We Wanna See Your Peacock
If you read our weekly NFL takes, you know we are frequently frustrated by the way Regional TV works. You also might know we’ve been forced to talk about football excessively, so we’re here to wax and wane about TV rights and STREAMING SERVICES.
If you’re like: This is a sports blog????
Yes. This is a sports blog. We love to talk about sports. But we cannot talk about sports if we do not get to WATCH sports. We may get to spend the hours of 1pm on Every Sunday watching whatever the SHITTIEST game of each time slot is (i.e. normally the Giants, or the Jets, no offense New York but come one), there is still a lot of content we don’t get to watch. I mean, I could continue to complain about how frustrating it is to be a Saints fan in the northeast, because I only get to watch if they play in primetime, and people will continue to tell me to just pay for NFL Red Zone or whatever their stream thing is called, but that would kind of miss the point.
To get to the point, let’s pivot! We’re also big FUTBOL fans as you know, and while we have been blessed to get to watch any and all world cup games in the past, because much like (some) Olympics the World Cup is purposefully planned to be in the summer when America has nothing else to watch, there is a lot of other futbol happening that, guess what? WE DO NOT GET TO WATCH. I don’t want to get into the nitty gritty of who owns the rights to what (Although, for example, CBS bent over backwards to buy the rights to the Champion’s League, which now is only available on their All Access streaming app, which NO ONE HAS). I do want to point out two things, which are the sources of most of our frustration:
1) The Premier League this year switched from being free content on NBCSN PL Mornings, to being mostly on the NBC Streaming App Peacock. Literally all the good games are on peacock. Ok fine, that’s fine. I’ll just pay for Peacock (it’s like 5 bucks or something). Oh, but to watch the FA Cup and other English competitions, those are on ESPN+. Ok so I guess I’ll pay for that too? Oh, sorry, also, to watch the Champion’s League, which by the way, is considered the most lucrative league for teams trying to build global brands, you have to have CBS All Access. Are you seeing a theme? I’m not going to write you an essay on the history of soccer, but it is a sport of the people. It was originally a bunch of rag tag fellas (please, please, watch Green Street Hooligans you will not regret it) who wanted to play the game they loved. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be money in the sport and I am not going to insert myself into the complicated world of soccer finance and sponsorship and ownership, but I am saying that this sport will never be popular in the USA because the Networks, and the way they have torn apart the rights to these competition, DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS GAME MEANS. Also, guys, no one wants your streaming service! Audiences for the EPL have shrunk in the states this year because of the peacock exclusivity garbage (That’s right, we work in sports media! We know these things like it’s our job, because it is!)
and
2) Putting the English Premier League off to the side, let’s get to the real rub here. You know what we don’t get to see on TV? Do you want a hint? It’s like regular sports, but with boobs. And no, we’re not talking about heavyweight or sumo wrestling. WOMEN’S SPORTS Y’ALL. We have mentioned this before (In our extensive Women’s World Cup Coverage, but also here and here). But the disparity is so upsetting, we’re not over it. The WNBA, arguably the most televised of female leagues, is relegated to ESPN2. The NWSL, which is the LEADING FEMALE SOCCER LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, is as of recent, available on CBS All Access, or twitch. The NWHL is on twitch. For international leagues, like the budding english Women’s Super League, we get treated to a stunning whole 50 games from this season on NBC. Just to remind you: World Cup Champions Rose LaVelle, Tobin Heath, Christine Press, and Alex Morgan are all in that league. I could have laid this out for you more eloquently, but here’s the bottom line: the way we have set up sports telecasting in this country weakens the ability of women’s leagues to thrive and grow.
Do I have a conclusion here????
Can I tie this up in a bow???
Y’all we are just very fired up. I am not paying for 4 separate streaming services. Can I afford it? THAT IS NOT THE POINT. The point is the PRINCIPLE. And we are women of PRINCIPLE! We wanted to watch Liverpool play Man City on Saturday but it was on PEACOCK, and we’re gosh dang tired of these SYSTEMS exploiting us! And then screwing over the lady leagues! I’m sorry but that’s just uncool.
