And it could be a watershed moment for the cord-cutting set. That's because live sports contests are one of the few things that remain hard to see without a pay-TV subscription, and when it comes to sports in this country, it doesn't get any bigger than the NFL.
"Sports is a major driver of pay-TV subscription uptake in many parts of the world," said Brett Sappington, director of research at Parks Associates, a tech industry research firm. "If sports becomes widely available on streaming services, it could drive a further shift in viewing to online."
At first blush, Yahoo's deal with the NFL doesn't look like it would be that significant. Under the deal's terms, Yahoo will broadcast one -- yep, just one -- NFL game this fall. The contest, which will be held in London, will be on the air at 8:30 a.m. Central, which is not exactly prime time. And the contest will pit the Buffalo Bills against Jacksonville Jaguars, neither of which counts among the league's powerhouses or its most popular teams.
From the article "Analysis: Yahoo's NFL deal to provide more cord-cutting momentum?" by Troy Wolverton.
