The economics just would not have worked, let alone being the one to break the contractual agreements between the leagues and cable companies: my customers were

The economics just would not have worked, let alone being the one to break the contractual agreements between the leagues and cable companies: my customers were more concerned about availability (see: no blackouts) than they were about price. In the US, if you are physically located in Los Angeles, you're unable to watch the Lakers (or Clippers) without a cable subscription: having the league-provided streaming package NBA League Pass is not enough. Getting around this limitation was the selling point.