As traditional television viewership continues to dwindle, streaming services are taking an increasingly central role in how audiences consume sports and entertainment. A notable shift can be seen in the broadcasting of college football games. For instance, Arkansas Football's game against Oklahoma State was available on ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming platform, and FUBO, which also provided a free trial for new users. This move highlights the growing reliance on streaming platforms to deliver live sports events that were traditionally reserved for national or cable television.

In another development, starting from 2024, Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming service, will exclusively stream several games from the Big Ten Conference. This decision underlines the strategic moves by networks to secure exclusive digital rights to popular sports content, subsequently encouraging fans to subscribe to their services.

Despite the proliferation of streaming options, there are growing concerns about the sustainability and user satisfaction associated with these platforms. On the front of viewer experience, issues such as platform exclusivity, subscription costs, and the addition of advertisement tiers in previously ad-free environments can hamper the overall user experience.

Moreover, the market is seeing an overload of content and services which can lead to subscription fatigue; as individual platforms secure exclusive rights to high-demand content like popular movies, TV shows, and sports events, users are forced to subscribe to multiple services to access a diverse range of content. Vulture's round-up of must-watch movies and TV shows over a weekend indicates how platforms use exclusive, high-quality content to attract and retain subscribers.

Overall, as streaming services continue to evolve, they not only change how content is delivered but also intensify the competition for exclusive content, impacting how viewers are choosing and using these platforms.