Law would halt exclusive streaming deals

Frustration over how fans can watch major sporting events from home is spilling into Ohio's statehouse, with one Ohio lawmaker proposing legislation to potentially change that. The legislation, which has yet to be assigned a bill number, was proposed by Ohio state Senator William P. DeMora, D-Columbus. The issue came into sharper focus after complaints from fans who found it increasingly difficult — and expensive — to follow their favorite teams. Most recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers played a playoff game on Thursday night only available to those with Amazon Prime. It's also a somewhat-frequent occurrence for other sports teams — including the Buckeyes, Browns and Guardians — to not appear on traditional channels, be it over-the-air major networks or basic cable channels, and instead appear exclusively on streaming devices, like Apple TV or Peacock. DeMora, who has cited personal frustration over trying to watch Cavaliers games, is now exploring potential action to address the trend, according to a WEWS article republished in the Ohio Capital Journal. A jumbled media landscape For many viewers, watching sports has grown more complicated. Instead of just tuning into a local or national TV channel, fans now often subscribe to several streaming platforms, each providing different portions of a team's schedule. "It's getting ridiculous for the everyday fan nowadays to watch sports because they have to have a dozen different services, streaming services or otherwise," DeMora said. There's also the issue of cost. For instance, studies show fans of a singular NFL team, like the Browns, would have to spend upward of $800 to watch every game in a season these days. This would include subscriptions to YouTube TV, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, Peacock and ESPN+. DeMora is proposing legislation to prohibit exclusive streaming agreements with professional teams. This isn't the first time DeMora has proposed similar legislation; in 2025, he introduced Senate Bill 94, which would ban public universities from granting exclusive broadcasting rights to a streaming service. In regard to Senate Bill 94, it was referred on Feb. 12, 2025, to the Senate's Higher Education Committee. It is unclear when another hearing will be scheduled for this bill.