As recently as a decade ago, when the basic-cable and streaming businesses were rolling in tandem, a Super Bowl on the latter format would have been unthinkable.
How quickly times change, as sports has made its first moves in recent years—to mixed reactions from fans—toward fleeing linear television's sinking ship. In a piece published by Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic Wednesday, Goodell refused to rule out the possibility of a streaming-only Super Bowl in the not-too-distant future.
"Anything is possible," the commissioner said when asked whether that is a possibility in the 2030s. "With a changing media landscape, the way it changes as fast as it changes... it's certainly possible."
No Super Bowl has ever streamed exclusively, although three of the last four have streamed simultaneously with conventional over-the-air broadcasts. That will be the case again this February, when the game will air on NBC and Peacock.
Amazon, Netflix and YouTube currently sit on the outside looking in of the league's championship rotation—but that may not be the case forever.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roger Goodell Leaves Door Open for Streaming-Only Super Bowl in Future.
