“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to [the] spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the NCAA said.

The news comes as other leagues have taken similar measures. In particular, the NBA suspended its season yesterday after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. While the cancellation is likely to affect everyone involved, on the technology front streaming services will likely be hard hit. Even people who aren’t fans of college sports or basketball tune in to March Madness to see how their brackets turn out and the tournament is an obvious focus for companies like Turner Sports. Earlier this month, Turner updated its slate of streaming apps in preparation for the competition, adding enhancements like multiview viewing. For the time being, that effort won’t be rewarded.

The Association didn’t say how this would affect ticket holders, but pointed to “behavioral risk mitigation” (read: keeping people out of contact) and the risk to older adults as key factors behind the decision.

It won’t be surprising if other leagues follow suit, especially if the outbreak persists long enough to affect sports that haven’t started their seasons yet. If there are doubts, they largely revolve around how streaming services will cover games. Some services black out local games in hopes of steering viewers to traditional TV or the stadium. If you’re using one of those services, you may not have much choice but to subscribe to another provider if you want to catch a must-see game this season.

While the NCAA says it made the decision following months of “comprehensive” input, the fact California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state’s Fair Play bill into law at end of September likely influenced the policy change more than anything else. The legislation allows the state’s college athletes to accept endorsement deals and hire agents starting in 2023. The NCAA had forcefully fought against the bill, going so far as to call it “unconstitutional” in a letter to Governor Newsom. Several other states — including Flordia and Illinois — are considering similar legislation.

Outside of top-tier college athletes being able to sign endorsement deals with companies like Nike, it’s hard to say what the NCAA’s decision may mean more broadly. In particular, we probably won’t see EA resurrect its popular NCAA Football series anytime soon. In 2013, the company shelved the franchise after it became the center of multiple lawsuits for using the likeness of college athletes in-game without compensation. That same year, the NCAA decided not to renew its licensing agreement with the publisher. There is some hope, however. After California passed Fair Play, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company “would jump for the opportunity” to make new NCAA Football games. But with so many unknowns, it’s best not to get too excited just yet.

The AI helper can also answer simpler questions about games that may be closer to home. You can ask questions about college football players and team stats, and get basic schedule and score info for high school teams. And if you want a hint as to who might win a given matchup, Alexa will offer predictions for NFL and NCAA games using analytics and data.

These additions come alongside plans to supplement upcoming Thursday Night Football streams with AI- and AWS-powered stats that take data directly from tags on NFL players’ shoulder pads. Amazon wants to be considered your football hub, even if it’s just to find out whether or not the home team stands a chance in its next game.

Twitter is following March Madness with a frenzy of coverage for the basketball season’s end. The social network is streaming an as-it-happens NCAA Final Four commentary show through @marchmadness, Final Four Twitter Live, starting with the Auburn vs. Virginia game on April 6th (that’s right now, if you’re watching in time) and wrapping up with a championship show on April 8th at 9PM Eastern. Whenever you tune in, the Turner Sports-produced show will “highlight” the Twitter discussions around each game using a host of analysts, reporters and special guests (such as Tiki Barber and Takeo Spikes).

You can also expect a Google Cloud-powered matchup suggestion tool that can personalize your bracket based on stats, o the point where it can auto-pick the bracket if you’d like. You’ll also see a dash of augmented reality with an opportunity to look at the bracket in AR on iOS devices. The multi-game Fast Break viewing experience, meanwhile, is expanding to include the first weekend. You won’t have to risk missing some of the most important action (including social commentary) in the early stages.

The first weekend of March Madness starts on the 21st. You’ll still want to sign in with an account from your TV provider, but it’s an easier sell if you’re a hoops aficionado who wants more control over coverage than you usually get with TV broadcasts.