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A soccer fan posted a video on social media during the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Inaki Esnaola | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
The world of live sports is undergoing a transformation as people use more and more screens to control their own streaming experience.
today, the vast majority of sports fans say they use the second screen during live broadcasts when discussing the game with friends or browsing social media. Meanwhile, a growing number of young fans are turning to video platforms to watch highlights, listen to live commentary from influencers and participate in communities built around sports.
YouTube was one of the biggest beneficiaries. A platform owned by parent company Google Alphabetsaw viewing of sports content increased by 45% in 2024, when people were looking for highlights from the Paris Olympics and watching exclusive NFL streams on YouTube on Sundays.
Content creators such as Mark Goldbridge, a British streamer who hosts live “reviews” of Premier League soccer matches on YouTube, have helped the platform provide alternative sports.
“People aren’t just watching Sky Sports at 5:30 any more, they’re multitasking,” Goldbridge told CNBC, referring to Europe’s leading sports broadcaster. “They participate in our live chat; they play (eg the video game) Championship Manager with sports in the background.’
Its broadcasts, which regularly attract more than 250,000 viewers, also provide an alternative route for broadcasters to reach a global audience. In November 2024, Sky Sports Austria granted Goldbridge the rights to broadcast a live Austrian Bundesliga soccer match as part of its YouTube viewing experience, helping to 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, the migration of viewers to streaming platforms is extremely profitable. Competition from Amazon, Netflixand Disney helped increase the value of sports media broadcast rights in America $14.6 billion in 2015 to nearly $30 billion in 2024, according to estimates S&P.
But while these deals are becoming more common in the US, not all countries are catching on.
“European markets like Germany, France and the U.K. have seen much more stagnation to some extent,” Ben Stevenson, head of research at research firm SportBusiness, told CNBC. “Media revenues in these markets have declined since COVID-19, and teams or leagues tend to prefer the guaranteed viewership that traditional broadcasts provide.”
The fastest moving markets
The dominance of traditional broadcasters in Europe and North America means that innovations in streaming often originate in less developed markets.
“Rights holders are looking for deals with legacy broadcasters because they get a guaranteed income,” Stevenson said. “Thus, streamer deals have emerged in markets lacking media rights deals that have reached a certain minimum guarantee.”
In Brazil, where soccer clubs, not leagues, own the rights to broadcast top-flight matches, streaming has moved to social media. In 2022, CazéTV, the production company owned by the LiveMode agency and the popular Brazilian streamer Casimiro, won the rights to broadcast matches of the Rio de Janeiro state championship, along with live reactions from its own commentators.
A fan listens to live commentary on a mobile phone during the Barclays Women’s Super 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 FIFA World Cup games on Casimiro’s own Twitch and YouTube channels. LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopez told the StreamTime Sports podcast that Casimir’s live stream was watched on 48 million different devices as people tuned in to hear the streamer’s reaction to every pass or play.
Based on Casimir’s commentary on CazéTV, this meant that FIFA was able to avoid cannibalizing its own participation while promoting its pay-per-view channel.
These changes are an opportunity for traditional broadcasters to develop new, profitable content formats, Stevenson said. “Formula 1 has increased the value of its deal from about $4 million a year to about $80 million by moving from live broadcasts to digital programming,” he told CNBC.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Sky Sports is also rushing to adapt. In August 2024, it launched its own streaming service to meet people’s growing demand for live sports — giving them access to four times as many minor league soccer games as well as more coverage of tennis, golf and other sports.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns CNBC parent NBCUniversal, owns Sky Sports.
