NFL To Enter Streaming War

Ahh, yes, another streaming service.

The NFL is launching a streaming platform called NFL Plus, Sports Business Journal reported on Wednesday. The NFL plans to charge -- pending inflation, probably -- $5 per month for the service.

NFL Plus will offer subscribers the option to stream local games, similar to the product Yahoo sells. Sunday Ticket, for which AppleTV+ is the frontrunner, will retain all out-of-market matchups.

So far, the NFL has not suggested that it will include its library of classic games on Plus. Though it'd be a mistake not to include the backlog. WWE Network, Peacock, Netflix and Disney+ have proven that an extensive library keeps subscribers paying.

Allowing easy access to any past NFL game would certainly be an appealing selling point.

The NFL can't go into streaming with the mindset that its brand reigns supreme. While the NFL is the most valuable brand in the US, it's entering a crowded streaming space and late into the game.

The challenge is not getting people just to pay $5 a month, but to pay $5 a month on top of the other three to five streaming services to which they already subscribe.

Further, the NFL is already asking fans to add Amazon Prime to their monthly budget as it will exclusively air Thursday Night Football this season.

Households cut the cord to replace their $80 a month cable bill with a $15 Netflix subscription. No one cut the cord to pay for six services for the price of a cable package.

Far be it for me to question the NFL in terms of business. The league can name its price while negotiating with Disney, Fox, Comcast, CBS, and Amazon. But the streaming war is a battle in which few come out unscathed.

Let's just hope the NFL has more success than the last service to include the "Plus" in its title.