3 reasons why making Super Bowl a PPV event is bad for football

Former ESPN president and current executive chairman of DAZN media John Skipper mentioned the possibility of the Super Bowl becoming a PPV event in the future.

Skipper recently appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and chatted about the SEC's new super conference and the inevitable move for the Super Bowl into a PPV event.

Explaining why the Super Bowl could become a paid service, he said:

"That's how they're going to replace the money someday. Because there's not going to be enough money in the advertising. If people are willing to pay big money to see Floyd Mayweather fight a Paul brother, I would think the money generated by PPV...maybe you'll be able to pay a lifetime sub."

Skipper signed many of the largest television rights deals in sports history during his time with ESPN. He clearly sees a pattern that could ultimately lead to a change for the Super Bowl.

But if the Super Bowl does become some paid service or PPV event, it won't be good for football and here's three reasons why.

Three reasons why making Super Bowl a PPV event is a wrong choice

#1 - Backlash from fans

Divisional Round - Los Angeles Rams v Green Bay Packers

NBC has already faced backlash for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They've been putting more popular events, like the US Men's Basketball games, behind a paywall, meaning you have to pay an additional charge to watch it on the premium package.

During the last Summer Olympics, all prime events were broadcasted on cable. Times are indeed changing as we enter the streaming era of content. But a TV channel shouldn't use an event like the Olympics to try to squeeze every last penny out of it.

Idc that I sound like a broken record but the cover from @NBCOlympics has been awful. If it wasn’t for Twitter and Facebook I wouldn’t have know US men’s basketball was playing and ANNNNNND the men’s 100m finals just happened!

— Florida Loki (@TimmyBSanders) July 31, 2021

Fans don't like inconveniences and streaming services are less reliable than cable, as they rely on WiFi connections. NBC's streaming service Peacock has had many issues since it launched.

A lifetime subscription could be pricey and unreasonable, meaning the event would like a PPV that could cost $60 to $100 every year, which is still steep.

#2 - Bidding wars and conflicts with networks

NFL games networks

Let's say the Super Bowl does end up being a PPV event. If ESPN makes a deal to stream the Super Bowl every year, where does that leave the other networks that have always had their hands in the pool for Super Bowl revenue?

CBS, FOX, and NBC lose a premier event that draws a large audience manually. Instead, there's now just one network that gets to rake in the Super Bowl cash. There won't be any trade-off airing since it'll likely be pretty expensive to get the exclusive rights to have it every few years.

#3 - Does it stop at the Super Bowl?

NFL Playoffs

The reason that the Super Bowl could become a PPV-like event is due to a dwindling audience and the rising price for a Super Bowl ad each season.

Eventually, businesses and companies will stop paying to air their commercials during the Super Bowl, causing the game to lose much of its revenue. This could lead to NFL playoff games and regular-season games suffering the same fate down the line. Commericals and advertisements are a main part of the NFL's revenue.

If the price is to be advertised in the NFL, then could the league make a deal to turn their product into a UFC-like sport? There are only a few games each season and it would capitalize on the revenue of having every game be a pay-to-watch event. The draft and Hall of Fame could follow as well.

It will be interesting to see how the NFL and other leagues change over the next decade.