With a raft of new internet-only pay-TV bundles coming out this year, 2017 is looking good for cordcutters. YouTube, Sling, Hulu, and even AT&T have all announced “skinny” TV bundles that cost around $40 a month for a core selection of TV channels, which is welcome relief for anyone paying a normal cable bill.
But $40 a month is still a big ask for people used to paying $10 a month for Netflix, and some TV networks are looking for an alternative. According to a Bloomberg report, the solution could be something everyone always thought was impossible: ditch sports.
The report suggests that cable programmers including Viacom, Discovery, and AMC are looking to create a no-sports TV bundle for $20 per month. The price could be far more attractive for a younger generation that’s watching less and less sports, but still paying through the nose for it.
Major sports associations, including the NHL and MLB, have also been exploring ways of selling access directly to consumers. Services like NHL Gamecenter and MLB TV generally offer access to out-of-market games for a per-season fee, and for now, they’re only marketed to fans who want to follow a team on the other coast. But with the framework there, it increasingly makes sense for the sports to sell access directly to fans, which removes the need for sports-heavy broadcasters like
