Why 2021-2022 Could Be a Watershed for TV Sports

America’s major sports leagues will be living large for the next three or four years, reaping the benefits of TV and radio deals that pay them more than $18 billion a year combined. But that may change in 2021 and 2022, when several of the biggest deals come up for renewal, including Major League Baseball’s TV contract and ESPN’s Monday Night Football (see above chart).

Those two years are shaping up to be a watershed moment in sports media. Tech companies like Amazon.com and Facebook will have a chance to grab those rights and establish themselves as destinations for live sports. But the traditional broadcasters will likely fight to retain them, paying even more than what they’re already paying. They have a big incentive. As the Super Bowl showed on Sunday night, when more than 100 million people tuned in, live sports still draw a big audience willing to sit through commercials.