Sports Bars and Streaming Apps like ESPN+

[chrisdiaz]

With the UFC moving to ESPN+, it has me thinking alot about the future of sports and sports bars.

The best example I can provide is the Las Vegas Knights moving alot of their games to ESPN+. This means all around the strip, where games used to be shown, only sports center or highlights will be shown now. No sports bars or regular bars have smart TVs or rokus and if they do, arent going to be jumping from app to app to watch games.

This is a terrible oversight on ESPN and sports viewership in general. One of the best things about watching sports is going out and watching in a group. I understand it doesnt effect big sports like football YET, but it could very quickly. I dont see bars easily adapting to this new streaming format....

TLDR: Sports apps like ESPN and DAZN will kill sports bars.

What do you think sherbros?

 

[HaulParris]

Good point. I think in time, though, bars will adapt to the new technology - maybe having one smart TV per establishment to start with, but it will take time.

 

[Corona]

Reddit streams FTW.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

With the UFC moving to ESPN+, it has me thinking alot about the future of sports and sports bars.

The best example I can provide is the Las Vegas Knights moving alot of their games to ESPN+. This means all around the strip, where games used to be shown, only sports center or highlights will be shown now. No sports bars or regular bars have smart TVs or rokus and if they do, arent going to be jumping from app to app to watch games.

This is a terrible oversight on ESPN and sports viewership in general. One of the best things about watching sports is going out and watching in a group. I understand it doesnt effect big sports like football YET, but it could very quickly. I dont see bars easily adapting to this new streaming format....

TLDR: Sports apps like ESPN and DAZN will kill sports bars.

What do you think sherbros?

Valid concerns to have. If I were in your shoes I'd be worried about it too.
It doesn't affect me because I always stay home to watch the fights but hopefully, for guys like you & your friends the bars will adapt to the new tech quickly. Until then, though you might have to stay in for all the ESPN + cards & then go out for those on ESPN & PPVs.

 

[chrisdiaz]

Valid concerns to have. If I were in your shoes I'd be worried about it too.
It doesn't affect me because I always stay home to watch the fights but hopefully, for guys like you & your friends the bars will adapt to the new tech quickly. Until then, though you might have to stay in for all the ESPN + cards & then go out for those on ESPN & PPVs.

Its not just the fights Im worried about. Look at the hockey example. Imagine if some of the college bowl games were behind that paywall? Smaller cities and states like alabama would be pissed. Thats their only time for national broadcasting and coverage.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Its not just the fights Im worried about. Look at the hockey example. Imagine if some of the college bowl games were behind that paywall? Smaller cities and states like alabama would be pissed. Thats their only time for national broadcasting and coverage.

True, but I can't imagine college football going behind a paywall any time in the near future. They provide way too much ad revenue for the broadcast & cable networks. But, I understand your concerns.

 

[Pliny Pete]

Its not just the fights Im worried about. Look at the hockey example. Imagine if some of the college bowl games were behind that paywall? Smaller cities and states like alabama would be pissed. Thats their only time for national broadcasting and coverage.

The only time Alabama has national coverage is during bowl season?

 

[GSP_37]

I'm guessing sports bars would have to pay expensive fees to show live events via streaming. I don't think it's as simple as buying a Lightning to HDMI cable for iPhone.

 

[Mga223]

I'm guessing sports bars would have to pay expensive fees to show live events via streaming. I don't think it's as simple as buying a Lightning to HDMI cable for iPhone.

I wonder if they can just get like 5 subscriptions to put on 5 tvs?

 

[bubbleboyjones]

I wonder if they can just get like 5 subscriptions to put on 5 tvs?

Doesn't work that way. Commercial licensing isn't by TV, its by capacity. If that wasn't the case a bar could just easily purchase a fight for one 'TV' and then put it on a 200" screen.

 

[bubbleboyjones]

With the UFC moving to ESPN+, it has me thinking alot about the future of sports and sports bars.

The best example I can provide is the Las Vegas Knights moving alot of their games to ESPN+. This means all around the strip, where games used to be shown, only sports center or highlights will be shown now. No sports bars or regular bars have smart TVs or rokus and if they do, arent going to be jumping from app to app to watch games.

This is a terrible oversight on ESPN and sports viewership in general. One of the best things about watching sports is going out and watching in a group. I understand it doesnt effect big sports like football YET, but it could very quickly. I dont see bars easily adapting to this new streaming format....

TLDR: Sports apps like ESPN and DAZN will kill sports bars.

What do you think sherbros?

We are still in the early stages of streaming so things are pretty crude. Cable companies control the internet feeds. Whats going to continue to happen is a merge between streaming apps and traditional cable setup boxes. So for example if you have Xfinity you can now have the Netflix app built right into your cable package and access from there. Same principal will apply to ESPN+. All of these apps will feed right into the cable box. Right now UFC's big money is still PPV and my guess if the ESPN+ card tonight will be the best one of the year to get subscribers. UFC will stack their biggest names to PPV for the rest of the year.

 

[Mga223]

Doesn't work that way. Commercial licensing isn't by TV, its by capacity. If that wasn't the case a bar could just easily purchase a fight for one 'TV' and then put it on a 200" screen.

Yea I know that but how would they stream on all TV's without 5 boxes?

 

[chrisdiaz]

We are still in the early stages of streaming so things are pretty crude. Cable companies control the internet feeds. Whats going to continue to happen is a merge between streaming apps and traditional cable setup boxes. So for example if you have Xfinity you can now have the Netflix app built right into your cable package and access from there. Same principal will apply to ESPN+. All of these apps will feed right into the cable box. Right now UFC's big money is still PPV and my guess if the ESPN+ card tonight will be the best one of the year to get subscribers. UFC will stack their biggest names to PPV for the rest of the year.

I didnt even read your reply and told my girlfriend the same thing tonight. Great minds think alike.

 

[TKing]

A bit off topic but are they just going to keep the UFC content there? I've only seen fight replays on ESPN Deportes and ESPN 2 had a simple 1 hour program. Fox sports replayed UFC events daily.

 

[Eli Extreme]

Hey gang. I was researching ESPN plus for bars. And there is apparently no such thing!

Just finished chatting w an ESPN+ agent. There is no legal way for my bar to show UFC prelims before a fight. Or hockey or any ESPN plus content. Absurd.

"We do not allow transmission of the ESPN+ service (or any other services or events ordered via ESPN+) for any commercial or business related use or in any commercial establishment or area open to the public"

They said I can only order ppv at the bar rate.

 

[Pinyin]

A bar would have to purchase the event for each tv set from ESPN+, and might even have to pay a retransmission fee back to ESPN.

I remember a spot that we used to go to called Rogue that would charge $15 entrance fee, and if you wanted a table each person would have to spend $50 minimum on drink and food. The place shut down about 3 years ago but it was always packed and were lines out the door.