It's the blackout stuff that's the actual problem. The idea that by subscribing to ESPN+ I can get basically all NHL games except the ones I'm in the blackout area for, and that I need a separate and more expensive subscription to get those, isn't a model that has a future.20-30 year olds have plenty of draw to pro sports. Trust me, I’m in that group. Bally could certainly make things more accessible. I used to have everything all in one on Hulu until they removed fox sports on everything but directtv stream (yuck).
If YouTube TV got BSN, it would save me a lot of money. I already have their premium addition. Having not watched an ad in forever it was definitely worth it.
I think the problem with viewership is they are making it more and more difficult to watch. That’s why I like Bally streaming it. At least I can go right to the source instead of balancing which streaming service has access to this and which source has access to that, etc etc.
Whether that dooms Sinclair and the regional sports networks entirely or just forces them to update their business model, I have no idea. But the league is going to lose eyeballs over time if they keep playing along with it.