We have all grown up watching Football on our television sets, a few lucky ones might also have witnessed their team live from the stadium. But in the last decade, we have gradually moved from consuming content on TV to consuming it on our Laptops and mobile phones, even sports.
Let’s do a quick survey: which gadgets/devices do you use the most in your day-to-day life? Now Phone will be no.1 for everyone. In fact, most of you will be reading this on your phone as well, and TV might not be in the top 3 for most of you.
With time, the game has remained at 90 minutes on the same rectangular pitch, but the way we fans consume it has changed, and with changing demographics, the way football has been distributed has also changed.
We are spending more and more time on our smartphones and Laptops, and the stakeholders of the sport want to give us the luxury of consuming the sport from those devices themselves, thus leading to the rise of OTT. And as clichéd as it may sound, we are just beginning.
Is Football on OTT the future?
Recent reports suggest that UEFA and Netflix are collaborating on a multibillion-dollar deal to broadcast Europe’s biggest club competition, the UEFA Champions League.
Football on OTT is not a new concept; most of us have already been consuming it for the past five years. In India, leagues like LA LIGA and Serie A are only available on OTT platforms.
This year, Ligue 1 launched its own OTT platform – Ligue 1 plus- to broadcast all matches of the French league.
In 2024 Premier League announced that it will end its 20-year relationship with media production company IMG before the 2026/27 season, establishing its own in-house media operation to replace IMG, which many dubbed as the ‘Premflix’.
The Club World Club was free to watch on Dazn; similarly, the stakeholders of the European Super League were also planning their own OTT platform to broadcast matches for free.
So, as you can see, there is a clear shift from Television to OTT and creating the league’s own OTT platform. And this is because it has a lot of benefits for the leagues.
Why is football on OTT better than Football on cable TV
What are the benefits of Football on OTT for fans?
Convenience and Accessibility
If we look at it purely from a fan’s perspective, OTT has made football more flexible, accessible, and let’s be honest, more personal than ever before.
Gone are the days when you had to rush home or beg your parents for the remote at 6:30 pm just to catch the second half of a Premier League game. Now, all you need is a stable internet connection and a screen any screen. Whether you’re stuck in traffic, on a train, or lying in bed, football follows you wherever you go.
That’s the biggest advantage of OTT: convenience and accessibility. Fans can stream matches live from their phones, laptops, or smart TVs anytime, anywhere. No more worrying about the cable connection or the blackout channel.
More Control
And it doesn’t stop there. Most OTT platforms also let you pause, rewind, or rewatch any game you missed. For fans living in different time zones or working night shifts, this is a blessing. It gives you control over how and when you want to watch football.
Personalization
Then there’s personalization. Unlike traditional TV, OTT platforms actually learn your habits, what teams you follow, what leagues you prefer, which players you search for, and then recommend highlights, interviews, or even tactical breakdowns accordingly. Some even allow you to switch camera angles or customize your commentary.
And if you care about quality (which every fan does), OTT delivers sharper visuals, smoother replays, and 4K streaming, something that even top cable networks still struggle with.
But it’s not just fans who benefit. In fact, it’s the Football clubs and the leagues who benefit the most.
Why do Football Clubs and leagues love OTT?
For leagues and clubs, OTT opens a whole new world, one that’s not just about showing football, but about owning it.
More Control, More Freedom
Traditionally, broadcasters held all the power. They bought the rights, packaged the games, and dictated how and when fans could watch them. Leagues got their cut, sure, but they were always one step removed from the actual audience. OTT completely flips that equation.
By streaming directly to fans, leagues cut out the middleman, meaning more control, more creative freedom, and yes, a much bigger share of the revenue pie. Instead of relying on TV networks to promote their matches, they can now build their own digital ecosystem, one where every click, subscription, and replay is tracked and monetized.
The Real Goldmine: Data
Then comes the real goldmine: data. With OTT, leagues and clubs finally get access to detailed insights about who their fans are, where they’re watching from, and what content they engage with the most.
Are people in India tuning in more for Arsenal than Chelsea? Do fans in Brazil prefer late-night kickoffs? Which players’ highlights are being watched the most?
All that information helps clubs tailor their marketing, merchandise, and even content strategy directly around fans, creating a more connected and profitable fanbase.
New Revenue Streams
It also opens the door to new revenue streams. With their own OTT platforms, leagues can experiment with multiple business models: pay-per-view matches, flexible monthly passes, premium behind-the-scenes content, or ad-supported free tiers. They’re no longer limited to the rigid broadcasting contracts of old; now they can decide how to monetize every second of the product they own.
Global Reach and Accessibility
On top of that, OTT allows them to expand globally. A Premier League match can now reach a viewer in Nairobi, New Delhi, or New York at the same time no licensing barriers, no dependence on local TV partners. That’s how smaller leagues like the MLS or Saudi Pro League are growing by using streaming to go directly international.
Branding and Storytelling Advantage
There’s also a massive branding advantage. When leagues control their own OTT platforms, they control the storytelling. They can showcase documentaries, mini-series, training ground access, or exclusive player interviews that build emotional connections beyond just matchday. It’s not just about showing 90 minutes of football anymore; it’s about selling the lifestyle, the identity, and the culture behind it.
In short, football on OTT gives fans flexibility, but it gives leagues power, data, and global reach. It’s not just about where the game is shown; it’s about who owns the story, the audience, and ultimately, the future of football.
What are the Downsides of Football Moving to OTT?
Of course, not everything about football’s digital shift is sunshine and streaming. For all the convenience OTT brings, there’s also growing frustration among fans.
Let’s start with the obvious subscriptions.
Back when everything was on cable, you paid one fee and got everything: Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, and even the FA Cup. Now? Each of those might be on a different platform. One game on SonyLIV, another on Jiohotstar, one more on Fancode.
The result? To follow your favorite club across all competitions, you might end up juggling four or five subscriptions. And when you add up all those monthly fees, it often costs way more than your old cable package ever did.
Then there’s the issue of regional blackouts and broadcast rights. Even if you’ve paid for a subscription, there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get to watch the game you want. Some matches are blocked in certain areas due to broadcasting rules, leaving fans scrambling for VPNs or dodgy streams just to see their team play.
For casual fans, this fragmentation makes football harder to follow. Earlier, you could just flip to Star Sports or Sony and catch whatever big match was on. Now, it’s become a maze of apps, passwords, and monthly renewals.
And then there’s screen fatigue. We already spend half our lives staring at phones, work, social media, reels, and football used to be the one time we could sit together, switch on the TV, and just enjoy it. Now, with OTT, the experience feels more individual than communal. The living room magic is fading, replaced by everyone watching alone on their own devices.
The last concern is a big one: the slow death of the general sports fan. OTT algorithms tend to push content based on your habits. So, if you only follow your favorite club, that’s all you’ll see. Gone are the days when you’d stumble upon a random Serie A thriller or a Premier League classic while channel surfing. Football becomes more personalized, yes, but also more siloed.
And while leagues are making billions with this model, the risk is clear that they might lose the next generation of fans. Because when football becomes too expensive, too scattered, or too complicated to watch live, young viewers simply stop watching. They stick to highlights, clips, and social media instead.
The Road Ahead
Football’s shift to OTT isn’t slowing down anytime soon; if anything, it’s only accelerating. With the Premier League reportedly working on “Premflix,” and UEFA’s ongoing talks with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon, the message is clear: the future of football lies online.
The challenge now is balance. Fans don’t just want convenience; they want value, simplicity, and accessibility. If leagues and streaming platforms can find a way to bring all of that together under one roof, then OTT won’t just be the future of football, it’ll be its biggest evolution since the Premier League began.
But if things keep fragmenting, fans might just say what they’ve been saying a lot lately: “I’ll just catch the highlights.”
