SlingTV, Yahoo NFL Streaming, and What Online Video Means for Sports Fans

[Commentary] For many Americans, live sports are the last piece of television content that is appointment viewing. And for many Americans, the only thing of value on television is the NFL. The fact that fans want to watch sports live, along with the sheer number of viewers of NFL games, makes live streaming of sports content vital to the future of online video.

If the NFL again takes on the role of content distribution innovator, it could lay the groundwork for an entire sea change in the way Americans consume all types of entertainment and video content. To meet the needs of NFL-sized audiences, network capacity will have to improve, customer service will be required to be more responsive to fix outages, and bandwidth caps will give way -- all setting the stage for even more robust over-the-top video services. (There’s a reason why a company rooted in sports streaming -- MLB Advanced Media -- is probably the leading streaming technology company.) As a result, Americans could have more choices (which is exactly what sports fans want) -- leading to lower prices -- and content creators will have more distribution options. All that it takes is realizing that the Internet is not just where the audience is -- it’s where there’s money to be made, as well.