Due to the rapidly changing circumstances around the novel coronavirus, all major league sports have suspended or delayed their season. Amidst this crisis, the NFL and NBA are providing value by removing the paywall for their streaming services, which I think could generate significant long-term revenue.

• NFL Game Pass is making every game since 2009 available to watch for free until May, 31. This is usually a $99 annual subscription. 

• NBA League Pass is streaming all current-season games for free, along with classic games and other selected programming. This is typically a multiple-tier subscription model requiring an annual payment ranging from $29 to $199.

Within three hours of their paywall removal, NFL Game Pass saw 500 times the average number of daily sign-ups, which require the user to input their email address. 

This means the traffic for NFL Game Pass increased by at least 500 times, generating a significant number of leads. 

This strategic decision to remove the paywall is also giving customers premium streaming experience without any initial payment, which will likely increase demand in the months to follow the conclusion of this offer. 

However, as broadcasters are quickly looking to fill slots allotted for live games that are now canceled, are the NFL and NBA’s decision serving as increased competition to these broadcasters?

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