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.”...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
IBC Incubator: Connecting context for end-to-end agentic production
After years of AI experimentation, this year, the IBC Incubator plans to birth a single, agentic brain that can hold every bit of a story’s context from conception to distribution.
 (1).png)
IBC Accelerator: Bringing order to the studio selection process
A new project, kickstarted and nurtured as an IBC Accelerator, aims to deploy digital twin technology to streamline discoverability of the UK’s studio space and help producers make smarter, more sustainable choices.
Media over QUIC: M&E's transport revolution has arrived
For media companies preparing for the next decade of streaming, MoQ may be the most important standard they haven’t yet deployed.
.png){kind=spacer}
Crystal Clear: Boosting speech intelligibility in media
For an issue that affects almost every television viewer, dialogue intelligibility remains surprisingly difficult to define.
IPMX, ST 2110, and the battle for the network
As the reach of the IP Media Experience (IPMX) initiative continues to grow, David Davies looks at the origins of the initiative, the areas it has achieved greatest traction to date, and what the future might bring.
