Executive Summary

Pay TV providers have depended on fans to pay to watch their favorite teams, leagues and tournaments. However, many options are now available to view sports on smartphones, laptops or TVs via video services. What does this disruption look like?

• How does sports video streaming play out around the world? The markets we tracked span four continents and a population of some 3.7 billion—almost half the world’s people. Their tastes in sports, device access and media preferences are diverse, but viewers across those regions are shaking up the order dominated by legacy TV networks. The pictures vary by country, but they share the characteristic of digital disruption.
• Where is this digital disruption most prevalent? The US is where we see the strongest currents shifting viewership away from traditional platforms onto digital ones. The transition is driven by standalone streaming services, linear over-the-top (OTT) providers, and companies like Amazon, Facebook and Twitter, which are bidding for sports streaming rights.
• Which parties are most threatened by these tectonic shifts? Broadcasters and pay TV providers are most exposed to potential threats from digital upstarts. However, those players have insulated themselves by partnering with or acquiring digital media firms, focusing on broadband services and/or merging with direct competitors.
• What opportunities does sports video present for marketers? For many sports marketers, the transition from TV to digital video is seamless. They are already experimenting with advanced targeting, cross-device campaigns, social media amplification, personalization features and more. Those capabilities will increase as streaming platforms evolve, so marketers see this paradigm shift positively.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report surveys sports markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. We catalog streaming services in each region, analyze market trends and data, and provide takeaways for marketers.

KEY STAT: In the next three to five years, worldwide revenues from sports digital media rights will grow by 11.5%, faster any other business area. By contrast, traditional TV rights will see the slowest growth at 3.2%.

This collection of reports looks at the ways consumers are changing how they follow and view sports in 10 markets:

Sports OTT Landscape in Brazil

Sports OTT Landscape in Canada

Sports OTT Landscape in China

Sports OTT Landscape in France

Sports OTT Landscape in Germany

Sports OTT Landscape in India

Sports OTT Landscape in Mexico

Sports OTT Landscape in South Korea

Sports OTT Landscape in the UK

Sports OTT Landscape in the US