Sports Rebundling Continues As DirecTV, Roku Bet on Live Rights

The pace of sports-centric skinny bundles hitting the market continues to accelerate, further showing the importance of live games to attract and keep viewers.

Less than two months after DirecTV introduced its MySports streaming package, building meaningfully off the aborted vision of Venu Sports, the distributor is rolling out MyHome Team, an add-on option that offers 20 regional sports networks and covers nearly half of the U.S.-based teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB. 

In several key markets such as Chicago and Detroit, MyHome Team will include all the leading RSNs, and in many locales will allow DirecTV to cater to a more ardent sports fan than the national-level broadcasts core to the MySports offering.

MyHome Team will carry a $19.99 monthly cost beyond the $69.99 base monthly fee for the MySports package. DirecTV, however, is betting that a combined expense of about $90 to get a full range of national and regional sports will be a more attractive option than other competing television and streaming providers. That includes DirecTV itself, which has a standard cost of more than $100 per month for an entry-level television package with a broad array of sports channels and streaming capabilities. 

New outlets such as the Rangers Sports Network created by the MLB club will additionally be part of MyHome Team’s distribution. 

Comcast, the No. 2 U.S. cable carrier, also recently introduced a sports-oriented bundle, and others are expected to follow suit. 

Women’s Soccer Focus

Roku, meanwhile, is introducing the NWSL Zone, a dedicated area within its platform that will collate live coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League, whether it be on Amazon Prime Video, CBS Sports, ESPN, or Scripps Sports’ Ion, and include a mix of free and paywalled games. 

The effort feeds into multiple trends at once. In addition to furthering Roku’s sports-focused zones that include a general Sports Zone, Soccer Zone, and Women’s Sports Zone, the NWSL tie-in is the company’s first such area dedicated to a specific women’s league, showing the continued escalation of women’s sports more broadly.

Live games in the NWSL Zone will be supplemented by other programming including highlights, game replays, and short-form content. The introduction of the new Roku area is timed specifically to Friday’s start of the 2025 NWSL season.

“With the popularity of women’s sports soaring, we’re focusing on amplifying the talent that makes it all happen,” said Roku head of sports Joe Franzetta. “Curating a dedicated zone for the NWSL is another step in our mission to champion female athletes.”