly makes clear Amazon’s ambitions to become a powerhouse in premium sports services.
