Professional Sports: Attracting Fans and Delivering Growth Through Live-streaming

How fans ‘consume’ sports is rapidly changing

Rising global internet connectivity rates, the increasing cost of sports broadcasting rights, and the ever-growing role of social media platforms as hotbeds of fan engagement all highlight ‘over-the-top’ (OTT) live-streaming as the future of sports consumption.

Social media live-streaming: reaching new fans, deepening experience with existing ones

League stakeholders are leveraging the power of digital platforms to identify and reach the ‘future’ fan. Many European football clubs are not only rolling out content in multiple languages, but also forming streaming partnerships, from full live events to ‘almost’ live highlights.

Global expansion strategies rely on creating and sustaining interest with new fans

Leagues and teams with global aspirations will rely on supplementary content to build fan loyalty. Football leagues generally, and popular outliers such as the NBA, will experience less friction than more localised sports such as American football and cricket.

Mergers and acquisitions: a sign of things to come

It is not only social media companies that are live-streaming sports. Dedicated league-based subscription platforms and major streaming services such as Amazon Prime are focused on capitalising on the commercial utility of live sports. There is a perpetual flow of mergers, acquisitions and start-ups that will further develop streaming platforms, and the infrastructure necessary to sustain them.

The future of the livestream; the added-value future

Live-streaming is ready for the masses, but promises a lot in the future that will accelerate the move away from traditional cable. Virtual/augmented reality, integrated social feed, personalised delivery, and embedded statistics will all add value to the length and depth with which fans engage with live sports.