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Battle: Los Angeles: The Rams take over L.A.

By
Stephen Patrick
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0
USA Today

Who runs Los Angeles? If you ask the Rams, they’ll say they do. Yes, the landscape of the sports scene has been altered by the Rams-Charger move and LeBron James coming to town (sorry, Clippers fans).

Yet, while the City of the Angels bows to LeBron and the Lakers, they aren’t the only star-studded show anymore after the Rams posted a dazzling, 38-31 victory Thursday night against National Football Conference contenders the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings refused to buckle, despite getting out-gunned and overwhelmed by their hosts. But, the Rams showed just why they rank among the favorites to win a Super Bowl. They are elite and after the Vikings game, stamped their name as the top team in the NFC and perhaps the NFL. The Rams are loaded at every position since star quarterback Jared Goff is on a rookie contract. But, after last year (and thus far this year) a $100 million deal is on the way.

Is Goff an elite this young in his career? He was electric in picking apart the Vikings’ defense, which came into the season as one of the league’s premier units. The third-year pro sure is playing like a choice QB. In the first half, his stat line looked better than some starters’ entire games. In the second quarter alone, he completed six of eight passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams just have so many weapons a defense has to account for. And, with an offense mastermind at their helm, the league might be witnessing future Super Bowl champions in the making.

Indeed, Thursday’s matchup was a thrilling QB’s duel. The victor, Jared Goff went 26-for-33 for 465 yards and five touchdowns — and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins completed 34 of 48 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. After a rough rookie year, Goff broke out 28 touchdowns, seven interception and a passer rating over 100 in 2017. But, he’s pushed things even further in 2018. Through four games, he’s emerged as an NFL MVP candidate.

The Rams were scary in 2017 when a more conservative version of Goff took advantage of teams that had to stop Gurley, too. Just think, one of the league’s best offenses played conservatively at times. But now, with more talent at the wideout positions, the offense seems invulnerable. With the improved, aggressive Goff, the Rams have scored at least 33 points in each of their games to win by double digits weekly. They haven’t done much different schematically from last year, they’re just better.

Their offense still leans on Gurley and uses Goff in a similar amount from 2017. The difference is, the quarterback is completing passes he didn’t make last year. He’s finding tight windows down the field and playing with a swag not seen since Kurt Warner guided the greatest show on turf to a Super Bowl. L.A., the Rams takeover is underway!

Puttin’ on the Fitz: It’s still Ryan’s time with the Bucs

By
J.T. Clifton
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0
USA Today

Ryan Fitzpatrick has gone through the same old cycle for what seems like forever in his career. He goes somewhere as the backup, the starting quarterback gets injured and Fitzpatrick comes in and plays lights-out….for a while. Once the tape is out, it’s usually time for Fitzpatrick to resume the backup role.

On the eve of Jameis Winston’s return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after his suspension, it looked like it was about that time for “Fitzmagic.” Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions and you could see it in the Bucs fan’s eyes as they thought, “here we go again, the magic is over.” Typical Ryan. But, the veteran didn’t fall apart and went on to throw for more than 400 yards and almost led a comeback in a 30-27 loss.

So now what? Who starts? The Bucs’ franchise quarterback is coming back this week and Fitzpatrick has Tampa Bay at 2-1, a record not many thought they’d have with the Steelers, Eagles and Saints as their first three games. Fitzpatrick has also thrown for more than 400 yards in each of those games and already has double-digit touchdowns. Two of the three interceptions featured a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and Mike Evans cutting off a route that shouldn’t have been cut off. So, really only one of the picks was Fitz’s fault, but it did go for a touchdown.

Here’s what the Bucs are telling Winston if he starts this week; “Go get in trouble, get suspended and you automatically get your job back when you come back, no matter what.” This message doesn’t bode well for someone who obviously has a hard time controlling himself off the field.

USA Today

Through the first three games of the season, Fitzpatrick has 1,230 yards, 11 TDs and four interceptions while completing 70% of his passes. He’s also the only Tamps QB with consecutive weeks of 400 yards passing — (Weeks 1-3, 2018), the only QB to pass for 400 yards multiple times in a season and has the Most consecutive weeks of having a passer rating of at least 140.0 in a season — two.

Through the first three games of the season last year, Winston had 864 yards, six TDs and three interceptions. These games including matches against the Bears and Giants, two of the lower-tier teams last year. Winston finished with 19 TDs and 11 interceptions in 13 games last year. The way Fitzmagic is going, he could break that TD mark by week five.

It might be Winston’s job in the future, but it’s Fitzmagic time. He should keep the job until he really loses it with multiple bad games. He shouldn’t be looking over his shoulder every single time he throws an interception. The Bucs need to let him know it’s his job now.

Dollars and Cents: Comcast and Disney battle for industry dominance

By
Jeremy Evans
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0
Image courtesy of: USA Today

Comcast, an American company, is now majority owner of Sky, the pan-European entertainment, media and sports company headquartered in London.

To put the above sale in context, a deal worth $39 billion, Sky is Europe’s biggest, leading media company and largest pay-TV broadcaster.  By comparison, Comcast is the second-largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world by revenue and the second-largest pay-TV company (after AT&T), which just purchased for $85 billion, but is currently arguing on appeal with the United States Justice Department to keep its new hopeful purchasee, Time Warner.  The Comcast company includes the brand Xfinity (e.g. the NASCAR Series title sponsor) and subsidiary NBCUniversal. Comcast has millions of subscribers and viewers globally in the United States, India, China and Europe, and is easily one of the most recognizable companies in the word.

Comcast beat out Disney (via its new purchasee 21st Century Fox (or “Fox”) in the bid for Sky following negotiations and a United Kingdom-state-run bidding process.  Interestingly, 21st Century Fox was purchased by Disney including Fox’s 39% minority stake in Sky for $71.3 billion, beating out Comcast, but Comcast drove the price up nearly $20 billion by entering the negotiations. One also has to wonder whether Fox’s failed bid for complete control of Sky has any bearing on its deal with Disney. In all, this means while Disney beat out Comcast in its purchase for Fox, Comcast beat out Disney and Fox for its purchase of Sky.

Complicating matters, Comcast controls a 30% stake in steamer Hulu, while Disney now controls 60% through its original 30% stake and its purchase of 21st Century Fox’s 30% stake. The battle for majority control of Fox and Sky is over, but the war for supremacy in entertainment, media and sports continues, specifically for majority control of Hulu and the remaining minority stake in Sky. The above raises three questions for consideration.

  1. Who will make a move to purchase all of Hulu?

Disney has signaled its content will be distributed via its newly-developed platform Disney Streaming Services, LLC using BAMTech, LLC technology (on a product likely to be named), while its purchased-Fox content will be streamed on the Hulu platform. If Disney sells its 60% stake to Comcast or another buyer(s), it would need to find a new distribution partner or develop another new platform. That is unlikely, but maybe Netflix, Apple or Amazon Prime will play a role in distributing content as a result of the above possible deals. One thing is for sure, Disney is unlikely to distribute family-friendly and non-family friendly content on the same platform.

Comcast is well positioned here to sell high on Hulu if Disney would like to control nearly of all of Hulu and distribute content through an existing streaming platform. Either way, one company involved here is likely going to pay multi-millions for Hulu and will be able to use that money to pay off recent purchase debt. The Bottom line is, Disney needs Hulu if it wants to distribute Fox content now.

  1. What will Disney-Fox do with its ownership stake in Sky?

Disney might be inclined to hold out and sell high on its minority stake in Sky to Comcast. If Disney does not control all of Sky, it has little to no use for it as a distribution partner.  Sky was likely to become ESPN-Europe or ESPN-World if the bidding process was successful for Disney-Fox. Comcast would do well to turn Sky into NBC Sports-Europe or NBC Sports-World with its successful and complete purchase and control of Sky.  Disney should sell Sky to Comcast and use the proceeds towards purchasing Hulu and/or paying of Fox debt.

  1. What does all of this mean for Comcast?

Four words: Fox Regional Sports Networks. Disney needs to sell them as part of its deal with Fox and Comcast needs them to dominate the sports broadcasting space through NBC Sports.

In deal-making terms, Comcast and Disney would be wise to exchange ownership in several companies to get what they want. Comcast needs all of Sky to make a run at being a worldwide leader in sports and entertainment broadcasting.  Disney needs all of Hulu to distribute its Fox content. Disney also needs to sell-off the Fox Regional Sports Networks as part of its purchase agreement with the Justice Department. Those regional networks will likely find a good home at Comcast/NBC Sports.

In the end, Disney likely comes out on top financially from the sale of its control in Sky and the Fox Regional Sports Networks, despite having to pay for 90% control of Hulu and paying an extra $20 billion for Fox because of Comcast. Comcast will have to spend a significant sum to get both Sky and the Fox Regional Sports Networks, while making a good sum from its Hulu sale.

One thing to watch is whether Comcast and Disney work together as partners in distribution or as agitators to each other through Hulu and Sky, which is both unlikely and likely based on recent history. A second thing to watch is if the negotiations for Fox and Sky spill over into further deals for a majority control of Hulu, the twenty-two Fox Regional Sports Networks, and the remaining control of Sky.  Maybe no deal is done between them, but the implications for each company and the consumers are significant.

QB, or Not QB: Major ACC signal-caller shakeups

By
Stephen Patrick
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AP

There’s been more tune-ups among the quarterback position in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season than discount day at Midas. Here’s the Sports Radio America rundown:

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers made a quarterback change ahead of their game against Syracuse. Trevor Lawrence has been named starter over Kelly Bryant, while Bryant will be involved in game play in some capacity. Lawrence, a true freshman and 5-star recruit, has thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. He lit up Georgia Tech on Saturday, completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Lawrence gives the Tigers’ offense life.

“He really played well,” head Coach Dabo Swinney said.  “It was certainly his best game. He was very poised, and I think the game has slowed down for him. He’s making good decisions, and he’s decisive with the ball.”

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech lost more than just the game on Saturday. After losing to Old Dominion, Hokies coach Justin Fuente announced quarterback Josh Jackson suffered a fractured left fibula. Jackson, a red-shirt sophomore, will undergo surgery this week. There’s no timetable for Jackson’s return. The coach acknowledged the injury could be season-ending. This a huge blow to one of the ACC’s top contenders.

The Hokies inserted Ryan Willis, a transfer from Kansas, into the game lineup. It was Willis’ second appearance as a Hokie, although he received plenty of playing time during his time at Kansas. Willis sat out the 2017 season after transferring. Before transferring, he was Kansas’ primary starter in 2015. Having experience playing in a Power 5 Conference will help. In 16 games at Kansas, Willis threw for 2,530 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Miami

Head coach Mark Richt is keeping his starting quarterback against North Carolina on Thursday a secret. But, he couldn’t hide the fact N’Kosi Perry was working with the first-team offense on Monday. The red-shirt freshman took over for senior Malik Rosier against Florida International University on Saturday. Perry gave the Hurricanes a much-needed spark on offense against the Panthers. When he entered the game on Miami’s third series, he went for 17-of-25 passing for 224 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to his credit. He also rushed nine times for 32 yards.

“I am going to leave it at we will play the guy who has the best shot at winning,” Richt said. “I’m going to observe a little bit more of practice. I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I’m not 100 percent sure. I do a lot of things based on what my gut is telling me.”

Louisville

Louisville’s offense came out struggling Saturday against the Virginia Cavaliers, which has been the story all year. The Cardinals had just 32 passing yards in the first half. Malik Cunningham, who initially looked like the second coming of Lamar Jackson, was terrible. Coach Bobby Petrino went with Puma Pass in the second half, but things didn’t get a whole lot better. Puma was solid with 10/19 for 113 yards in one half, which is not bad. But, the Louisville offense needs to be better. Malik Cunningham was the leading rusher with 26 yards and he didn’t even play in the second half.

School of Hard Knox: Pruitt needs time to change Vol’s culture

By
J.T. Clifton
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0
USA Today

“I don’t know how things were done around here before, but when you tell someone to go in and they don’t, aight, we’re not going to do that around here. So, I asked him to leave the sidelines.”

That was Jeremy Pruitt after the Florida game to reporters on asking Jr. linebacker Quart’e Sapp to leave the sidelines during a game that got out of hand quickly for the Vols Saturday night. By that one sentence, it’s clear from that statement Pruitt is frustrated with the culture currently among his players inside the program; “I don’t know how things were done around here before.”

It’s been the problem for years in Knoxville. Butch Jones was a very good composite-ranking recruiter. He went out and got 4-star and 5-star players, but not many of them panned out to be superstars. Why? Because he recruited players who don’t have the “it” factor, that elusive, highly-coveted trait that encompasses what it takes to win games. Some might call it being a “dog.” Jones recruited nice guys and big names because they were big names.

On defense, besides Shy Tuttle and Kyle Phillips, Pruitt’s juniors and seniors are a no-show this year. Jonathan Kongbo has all but gone into hiding while playing every defensive snap. Not to pick on Kongbo, but he’s the prime example of the type of player Butch loved. He’s built like a robot, he’s a good kid who’s never been in trouble, but he’s never made a great play.

The only noteworthy play in the Florida match-up on defense was made by freshman Alontae Taylor, who forced a fumble and changed the momentum of the game. The almost all-freshman cast of defensive backs Pruitt has starting play with an edge. They get up with their heads bobbing as they talk trash to the other team. They’re always around the ball and that’s a peek into the future of Tennessee football under Pruitt.

On the offensive side of the house, Tennessee’s running backs are another example of Butch Jones-style players. Chandler and Jordan are both very talented athletes, but they still don’t run with that edge. When freshman Jeremy Banks gets into the game, he runs violently. He ran brutally with two minutes left in a blowout game against Florida.

One thing that completely stuck out to me on Saturday, though, is the play that knocked sophomore Jarrett Guarantano out of the game. It seemed like a dirty play by Cece Jefferson of Florida because Trey Smith, who is Guarantano’s tackle and one of the so-called “dogs” of the offense, watched Jefferson do it and didn’t respond in the least. If that were Tom Brady, an offensive lineman for the Patriots might be in jail today. The quarterback has to trust his offensive line, and with a bad one already, that trust is inherently thin.

Pruitt needs time to compete in the Southeastern Conference. Sometimes, it looks like Alabama’s players couldn’t care less if their opponents live or die on the field. That’s what it takes in football. Football is a violent sport and if you don’t play with an edge, you’ll get destroyed. Pruitt knows that edge because he’s seen it firsthand. Unfortunately, there’s no tanking in college football. Otherwise, I suggest Pruitt play all freshman the rest of the year.

Name Your Price: Jimmy Butler seeks to be traded

By
Stephen Patrick
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0
AP

Jimmy Butler rocked the NBA after he requested a trade out of Minnesota. From the Timberwolves’ perspective, there’s lots of incentive to trade him, but it’s worth asking if other teams are willing to take the risk.

That’s because this is the second team where Butler, 29, has fought with teammates despite being good for a 22-5-4 average—one of nine players to do so last season.

As training camp approaches, news of Butler being at odds with young stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns have been at sustained levels all season. Although Butler has named the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and L.A. Clippers as teams he wants to play for, Sports Radio America examines other teams we believe should consider adding the controversial All-Star.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks barely made the playoffs last season. With the Eastern Conference weak, they seemed like a top four team initially, but finished at 44-38. Big man Thon Maker hasn’t quite lived up to expectations as he was picked 10th in the 2016 NBA Draft. Apart from the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks don’t have any other star players who can ignite a match during the playoffs. Butler could be the player they need to push Milwaukee closer to being a true contender in the East.

Boston Celtics

As currently constructed, the Celtics are the team to beat in the East and the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors. If the Celtics gave up their core of young talent for Butler, they’d have four All-Stars (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Holford and Butler). Jimmy could be the player who could push the Celtics side-by-side to the Warriors’ five All-Stars. I’m sure the franchise would be thrilled to have Butler starting on the court as their shooting guard.

 Los Angeles Lakers

Butler says he prefers the Clippers over the Lakers, but the Lakers have the trade pieces. Although LeBron James is a Laker, the team is no match for the top teams in the West. A possible trade could include Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart or Brandon Ingram. Hart playing the same position would be the bigger interest, as he was named MVP of the 2018 Summer League, averaging 24.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are another team in the Eastern Conference that has the potential of winning the Eastern Conference Final. With two All-Stars, adding one more would put them neck-and- neck with the Boston Celtics. A possible trade of Robert Covington and a second-round draft pick for Butler would be a huge win for the Sixers. They had a strong 2018 season and with the foundations of players such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, adding another All-Star would definitely solidify them as one of two teams to beat in the East.

 

Raiders of the Lost Spark: Gruden trying to recover from Khalil Mack trade

By
J.T. Clifton
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0
USA Today

In his first year back in the NFL after 16 years, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has really made a splash; that type of splash you make when you’re trying to dry off and some kid jumps in the pool and gets you all wet again.

In other words, it’s not going well for the Raiders. They’ve started out 0-2, but that’s not the worst part of it for the beleaguered franchise. It’s what they’re seeing in Chicago that’s the worst part.

Gruden has made it clear he wants his men and it’s evident in the fact they gave up a generational talent in Khalil Mack for two, first-round draft picks who could end up being busts. Mack has already out-produced the entire Raiders defense in the first two games of the season and to make matters worse, both Bears games were on prime time TV for the world to laugh at the Raiders.

Here’s a look at the numbers through two games:

Raiders Mack
Sacks 2 2
Interceptions 1 1
Forced Fumbles 1 2
Fumble Recoveries 1 0
Touchdowns 1 0

 

“It wasn’t my goal to trade Khalil when we got here,” Gruden said according to USA Today via The Associated Press. “One of the reasons I’m here is because of him. Unfortunately, we had a standoff with a contract, and we could not come to terms. The Bears made us an offer of two first-round draft choices and here we are today.”

In addition to calling the plays, Gruden’s job is to keep players like Mack happy  He should have done anything he could do to keep Mack. He was much more important to the Raiders than any other player on the team. With the success of mid-talent-range quarterbacks around the league, they could have traded Derek Carr and came out better in the long run.

AP

Instead, Gruden showed how hard-headed he could be and confirmed his reputation as a control freak. He’s already lost the locker room and they are two games into his first year. The Raiders’ locker room was not happy about the Mack news.

Bruce Irvin and Derek Carr took to twitter with Irvin saying, “No F***in way” and Carr saying, “no way.” Former Raiders great Charles Woodson also posted a crying meme, adding it was a facsimile of himself when he woke up and heard the news.

For Gruden’s sake, he’d better hope those two, first-round draft picks become franchise players, because if they don’t, he may have possibly traded one of the best players the Raiders have had in decades in the midst of his prime.

Gruden needs to win and needs to win soon. If not, he’ll completely lose the fan base and the locker room.

Star Wars: Cards’ QB battle heats up as Cunningham named starter

By
Stephen Patrick
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0
AP News

University of Louisville head football coach Bobby Petrino has named Malik Cunningham starting quarterback for Saturday’s Virginia game. This, after Cunningham sparked a lethargic offense while playing in their last two games.

Going forward, I expect Louisville’s offense to look very much like it did with Lamar Jackson under center. We’ve seen it so far and I doubt it will change. During the Cards’ game on Sept. 15th against Western Kentucky University, it was night and day between Jawon Pass and Cunningham taking snaps.

Alas, Pass’ struggles continue. UofL managed just 292 yards against a WKU team that allowed 324 to Maine. They passed for 88 yards. They went 2-for-11 on third downs. The Cardinals had a negative 2 yards while WKU struck first after a 16-play, 8-yard drive that ate 7:13 off the clock.

“We haven’t been able to get our receivers involved like we need to,” Petrino said. “It looked like we had a couple of opportunities for some big plays and we weren’t able to make them. Jaylen makes that play just about every single day, so it’s just something, one of those nights where it isn’t clicking. But I’ll call his number again, and we’ll throw it to him again. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Jaylen Smith.”

Hoping to ignite their offense, Louisville put Cunningham in, but the same results followed. While Cunningham made a couple of plays with his feet, the same story was told as their offense stalled. While the first half for UofL was filled with turnovers, penalties and dropped passes, Cunningham began to find his groove during the last drive of the half. He showed flashes of Lamar Jackson on an 81-yard, 12-play drive that shaved 2:46 off the clock and ended in a field goal. At the half, WKU led 14-3.

But coming out after halftime, Louisville had a whole new swagger under Cunningham. They ran more run pass option plays, allowing Cunningham to get to the edge of the defense and make plays with his legs. UofL scored on three, straight drives, energized by a blocked field goal. Malik solidified himself as the starter. His ability to make defenders miss and extend plays led to a Cardinal victory.

Cunningham has won two games for Louisville with his running ability after taking Pass’ place. In both games, the quarterback dropping back to pass then taking off, has been Louisville’s best offense. That’s not how their coaches drew it up over the past eight months, but at the end of the day, whoever gives you the best chance to win, you go with.

Nick of Time: Appreciate Saban while you can

By
J.T. Clifton
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0
USA Today

On the first play of the game Saturday, Jordan Ta’amu hit D.K. Metcalf for a 75-yard touchdown, and I thought, “wow, Ole Miss might upset ‘Bama again with a start like this.”

Boy, was I wrong. Alabama went on to score 62 straight points and didn’t give up another point to one of the most explosive offenses in the Southeastern Conference. It’s almost scary to think about how good Alabama is this year, but what’s even more terrifying is there’s no end in sight until Nick Saban is gone.

So, when does he leave? Well, ESPN’s Chris Low asked him about it this summer and he responded with, “That’s what everybody keeps saying, that I’m not going to be doing this for much longer, and all the people who say it have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Saban is 66 years old, years beyond some of his biggest competitors; Kirby Smart (42) and Lincoln Riley (34). Do we truly appreciate what we are witnessing, though? I don’t think so. Let’s dive deeper into the numbers.

Saban is 130 – 20 at Alabama and 72 – 13 in conference. Six of those 20 losses came in the first year he took over Alabama in 2007. He’s won five championships in Tuscaloosa and played in six. He’s only been Associated Press Coach of the Year twice, and that might speak more to his greatness than anything. It’s like the AP is saying, he recruits so well, he SHOULD win 86% of his games in the hardest conference in college football.

USA Today

Saban also continues his recruiting and winning ways, no matter who’s on his staff. He loses a couple of coaches every year and it’s seldom because they did a bad job, but assumed the reigns as head coach somewhere else.

Bobby Williams Michigan State Jim McElwain Colo St / Florida
Mark Dantonio Cincy / Michigan State Dan Quinn Atlanta Falcons
Derek Dooley La Tech / Tennessee Adam Gase Miami Dolphins
Jimbo Fisher Florida St / Texas A&M Kirby Smart Georgia
Lane Kiffin Oak (NFL) / UT / USC / FAU Major Applewhite Houston Univ
Mike Haywood Miami OH / Texas Southern Mario Cristobal Oregon
Jason Garrett Dallas Cowboys Jeremy Pruitt Tennessee
Will Muschamp Florida / South Carolina Billy Napier Louisiana-Lafayette

 

So, every one of those schools and teams are essentially saying they want their coach to be modeled after Nick Saban. His team’s discipline is outrageous. It was even discovered this year he sent his players to a Michigan State sports psychologist who helps players buy into what Saban coaches.

Now, let’s take a look at recruiting. According to Rivals.com, Alabama has finished first overall every year since 2013 when they finished second. How does Saban do that? Simple. He gets you to the NFL better than any other coach. Alabama leads the nation in active NFL players with 44 players, with LSU and Florida following.

What else can Saban do? Well, the only thing he has left is to pass Bear Bryant with his seventh championship ring, and that looks like it’s going to happen this year.

Gone Streaming: The fastest to deliver will be the fastest to the bank

By
Jeremy Evans
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0
Image courtesy of: The Associated Press

One of the major complaints competing against the future of streaming entertainment, media and sports content is the power of the distribution partner. Specifically, the level of streaming lag that slows the delivery of content to consumers. Streaming lag is our generation’s faster version of the AOL dial-up.

As a recent article from BBC articulated: “When video is streamed online it is broken up into small packets, which are reassembled by the recipient’s device [(i.e., modem, router, and television, etc.)].  If each segment is very short, processing them becomes inefficient. However, if they are too long, there is more of a delay between the TV broadcast and online stream.”

With specific reference to live sports content, any delay will be unwelcome. This makes sense because first, live sports are best consumed live so as to avoid an errant social media gander or text message from a friend updating you on the score or latest play.

Second, it reduces trust with the consumer on whom they chose as a distributor, whether traditional cable or something newer like streaming via a platform-entertainment tech giant (i.e., Amazon Prime/Fire Stick, Apple TV, Roku, etc.).  When the trust between provider and consumer lessens, so does the bottom line.  Lastly, if provided efficiently, it moves the needle forward to progress in delivering content.

However, help is on the way.  BBC says it has both the technology and a new formula to deliver smaller packets of information faster so that those watching live-streamed sports events will be able to see it in real time.  It is said that by the 2022 World Cup, to be held in multiple cities in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar, the technology will be available for mass distribution.

Interestingly, some success of this delivery is dependent on an individual’s broadband (e.g., the strength of Wi-Fi or delivery method).  Specifically, 4K high-dynamic-range (HDR) content may be the highest level of viewing, but a person’s home broadband connection (think Cox vs. Charter vs. AT&T) and what level of service you are paying for (e.g., how much you pay in dollars per month), generally measured in “Mbps” or megabits per second, matters.  With M-Lab, who has partnered with Google, one can test their local Mbps level.  Per AT&T, the average Mbps standards and the best delivery methods can be found here.

Going forward, the companies that can guarantee great content and great delivery will likely be the most successful.  The AT&T-TimeWarner merger is an example of this because it will be the first time a major content provider is also the streaming distributor.  AT&T will create content through HBO (owned by Time Warner), then distribute that content through AT&T cell phone towers and cable lines. Not surprisingly, Hollywood Talent Agencies are doing similar things to control and distribute content.

BBC is no different. They want to guarantee that a great product is also delivered well. However, as with any free-market economic system, there may also be individual creation and innovation that drives the next generation of content and information delivery.  Competition will be key to determine who(m) or what is the next great distribution provider and platform.

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