Fans can access archived regular season and playoff games through NFL Game PassGETTY IMAGES
The NFL said that it is making every game since '09 "available for free streaming" on NFL Game Pass, which fans can access "for free in the U.S. until May 31," according to Sahil Patel of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Additionally, the NBA and Turner Sports yesterday "removed the paywall for the League Pass subscription service until April 22." NFL Senior VP/Digital Media & Business Operations David Jurenka said that the league "made its decision to remove the paywall over the last few days." Jurenka: "We thought this was a good idea and timely. It did not need to be overanalyzed." An NFL spokesperson said that in the three hours after making the free offering available yesterday, the league "saw 500 times the average number of daily sign-ups for Game Pass" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/19). Meanwhile, Sportsnet has made its NHL Live streaming service free throughout Canada starting tomorrow. The app allows users to watch every NHL game played to date in the current season, including outdoor games and the All-Star Game (Rogers).
WELCOME NEWS: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal writes this is a "blessing for the housebound sports fan, eager for a connection to sports content" during the pandemic. Meanwhile, filmmaker Ken Burns "prevailed upon PBS to make streams of his 1994 series 'Baseball' available for free" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/19).
