The Game’s On Cable

[Commentary] With all of the momentum the over-the-top services have gained over the past year in siphoning viewers away from the traditional cable bundle, arguably the biggest advantage a pay TV subscription still holds over Netflix and Hulu is access to major live sports programming. The mass appeal of live, televised sports is clearly evident in the ratings it generated through the first six months of 2015.

In June, ABC’s coverage of the Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals series is on pace to be the most watched finals in more than a decade. NBC’s telecast last week of Game 2 of the highly competitive and entertaining Chicago Blackhawks-Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Final was the second-most-watched NHL championship-round game ever, averaging 6.6 million viewers. So far, major OTT services Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have not looked to step into the live sports ring, tying sports fans mostly to the traditional cable bundle to watch national and local sports events. A traditional pay TV subscription remains the best ticket to access the biggest live sports content across multiple platforms.