Happy Monday, and welcome back to the work week. The NFL arrived in full force with its first Sunday slate, meaning my weekly attempt to turn $5 into a ridiculous parlay victory has also returned. Wish me luck! — Ethan Joyce
In today’s edition of Power Up:
- Roku Sports can now stream YouTube TV games
- Oakland Ballers to use AI for in-game decisions
- NFL broadcasts to stream 20 games this season exclusively
Roku Sports can now stream YouTube TV games
Roku users in the U.S. beginning Friday will be able to stream games via YouTube TV in the Roku Sports experience, including NFL Sunday Ticket. YouTube TV joins existing Roku partners like DAZN Live Sports, Fox One, Frndly TV, Spectrum TV and Xfinity Stream. The addition of YouTube TV builds on the Roku Sports experience, that launched in 2022. That space has included league-branded zones with properties like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NWSL and 2024 Paris Olympics (in partnership with NBCUniversal). There also are over 35 FAST channels around the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour, FIFA+ Women’s Sports Network, T2 Tennis and others. Exclusive streaming rights in Roku Sports include MLB, Formula E, the X Games and NBA G League.
Oakland Ballers to use AI for in-game decisions
Independent Pioneer League baseball club Oakland Ballers manager Aaron Miles tomorrow “will cede his decision-making duties to an AI” in what is “believed to be the first time a professional sports team will be managed by an AI in a regular-season game.” The AI “will determine most of the regular in-game decisions a typical manager would make.” It “isn’t choosing the starting pitcher since the Ballers are on a set rotation,” but the AI “will create the starting lineup, decide when pitchers need to be replaced and when to use pinch hitters, and position the infielders and outfielders.” L.A.-based nearshore software company Distillery was “tapped to build the platform.” Since the program “was developed in just two weeks,” the AI will be used in live game action “for the first time” Saturday (THE ATHLETIC, 9/5).
NFL broadcasts grow to exclusively stream 20 games this season
The NFL “could be approaching critical mass” for digital-only broadcasts, as 20 games this season will be “exclusive to streaming services” for most of the U.S., according to Liam Griffin of the WASHINGTON TIMES. Peacock will have an “exclusive offering” in late December. Once again, a pair of Christmas Day games will be “exclusive to Netflix.” Prime Video “still holds the ‘Thursday Night Football’” package, along with a “Black Friday matchup featuring the Eagles and the Bears.” Football fanatics who want to “keep up with all the action this season will need 10 streaming services.” NFL Network “still holds rights to the ever-expanding international slate.” The bulk of the NFL’s offerings -- 202 of the league’s 272 regular-season games -- will “still air on Fox and CBS.” But the influx of broadcast partners “complicates the viewing experience.” It used to be “simple, with rare exceptions,” as Fox and CBS had Sunday afternoon games, NBC held the Sunday nights and ESPN was the home of “Monday Night Football.” The weekly broadcast schedule is not as “cut-and-dried anymore,” forcing the NFL to be “proactive in its messaging.” Every NFL broadcast “now features a series of bumpers throughout the action” between commercial breaks. A simple graphic displays the “games scheduled for the week, their start times and the platform hosting the broadcast” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/3).
NEED A WALLET TO WATCH: The ATHLETIC staff wrote the NFL broadcast menu “includes all in-market games plus the national games” will total $631 (without RedZone), $686 (with RedZone). Richard Deitsch wrote if you are a “consumer who feels outraged by the increasing cost of watching sports,” your only “recourse is not to pay for these products.” However, that has “never happened in my lifetime.” Andrew Marchand wrote the NFL is “too strong to fail, but I would say that if it makes it harder for people to watch,” they will “eventually watch less.” Marchand, “I do think that cost and managing scarcity are things the NFL should be cognizant of, even as it continues to dominate” (THE ATHLETIC, 9/4).
IN THE NUMBERS: SBJ’s David Broughton wrote the NFL is “faced with balancing digital transformation with traditional fan preferences,” like “availability of games on network TV, while addressing affordability concerns that span all demographics.” According to data from Civic Science/SBJ Sports Consumer Insights collected from July 30 to Aug. 20, responses from 2,079 fans in the U.S. age 18-plus show there is “substantial pushback against streaming-exclusive games,” with 46% saying there are “too many” on streaming platforms. This sentiment “intensifies dramatically” among older demographics, with 70% of fans 65+ wanting “fewer streaming games” versus only 28% of 18-29 year olds. This represents a “major generational divide in viewing preferences” (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/1 issue).
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