The NBA Just Changed the Game for Watching Sports Online

The NBA season ended last night with a TV bang. The Golden State Warriors’ championship-clinching win over the Cleveland Cavaliers capped a record-setting series for ABC, which has broadcast the NBA Finals since 2003. At nearly 20 million viewers per game, it was the most watched championship series since Michael Jordan made his last Finals appearance, in 1998. But just before last night’s mass audience tuned in to the 67-year-old network, the NBA made a small announcement with big implications for its digital future: Next season, for the first time, the league’s subscription package for out-of-market games will be offered on a per-game and per-team basis.

Until now, NBA League Pass has been available as a bulk offering. Customers paid a flat rate—$200 for the full season last year—and got access to every game that wasn’t available locally via a regional sports network. The package, sold by pay-TV providers and by the NBA itself through a digital media player, was the same no matter the carrier. The new offerings, according to the NBA’s press release, will allow fans to purchase individual live games or subscribe to just a single team for the season.