59% of global sports enthusiasts lack access to content – report
By Felicia Nwosu
Latest Global Sports Media Survey from Altman Solon has revealed that more than half (59%) of global sports enthusiasts worldwide struggle to access and afford the content they crave. The report attributed the challenge to fragmentation of sports market rights, noting that many fans are dissatisfied with sports content options.
The survey further observed that sports fans crave more TV content but have trouble accessing it due to the fragmented nature of the sports rights market available to viewers. It noted that the ecosystem is currently facing the challenges of sports media distribution, which leads to lack of seamless access to contents.
It also revealed that more than 2,500 sports fans from eight major global markets reveals that 59 per cent say they currently have trouble finding or affording sports content they want to watch while 56 per cent would watch more sports content if it were available.
The analysis presented a clear signal that current industry structure in media distribution is not making life easier for fans wanting to discover and access the content they care about. At the same time, 56% say they would watch more sports if those were accessible to them.
The research, conducted in August and September this year by IRIS and GWI, included a survey of more than 150 senior sports executives globally, as well as a survey of 2,500 consumers interested in sports in eight countries: the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and China.
Meanwhile, it mentioned that, among those who face challenges accessing live sports content, 35% find the associated costs prohibitive. Another 30% are unsure about the right channels, while 28% are confused about the apt platforms.
David Dellea, director, Altman Solon, while analyzing and interpreting the survey, said, “It seems counterintuitive that the answer to the glut of sports content is more sports content, but sports fans are hungry for more. It turns out fans actually want more content, but often can’t afford the costs of additional subscriptions or get lost in the web of channels and streaming platforms providing content. Some form of industry consolidation seems likely, either through audience aggregation or content democratisation, which should be beneficial for both the industry and sports fans.”
He added that this year’s survey is a call to action as it included a poll of more than 150 global sports media executives to understand the priorities and solutions for a changing industry. The executives identify facilitating content aggregation (65 per cent), improving content promotion (64 per cent), and fostering flexible pricing (58 per cent) as the top ways to make content more globally accessible.
Matt Del Percio, another director from Altman Solon, emphasized the importance of recognising that the way fans consume sports is much different from a generation ago or even at the end of the past decade.
He said, “Historically fandom was defined by the local team(s) you follow – and often the team your parents followed – modern sports fans are now more making decisions based on athletes’ on-field performance and off-the-field personalities or social media presence.”
Aside these observations, other key findings of the consumer portion of the survey include the revelation that global fans of all ages are multitasking on other digital media watching sports, 57 per cent on the other hand, browse the internet, 50 per cent use social media while 43 per cent use messaging.
It also discovered that younger fans on average of 1.5x more hours online compared to older fans, underscoring the need for sports media to provide multi-platform content experiences. Projecting further, it forecast that average TV hours watched per week is expected to drop 16 per cent by 2040.
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