By: Jackson Ward
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — Watching sports has never been harder for fans who just want to catch a game with their friends. Different streaming services like ESPN+ ($10.99 a month), Paramount+ ($5.99 a month), Peacock ($5.99 a month), Amazon Prime ($14.99 a month) and Hulu Live ($76.99 a month) each hold certain rights, which makes keeping up with content more expensive and increasingly frusturating.
The recent removal of Streameast, a free sports streaming website, has brought the problem back into focus. Although the site was unofficial and operated in a legal gray area, it was widely used.
“Streameast was the perfect alternative to anything we could not find on live television,” said Miles Chester, a junior undergraduate at the University of Arkansas and Sigma Nu brotherhood chairman. “Of course it was illegal, but there is not a single guy I know who watches sports and has not used Streameast at least once.”
Chester said the loss of Streameast only highlights how fractured the system is. “Streaming accessibility can be pretty brutal for tailgates, brotherhood events, and whenever we are trying to watch a game together at the house,” Chester said. “When I cannot get a game because we are not subscribed to Peacock, Paramount, ESPN+, or Hulu, it can be difficult to watch. Guys will get upset, and it becomes a huge nuisance. The prime time games for the NFL are also really difficult and annoying to get through. It seems like there is a different platform for every prime time game. It is terrible.”
Graduate student and supply chain consultant at Tyson Foods, John Threet, focused on the financial side. “Between ESPN+, Hulu Live, Peacock, and everything else, it feels like you have to subscribe to four or five different things just to see all the games you want. The prices add up quick, and it makes it tough to catch everything without scrounging your pockets,” Threet said.
For now, sports fans have to make difficult choices. They can pay for multiple subscriptions, miss out on certain games, or head to a bar or restaurant in hopes the game will be on. Until there is a simpler and more affordable system, the frustration is likely to keep growing.