Streamers are increasingly looking to secure rights to live sporting events

Streaming rights: live sports unite audiences in cultural moments worth fighting for

Streaming rights: live sports unite audiences in cultural moments worth fighting for

In a media landscape of rapid change, live sports offer a measure of relative certainty. Consumer appetite is arguably at an all-time high with almost half of us spending more time watching live sports content last year than we did the year before, according to Accenture. Advertising-led streaming services lead the march to profitability and sports offer the most predictable audience. It’s why rights remain in high demand as streamers and broadcasters compete for the most valuable content on the planet.

Netflix’s global deal to air live NFL matches for the next three Christmases should be seen in this light. Sports remain light among the platform’s library but it has made repeat recent moves to test the appetite for live events. This includes November’s inaugural Netflix Cup - which pitted leading golfers against F1 drivers, and the clash between boxer Mike Tyson and social media star Jake Paul coming in July. Earlier this year the company paid more than $5bn to be the home of WWE which it is billing as “sports entertainment.”...

Latest Feature
IBC2024 hosted 45,085 visitors from 170 countries – the largest live IBC in 5 years

Broadcasting in 2024: Spotlight falls on production and platforms

Over the past decade, media companies had a strong focus on the way programmes were viewed – we’ve seen HD, 3D, 4k, 8k, HDR, VR, and AR presented as the next big thing. In 2024, things shifted. John-Maxwell Hobbs digs into production and delivery practices, cloud, AI and sustainability trends of the past 12 months.

Read more

Content Everywhere: a look back at 2024

As the year draws to a close, it seems an opportune time to ask Content Everywhere companies for their views on the top trends in 2024. As always, key industry players have been keen to respond with comments and views on how the past year shaped up both for them and the wider industry.

Read more
Favourites:

Registered users only: Login

Share this:
Other themes: