Today January 10, 2026, 08:57 PM

Alexander: How many streaming services does a sports fan need?

Published: January 10, 2026, 08:57 PM
Alexander: How many streaming services does a sports fan need?

• If his music career and judge’s role on “The Voice” somehow stalls (not likely), maybe Snoop Dogg has a future in basketball commentary. He was hilarious on Peacock’s broadcast of Clippers-Warriors Monday night, especially his running patter as Golden State coach Steve Kerr was arguing himself into an ejection.

Then again, did you see and hear it live? Or have you resisted paying for Peacock, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any of the other streaming services that have plunged into sports coverage?

And do you wonder if the old cable TV model – paying a lot for a few channels you’d watch and a lot of channels you wouldn’t – is any more expensive than paying for five or six different streaming channels just to watch all of the programming (including sports) that you want to see? There’s not much distinction between the platforms any more. …

• Cutting the cord still shuts you out of certain attractions. The Dodgers and Lakers, for example, remain tied to Spectrum for the next few years, and if you want to stream those channels it seems you’d better have a Spectrum account to start with.

• But the announcement that multiple teams, including the Angels, are ditching FanDuel Sports Network and its parent company, Main Street Sports Group, should be setting off an alarm, and not just if you’re an Angels fan. FanDuel also carries Clippers and Kings games, and by the looks of it Main Street Sports is close to going out of business if it doesn’t get rescued. One potential buyer, England-based DAZN, already appears to have backed away.

The implied promise is that the teams and leagues will figure something out. They’d better. …

• But let’s face it: We as consumers have been spoiled over the last few decades with the ability to watch every game of every team – from Prime Ticket carrying Lakers and Kings home games on cable in the early 1980s to augment Channel 9’s road game coverage, and eventually Fox Sports West’s channels airing Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Kings, Ducks and Clippers games regularly, to now.

Those of a certain age might remember an era, in the 1960s, when the Dodgers scheduled only nine TV games a season – all of their games in San Francisco – while the Angels’ 20 telecasts a year were considered, well, heavenly. …

• As we wrote before last season, when the Ducks moved their games to Channel 13 and the free Victory+ streaming service, they were smart in getting ahead of the trend back to over-the-air telecasts, with an eye toward attracting more eyeballs. Visibility, believe it or not, can be more valuable than rights fees. …

• Meanwhile, streaming services’ exclusivity agreements with various leagues have meant that when your team is on one of those national games, if you don’t have that service you’re left out. The one exception is the NFL, which mandates that when Amazon Prime or Netflix carries a game, it’s also shown on over-the-air outlets in the local markets. Why can’t other leagues do so? …

• Until that blessed day arrives, to see every one of your favorite team’s games right now you have to