Reports Critical Developments

Sports Fans Consumer Trends 2019

Report by Alistair Taylor
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The 20,000 Foot View:  Sports-centric subscription video on demand (SVOD) services have largely struggled to entice subscribers, based on their current value propositions which consist mainly of niche rights. Pay-TV has the lion’s share of premium domestic sports rights, providing it with an advantageous set of assets partially justifying premium-priced contracts for its subscriber base. The move by streaming insurgent DAZN to incorporate advertising behind its paywall illustrates a need for pure-play sport SVODs to diversify their revenue streams. The tolerance of sports fans towards advertising is now crucial in building robust and sustainable business models for sports broadcasting in the streaming ecosystem.

Key Findings

               of sports SVOD weekly active users (WAUs) are            years old            year olds only account for            of all sports SVOD WAUs, compared to            of consumers who watch live sports on TV
  • While engagement            sport-centric services is still niche,            in terms of WAU has            among            year olds, rising from                       2018 to            in            2019
  • Future sports                       year olds) significantly under index            all sports video consumption, representing            growing concern for sporting bodies
  •            year olds are twice as likely as the average consumer to play Fortnite weekly, while being half as likely as the average consumer to watch live sports on TV 
  • DAZN’s insufficient            offering is highlighted by only            US consumers subscribing in            2019,            in Germany at only            penetration
  • Free streamers            sports are more receptive to            than viewers of sports on            TV, with            not skipping adverts            relevant

Companies and brands mentioned in this report:  DAZN, English Premier League, Fortnite, Liverpool FC, MLB, Netflix, NHL, UEFA Champions League