A soccer fan posts a video on social media during the Euro 2024 semi-final.
Iñaki Esnaola | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
The world of live sports is undergoing a transformation as people use more screens to curate their streaming experiences.
today, The vast majority are sports fans They say they use second screens during live streams, discussing the game with friends or browsing social media. At the same time, a growing number of young fans are turning to video platforms to watch highlights, listen to live influencer commentary and participate in sports-based communities.
YouTube has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. The platform is owned by Google-parent alphabetopinion Increased viewership of sports content by 45% In 2024, people were looking for Paris Olympics highlights and watching exclusive NFL coverage on YouTube on Sundays.
Content creators such as Mark Goldbridge, a British streamer who hosts “live” Premier League football matches on YouTube, have helped the platform provide alternative sports experiences.
“People are no longer just watching Sky Sports at 4:30, they are multitasking,” Goldbridge told CNBC, referring to Europe's largest sports broadcaster. “They participate in our live chat, and play (video games like) Championship Manager with sports playing in the background.”
Its streams, which regularly attract more than 250,000 viewers, also provide an alternative route for broadcasters to reach global audiences. In November 2024, Sky Sports Austria granted Goldbridge the rights to live stream a football match in the Austrian Football League as part of its YouTube viewing, helping it reach its community of 1.3 million fans..
The popular soccer show “Hors Jeu” is broadcast on Twitch and YouTube.
Joel Saget | AFP | Getty Images
For rights holders, it is highly profitable for viewers to move to streaming platforms. Competition from Amazon, Netflixand Disney Help enhance the value of sports media broadcast rights in America from $14.6 billion in 2015 to about $30 billion in 2024, according to estimates from Standard & Poor's.
But although these deals are becoming more common in the United States, not all countries are up to speed.
“In European markets like Germany, France and Britain to some extent, there has been a lot of stagnation,” Ben Stevenson, head of insights at research firm SportBusiness, told CNBC. “Media revenues in these markets have declined post-Covid, and teams or leagues tend to prefer the guaranteed viewership that comes with traditional broadcast deals.”
Fastest moving markets
The dominance of traditional broadcasters in Europe and North America means that innovation in broadcasting often originates in less developed markets.
“Right holders are looking for deals with legacy broadcasters because they get a guaranteed income,” Stephenson said. “So deals with streamers have emerged in markets that lack media rights deals that have reached certain minimum guarantees.”
In Brazil, where soccer clubs, not leagues, own the broadcast rights to top-flight matches, broadcasting has shifted to social media. In 2022, CazéTV, a production company owned by LiveMode agency and popular Brazilian broadcaster Casimiro, won the rights to live broadcast matches from the Rio de Janeiro State League along with live reactions from its commentators.
A fan listens to live commentary on a mobile phone during the Women's Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Matt McNulty | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
The success of the format led to CazéTV acquiring the rights to broadcast 50% of the 2022 World Cup matches on Casemiro's Twitch and YouTube channels. Casimiro's live stream was watched on 48 million different devices, with people tuning in to get the streamer's reaction to every pass or play, LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopez told the StreamTime Sports podcast.
Relying on Casemiro's commentary on CazéTV meant that FIFA was able to avoid cannibalizing its involvement while also advertising its paid channel.
These shifts represent an opportunity for traditional broadcasters to develop profitable new content formats, Stephenson said. “Formula 1 has increased the value of its deals from about $4 million a year to about $80 million by shifting from live broadcast to digital programming,” he told CNBC.
Meanwhile, Britain's Sky Sports is also rushing to adapt. In August 2024, it launched its own live streaming service to meet people's growing demand for live sports, giving them access to four times the number of lower-league football matches, as well as greater coverage of tennis, golf and other sports.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns CNBC's NBCUniversal subsidiary, owns Sky Sports.
