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We've been hearing all winter that the NASL would no longer be streaming games for free as they did during the 2013 season. Instead of using Ustream for the 2014 campaign, the league was teaming up with PERFORM in order to provide higher quality streaming services. They also decided that this improved service was worth charging for, though they weren't overly clear on the specifics.
Today, the league launched NASL Live, the subscription service for the 2014 season. The service will cost $29.99 for the entire 2014 season, or $4.99 per month until cancelled. For those of you on the fence, there is a ten-day free trial which would allow you to watch both of the first two games this season before committing to buy.
While I'm excited for better quality streaming and the ability to watch games on my phone or my tablet, I'm not so sure that charging for this service will be in the best interest of the league's growth. I'd imagine most of the diehard supporters would be more than willing to pay the relatively reasonable amount to follow the team all season, but I'm not sure that we'll see too many casual fans willing to do so. I suppose we'll find out.