CBS is the lone holdout among the NFL’s TV partners in streaming regular games online. In 2013, it streamed Super Bowl XLVII from New Orleans, then last season, streamed the AFC playoff games. But even though it has online rights for Sunday afternoon games, CBS has elected not to. ESPN, Fox, NBC and even NFL Network all stream their packages online on computers and tablets.
Now it seems that CBS is ready to take the plunge and stream NFL games online, but for a price. CBS Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves told a media conference in New York that he’s looking to add the NFL and other live sports to its new Over the Top service. Over the past few months, CBS has launched two online services, CBSN, an ad-driven service which streams CBS News content 24/7 and CBS All-Access, the aforementioned Over the Top subscription service where viewers can watch shows one day after they air on television. Currently the price to watch CBS programs on its All-Access platform is $5.99 per month.
Moonves says that price would increase if he were able to get the NFL to sign off on his idea and come on board. If successful, Moonves said, “The NFL could share in some of that [revenue],” Moonves said. “There’s no question sports is a major driver. There are all sorts of possibilities.”
ESPN, Fox, NBC and NFL Network do not charge viewers extra to watch their NFL games online although all do require cable or satellite provider authentication. This would be the first time that the NFL would be available on a subscription video on demand service. MLB, NBA and the NHL all have their subscription-based services and have profited quite handsomely.
Moonves said CBS All-Access is meant as compliment to its television network and won’t be offered to cable companies as a standalone channel. Only CBS owned-and-operated affiliates have their programming offered live on All-Access, but Moonves said he expects to have more stations provide their content to the service as it grows.
If NFL games were to be made available to CBS’ OTT service, the number of subscribers would definitely increase as would the price. If CBS were to retain rights to Thursday Night Football beyond this season and combine that with its NFL Sunday afternoon package along with SEC football games to hook viewers for All-Access, that would become one of the more attractive online apps. Of course, there would be restrictions on which NFL game you could watch, most likely the one CBS is sending to your market and not out-of-market contests.
The whole thing is to provide content and convenience for viewers. CBS is looking at potential ways to bring its content to the American people and if it can get NFL games for its OTT service (and make some money off of it) it would be a big victory for the network.
