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Sports audiences The Gen Z opportunity

Alistair Taylor
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The 20,000 Foot View:  Digital natives are more likely to consume non-live sports than older, traditional sports fans, which presents rights holders and broadcasters with untapped potential for monetisation by harnessing and actioning this insight. While the most valuable sports audience currently remains among pay-TV subscribers, planning for meaningful non-broadcast revenues through digital-native engagement is now crucial for pandemic mitigation, as well as addressing the needs of the underserved fans of the future.

Key Insights

  • Teens are            small but important segment, with            olds accounting for            of TV            sports viewers in            2020
  • Exclusively paywalling            can restrict reach, with the                       exclusive broadcast deal with NBC            addressing its ageing fan base
  • The current            for rights holders engaging with            Z comes in the form            highlights, with            year olds over            times more likely to consume            on social media than            year           
  • Teens also            their sports fandom beyond viewing:                       year olds play fantasy sports,            rights holders with a unique            for reaching the younger fans            the future
  • Rights holders            the NBA that experiment with            prioritise digital engagement have secured            and more evenly distributed fan           
  • Sports ranks            in terms of TV genre            for            year olds, highlighting the            of alienating this audience if            holders continue choosing revenue over           
  • Understanding Gen            entertainment preferences can help in            preferred destinations for licensing content            future proofing fan bases

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Activision Blizzard, Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, Among Us, Animal Crossing, Apex Legends, Apple, Apple Music, Call of Duty, CBS, Chicago Bears, Disney, Disney+, EA Sports, ESPN, ESPN+, Facebook, Fall Guys, FIFA, Fortnite, GTA, Instagram, Madden NFL, Minecraft, MLB, NBA            NBA, NBC, Netflix, New Orleans Saints, NHL, Nickelodeon, Roblox, Rocket League, Snapchat, Spotify, Take Two Interactive, TikTok, Twitch, Verizon, Washington Post, WWE, Yahoo!, YouTube