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For Online Sports Videos, the Action Is No Longer on the Field

SAN FRANCISCO — Anyone who went to the Apple iTunes store to buy a movie in mid-August might have noticed that sitting in the digital queue, next to blockbusters like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” was the seemingly obscure title “We Are Blood,” which was not exactly a movie, but a video consisting mostly of skateboarders performing tricks.

Its inclusion in a plum promotional slot, next to the week’s biggest movies, was a small but telling example of how digital media is changing the next generation of sports fans.

This month signifies the beginning of a new football season and the eve of the baseball playoffs — a reminder that traditional ball sports continue to dominate regular television and cable.