Why the NBA's New Streaming Option Is a Big Deal

Imagine this scenario: You, a casual sports fan, are sitting home bored, aimlessly surfing the web or flipping channels between the latest political news and a documentary you keep trying to convince yourself that you should be interested in. Your favorite basketball team is not playing this particular night but is in the middle of playoff race for that magical fourth seed, ensuring it would have home-court advantage for at least one playoff round.

Then your phone buzzes: A game that directly affects your team's playoff seeding just entered the fourth quarter with the score tied. For just $0.99 you can stream the rest of the game to your phone. Do you want to watch?