Fans’ concerns over the fragmentation of sports rights appear to have been seen by US Ski & Snowboard.
US Ski & Snowboard has announced a refined broadcasting model for the 2026/27 season on NBC platforms, a new FAST channel and YouTube.
Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of US Ski & Snowboard, put herself in the shoes of fans when she said that they have been working harder than they should have to watch the sports they love.
The organisation, NBC, and the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) developed the strategy in hopes of improving the experience for fans, who have needed as many as three services to follow the World Cup in the past.
Peacock will stream every alpine World Cup and World Championship live and on demand, with selected major events also shown on NBC and NBCSN. Alpine races will be uploaded to YouTube 24 hours after they first air.
The dedicated Ski & Snowboard World Cup YouTube channel and new FAST channel will show live World Cup and World Championship events outside the US. Peacock will stream events hosted in the US, with additional coverage and highlights available on Outside TV and YouTube.
“We are thrilled that the new centralised broadcast strategy we’ve worked on with FIS and the other countries removes that friction,” Goldschmidt said.
“This is a new era, which now makes it easier to watch our sports and follow your favourite athletes. Along with our other content initiatives, this helps to further grow our sports.”
American ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin praised the strategy, noting that improved access could help the sport reach new, younger audiences.
Now everyone can watch live or on demand, whenever works for them,” said Shiffrin. “I’ve been advocating for this for years. When kids can watch ski racing, they can picture themselves doing it, and that’s how ski racing grows.”
Skiing: closing the book on fragmented sports rights?
Sports rights have never been more fragmented, and streaming platforms joining the bidding process alongside traditional broadcasters has only exacerbated the problem for fans.
While fans may be discontent with the countless subscriptions they have to pay to watch their favourite sport, sports have seen this era as an opportunity.
John Martin, CEO of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), told Insider Sport last year that there are more potential distribution partners than ever existed before, stating that there’s “never been a better time to be in sport.”
Martin was open at the time about its expiring broadcast deal with ESPN, an arrangement Martin criticised because he felt the broadcaster didn’t promote the league enough. While it hasn’t named a replacement yet, rumours suggest the PFL could split its rights for regular fights and PPV.
Splitting fights lets the promotion generate more revenue and, more importantly, increase its reach, both key motivations behind the fragmentation of rights in recent years.
However, in recent months, some organisations like US Ski & Snowboarding have hinted at consolidating their offering.
The English Premier League is trialling Premier League+ this season in Singapore, a direct-to-consumer platform.
Costing around £10 per month to watch every league match, the platform has drawn scrutiny from domestic fans paying multiple subscription fees and held back from watching all games by the 3pm blackout rule.
The Premier League has said it is testing the approach, suggesting it could one day launch in the UK. However, it would need at least 31.416 million paying subscribers per month to match the £3.37bn in domestic broadcasting revenue it generated in the 2024/25 season.
