More than a third (38%) of U.S. internet households subscribe to at least one sports-specific streaming service, up from just 4% in 2019, according to a new report from Parks Associates.
Unsurprisingly, the most popular sport among U.S. internet households is football, particularly the NFL. More than 8 in 10 consumers (82%) watch NFL content during the season.
One quarter to one third of the NFL broadcast revenue goes to pure-play streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon, plus hybrid agreements with platforms such as NBC/Peacock, the report said.
Among the other Parks Associates’ findings:
- 52% of NFL and college football viewers engage with interactive features while watching.
- $76 billion is the total value of the NBA’s new 11-year media rights deal beginning in 2025–26.
- 26% of NBA TV revenue under the new deal will come from Amazon Prime Video.
“Sports have become the backbone of live streaming adoption,” Michael Goodman, Parks Associates senior contributing analyst, said in a prepared statement about the sports streaming report.
“The ability to deliver interactive, data-driven, and personalized experiences is changing how audiences connect with their favorite teams and leagues. Our research illustrates the huge potential for new monetization models as engagement deepens across connected screens.”
However, traditional cable still provides a significant amount of the sports viewing audience.
“Old habits die hard” is a saying that streaming company executives must be thinking about as their take rates — at least according to a recent J.D. Power report — are far behind their approval ratings. The study found that just 32% of cable television subscribers stay with cable despite the fact that it scores much lower on the satisfaction index.
The report found that cable TV has a satisfaction score of 531 (on a 1,000-point scale), compared to live streaming’s 630. Though live TV services have higher satisfaction, it experiences greater customer turnover.
