The NHL banned the use of live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat just two weeks after Major League Baseball confirmed it would not ban their use.
“Without limiting the generality of the credential language, any streaming of footage in violation of the NHL’s Broadcast Guidelines (including, for example, live-streaming inside the arena less than 30 minutes before the start of the game) and Media Access Policy is expressly prohibited,” said Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner.
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The NHL has its own Periscope account of over 22,000 followers and wants to be the exclusive provider of NHL content through the app. NHL coverage had previously been broadcast by fans through streaming apps both before and after games.
The MLB is taking a different approach. Bob Bowman, MLB Advanced Media CEO and president, made it clear the MLB has no intention of limiting the fan’s ability to cover their sport.
Bowman cleared up a report from the Wall Street Journal that suggested the league would not permit the use of live streaming apps.
“I don’t know how The Wall Street Journal got that story. I’ve been dealing with them for 30 years. They just got it flat out wrong. That’s called an error,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Alley.”
Other industries are also having to weigh the potential consequences of this new technology.
The film Furious 7 has been broadcast over a dozen times between the two main streaming apps, but film studios do not think the poor quality streams will have any effect on their bottom line.
“We haven’t encountered any issues with (Periscope or Meerkat) yet,” said Patrick Corcoran, National Association of Theatre Owners VP and chief communications officer told Variety. He assured theaters do not allow patrons to use devices capable of recording video to be used in auditoriums: “The same would be true of devices that live-stream.”
You should expect to see more organizations taking a stance on the use of live streaming apps throughout the year.
We don’t suspect anyone to sit at a baseball game and live stream the entire event, but apps like Periscope and Meerkat will give fans exclusive access they never had before. Just do not expect too much coming out of the National Hockey League.