ESPN is trying to establish itself as a live sports streaming hub, according to a new report. Basically, your go-to TV guide and assistant for all live sports. While signing up to a live TV plan has never been easier, actually getting a package that includes live sports tends to be a lot more problematic.
It would seem ESPN is aware of this problem and is now looking at ways it can help bridge sport-streaming gaps by becoming a first destination. According to the CNBC report, ESPN has been in contact with various major sports leagues and media partners in an attempt to bring about the change.
What is particularly notable here, is that the report suggests the ESPN app and website will essentially link out to where a live sports event is being streamed. In other words, ESPN will link out to other streaming services, including competitors.
The report further goes on to suggest that the ideal is for the feature to work on both the national and local levels to account for both national and local live sports events and streaming services.
However, whether ESPN does eventually become a ‘TV guide’ for local sports remains to be seen. The report makes clear that there’s currently no timeline on when such a change would happen, or even which streaming services would be involved.
As to why ESPN might want to set up a system where it is linking out to competitors, that’s a bit easier to understand. According to the report, ESPN has considered an affiliate-based system which would allow it to take a cut of the subscription revenue from any users that sign up to a third-party streaming service using its links.
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