The way we watch rugby on TV is changing. What is coming next?

Do satellite channels have a future? Is free-to-air as important as it was? Will Netflix and Prime make moves?

By No Helmets Required

What were once a DVD postal service, an online bookstore and an American cable channel renowned for showing B movies in motel rooms are now heavyweights in the sports broadcasting market. Netflix and Amazon have changed the global landscape, leaving TNT Sports under pressure to hold on to its subscribers.

I spent the last Super League off-season living in a stable (true story) with no access to satellite or cable, but still got my sports fix via free-to-air networks and subscriptions to Premier Sports, Prime Video and Netflix. I was fully sated on a diet of live rugby union, football, cricket, NFL and NBA – all for less than a Sky Sports or TNT subscription. So how will the increased competition between broadcasters affect league and union viewers? Continue reading...