I already know the answer to this without reading the article. Sports is the anchor that keeps cable stations alive.
That said, in Canada, we have 24/7 sports channels TSN and Sportsnet that carry most of the Canadian Football League and NHL games, plus they carry some NFL, MLB, and NBA, among other sports. Some contests might make their way onto CBC but for the most part, Canadian cable requires an upgraded package to the full sports channels to be able to see games.
In Alberta, I get Spokane, which carries NFL Seahawk shows and some games. NBC and CBS will carry some games but for the most part, in Alberta, we have to have Sportsnet to be able to watch our local hockey teams.
In looking at a cable station from morning to midnight, unless it is A&E or any specialized network, there's not much going on except filler and repeat shows. See a discussion earlier in this lounge about news and journalists, because local network news doesn't even guarantee local news coverage anymore.
Sports is a multi-cajillion dollar industry, and big bucks are paid for broadcast rights. The college division I television contract alone is probably worth more than the NBA and NHL put together.
Like the article says: "Removing sports from the ledger puts The Curse of Oak Island and When Calls the Heart in the top two spots, but their viewer averages — 3.14 million and 2.77 million — are less than half of the top sports events."
What do you guys think? Even if you're not a sports fan, do you agree that sports carry the weight for television stations?
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/live-sports-dominates-cable...
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Yeah, cable stations (and streamers) would take huge hits if they didn't have sports, Debbie Elicksen. One of the things I look for when I subscribe to a streamer is what sport events it has.
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Agree fully Debbie Elicksen. Amazon grabbing Thursday night NFL rights. Max and the NBA. And, of course, Netflix's recent moves:
https://frontofficesports.com/netflix-finally-makes-its-big-move-into-li...
All lend credence.
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Ooh, thanks for that link Richard "RB" Botto. I love wrestling. There is some WWE and MMA on the sports cable channel, and I get a couple of more minor pro wrestling on DAZN (my NFL Game Pass app), looking forward to see what Netflix does.
Calgary is the birthplace of some of the biggest wrestlers in the business re Stu Hart's training dungeon and Stampede Wrestling.
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I totally agree that they sure do Debbie Elicksen and cable would end.
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Im Spending way too much $ on multi-streamer platforms, plus my local cable YES network blocks locals from watching NY Yankees. And add the boom of sportsbetting apps.
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Dan MaxXx You're right, Dan. Sports fans must have cable to see our teams. We can get away with using DAZN for exclusively NFL football, but if you like the NHL, NBA, and other sports, you have to subscribe to a cable channel. I feel your pain. I ditched Disney, though, because there is almost zero new content on the Canadian version to warrant the $.
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I mean, does it get any bigger?
https://deadline.com/2024/06/netflix-live-hot-dog-eating-contest-joey-ch...
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The big question is: How can indie Producers and creators get their messages on Cable and make money? Looks like Cable is a big untapped revenue stream.