In Britain, English Premier League ratings are off 20% from a year ago.
I think online streaming has a lot to do with it. Can’t remember the last time I watched a sporting event on my TV.
Streaming is definitely becoming more prevalent. Cord-cutting stories get some press (with some of it positive) and scare providers and broadcasters but people still have an interest (for now) in sports and kudos to them for their persistence and ingenuity.
It’s a video-enabled repeat of the MP3 revolution and providers will reap what they have sown with their ludicrous bundling and other oligopolistic practices that have the blessing of corrupt lawmakers and the even more corrupt FCC.
I wish more people, especially dilettante lefties and Reddit types, would realize that the whole cable/satellite/sports/streaming dynamic is a very apt metaphor for reducing the burden of taxation. Nothing gets government’s attention faster than a lack of money and nothing reduces their power more rapidly and comprehensively.