In the ever-evolving landscape of sports media, 2025 has marked a pivotal moment in how fans consume their favorite games. The battle for streaming sports rights has reached a fever pitch, transforming into a full-blown “arms race” among industry giants and newcomers alike.
Companies such as Paramount Plus, DAZN, Peacock, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Max are locked in a fierce struggle to secure exclusive rights to major sporting events and leagues, reshaping the way sports are broadcast and experienced. This competition, while a boon for innovation, has driven up costs for streaming services, raising concerns about subscriber prices and the broader availability of sports content. As the dust settles on this transformative year, the implications for fans, broadcasters, and the sports industry as a whole are profound.
The year 2025 began with a clear signal that streaming platforms were no longer supplementary players in the sports broadcasting world—they were now the main event. Traditional television networks, once the unchallenged kings of live sports, have been forced to adapt as viewers increasingly cut the cord in favor of digital-first consumption. This shift has been fueled by a younger, tech-savvy generation that prefers the flexibility and interactivity of streaming services over the rigid schedules of cable TV. As a result, streaming platforms have become the new battleground for sports rights, with each company vying to outbid the others for the most coveted properties.
Paramount Plus, a key player in this arms race, has solidified its position as a go-to destination for sports fans. Building on its existing portfolio, which includes NFL games, NCAA basketball, and UEFA Champions League matches, Paramount Plus has aggressively expanded its offerings in 2025. The platform secured exclusive streaming rights to the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) through the end of the 2025-26 season, adding over 80 matches annually to its catalog.
This move has been a strategic one, targeting soccer enthusiasts in the U.S. who crave international content. Additionally, Paramount Plus has leveraged its partnership with CBS Sports to provide round-the-clock coverage through the CBS Sports Golazo Network, a 24/7 streaming channel dedicated to soccer. This channel has become a fan favorite, offering live game breakdowns, betting advice, and in-depth analysis that keeps viewers engaged beyond the final whistle.
DAZN, often referred to as the “Netflix of sports,” has maintained its dominance as the top streaming spender on sports rights in 2025. The London-based platform has invested heavily in securing high-profile events, most notably a $1 billion deal for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. This acquisition has cemented DAZN’s position as a global leader in sports streaming, with a presence in over 200 countries. DAZN’s strategy has been to focus on combat sports, particularly boxing and MMA, while also branching out into mainstream leagues like the NFL and NBA.
In 2025, DAZN introduced free weekly NFL games in select markets, a move that has broadened its appeal and attracted new subscribers. However, the platform’s reliance on pay-per-view fees for major boxing events—often priced between $50 and $80—has drawn criticism from some fans who feel the additional costs are prohibitive. Despite this, DAZN’s high-quality streaming performance and user-friendly interface have kept it at the forefront of the streaming wars.
Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, has also made significant strides in 2025. The platform’s exclusive streaming of an NFL playoff game in January 2024 proved to be a game-changer, adding 2 million subscriptions over a single weekend. Building on this success, Peacock has continued to invest in live sports, securing exclusive rights to stream Sunday afternoon MLB games as part of a new package that began in 2022.
In 2025, Peacock expanded its sports portfolio by launching the Peacock Sports Pass, a streaming package designed for commercial establishments. This pass includes access to NFL games, Premier League soccer, Big Ten football, motorsports, golf, rugby, and more, making it an attractive option for bars and restaurants looking to draw in sports fans. Peacock’s parent company, NBCUniversal, also inked a $3 billion deal with the International Olympic Committee in 2025, securing streaming rights for the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games. This long-term investment underscores Peacock’s commitment to becoming a dominant force in sports streaming.
Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming juggernaut, has emerged as a formidable contender in the 2025 arms race. The platform’s 11-year, $1 billion annual deal to stream Thursday Night Football has been a cornerstone of its sports strategy, and in 2025, Amazon expanded its NBA coverage with a landmark 11-year deal valued at $20 billion. Starting with the 2025-26 season, Prime Video became the exclusive home for 66 NBA regular-season games, including the Emirates NBA Cup, Play-In Tournament, and select playoff matchups.
Additionally, Amazon secured streaming rights for 30 WNBA games per season, further diversifying its sports offerings. Prime Video’s integration of X-Ray technology, which provides real-time stats and player information, has enhanced the viewing experience for sports enthusiasts, setting it apart from competitors. However, the platform’s limited live sports variety outside of football and basketball has led some fans to call for a broader range of content.
Apple TV+, a relative newcomer to the sports streaming scene, has made waves in 2025 with its aggressive pursuit of exclusive rights. The platform’s seven-year, $595 million deal with Major League Baseball (MLB), signed in 2022, has given Apple TV+ a foothold in the sports market. In 2025, Apple expanded its MLS partnership, offering fans access to every game through a dedicated MLS Season Pass.
This direct-to-consumer approach has been a hit with soccer fans, who appreciate the all-access content and personalized streaming experience. However, Apple TV+’s high content spending—estimated at $4.5 billion annually—has raised eyebrows, especially given the platform’s reported losses of over $1 billion per year. Critics question whether Apple’s strategy of baking sports rights into its $5-per-month package is sustainable, but for now, the company remains committed to building its sports portfolio.
Max, the streaming service from WarnerMedia, has also entered the fray in 2025 with its B/R Sports Add-on. This add-on brings live and on-demand sports to the platform, including NBA and MLB games, as well as select international events. Max’s decision to bundle sports content with its prestige TV offerings has been a strategic one, appealing to viewers who want a combination of premium entertainment and live sports. However, the additional cost of the B/R Sports Add-on has deterred some subscribers, who feel that the base $9.99 per month subscription should include more sports content. Despite this, Max’s focus on high-quality streaming and exclusive events has made it a viable competitor in the streaming wars.
The intense competition for sports rights in 2025 has had a significant impact on the cost of streaming services. As platforms bid higher and higher to secure exclusive content, the financial burden has trickled down to consumers. DAZN, for example, has maintained its subscription price of $19.99 per month for its annual plan in the U.S., but the additional pay-per-view fees for major events have pushed the total cost of access higher for many fans. Peacock’s Premium plan, which includes live sports, costs $7.99 per month, while the ad-free Premium Plus plan is priced at $13.99.
Prime Video’s sports content is included in the standard Amazon Prime subscription of $14.99 per month, but select events require pay-per-view fees. Apple TV+ remains one of the more affordable options at $5 per month, but its limited sports offerings compared to competitors have led some fans to question its value. Max’s B/R Sports Add-on, when combined with the base subscription, can push the monthly cost closer to $15, while Paramount Plus offers its sports-heavy Premium plan for $11.99 per month. As these costs add up, fans who subscribe to multiple services to follow their favorite sports could end up paying more than they would for a traditional cable package—a phenomenon known as “subscription fatigue.”
The rising costs have also raised concerns about the overall availability of sports content. In the past, fans could rely on a single cable subscription to access most major sporting events. Now, with rights spread across multiple streaming platforms, viewers often need to juggle several subscriptions to watch all the games they care about.
For example, a soccer fan in the U.S. might need Paramount Plus for Serie A and UEFA Champions League matches, DAZN for select NFL and NBA games, Peacock for Premier League soccer, and Prime Video for Thursday Night Football and NBA games. This fragmentation has created discovery challenges, making it harder for fans to find what they want to watch. Some industry experts worry that this could lead to a decline in overall viewership, as casual fans may be unwilling to navigate the complex landscape of streaming services.
On the flip side, the streaming arms race has driven innovation in how sports are presented to viewers. Platforms are investing in new technologies to enhance the viewing experience, such as 8K broadcasts, augmented reality (AR) features, and interactive elements like real-time stats and player information. DAZN, for instance, has introduced low-latency streams for live sports events, ensuring that fans experience minimal delay between the action on the field and their screens.
Peacock has experimented with multi-feed broadcasts, allowing viewers to switch between different camera angles during live events. Prime Video’s X-Ray technology has set a new standard for in-game analytics, while Apple TV+ has focused on creating a seamless, personalized streaming experience for MLS fans. These advancements have made watching sports on streaming platforms more engaging than ever, but they come at a cost—both for the companies investing in the technology and for the subscribers who ultimately foot the bill.
The 2025 streaming sports arms race has also had a ripple effect on the sports industry itself. Leagues and teams are seeing unprecedented sums for their media rights, with the NBA’s new $76 billion, 11-year deal with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon serving as a prime example. This deal, which begins in the 2025-26 season, has set a new benchmark for the value of sports rights, with streaming platforms playing a major role in driving up the price.
However, the financial uncertainty surrounding regional sports networks (RSNs) has led some teams to explore alternative distribution methods, such as over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts or direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services. The MLB, for instance, has begun offering near-comprehensive local offerings in 2025, a move that could reduce reliance on RSNs and give fans more direct access to their favorite teams.
For fans, the 2025 streaming sports arms race is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the proliferation of streaming platforms has given them more choices than ever before, with access to a wider range of sports and events. On the other hand, the rising costs and fragmentation of content have made it more challenging to keep up with their favorite teams.
As the arms race continues, streaming services will need to find a balance between acquiring exclusive rights and keeping their platforms affordable and accessible. For now, the battle for sports streaming supremacy shows no signs of slowing down, and 2025 has proven to be a defining year in the evolution of sports media.
In conclusion, the 2025 streaming sports arms race has ushered in a new era of competition and innovation in the sports media landscape. Companies like Paramount Plus, DAZN, Peacock, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Max have poured billions into securing exclusive rights to major sporting events and leagues, driving up costs and reshaping how fans consume sports. While this has led to exciting advancements in technology and content delivery, it has also raised concerns about subscriber prices and the availability of sports content.
As the industry continues to evolve, the challenge for streaming platforms will be to deliver value to fans without pricing them out of the game. For sports lovers, the future is both thrilling and uncertain—a reflection of the high-stakes battle playing out in the world of streaming sports.
Right now, the present is very exciting but the rest of 2025 is even more exciting, the near future for the sports streaming arms race is only going to get better for sports fans.