Fans hunting across channels and paying more — how fragmented rights reshaped the way we watch, all the way to the Milano Olympics

Mark Loftus has rooted for the New York Yankees since the days Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were smashing home runs. As a boy he followed his heroes on the team's local radio and TV, and occasionally a weekend network broadcast. It wasn't hard to find the game, and it cost nothing to tune in. It isn't so simple now.

공짜로, 함께 보던 스포츠는 어디로 갔나
무료로 함께 보던 스포츠가 유료로 흩어지는 사이, 팬의 비용은 오르고 ‘보편적 시청권’은 흔들린다 — 미국의 중계 파편화부터 JTBC 올림픽 독점까지.
K-EnterTech HubJung Han

Yankees games are scattered across the Fox broadcast network; basic cable such as TBS, FS1, ESPN and ESPN2; the premium YES network; and the Amazon Prime, Peacock, Apple TV+, MLB.TV and Gotham Sports apps. Apple TV+ has Friday baseball, Peacock has Sunday — the venue changes by the night. The one place Yankees games no longer regularly appear is a local broadcast station. The current setup, Loftus told the Wall Street Journal, is "not a win for the fans," accusing providers and leagues of a "let them eat cake" attitude.