Report: Mobile-first content has overtaken the big screen as the way fans watch sports By Heather McLean
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - 07:00
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Television's long reign over sports consumption is ending far faster than expected according to a new report that claims mobile-first sports content has taken the lead.
The report from WSC Sports claims that sports content is not drifting towards mobile; it is being built for it. Designed for scrolling, swiping, and sharing, vertical video now outpaces horizontal, signalling that the feed has become the new front row for fans worldwide.
Based on more than eight million videos created on WSC Sports' platform in H1 2025, vertical video output rose 87.5% year-over-year and now accounts for 63% of total content. This tipping point confirms that mobile-native formats have overtaken television-era standards as the default for how fans engage with sports.
The change is driven as much by speed as by format. Viral moments are clipped, published, and watched in real time, while the action is still unfolding. In this environment, the ability to deliver personalized highlights instantly has shifted from competitive advantage to basic requirement.
Sports have left the big screen behind. Fans now live in the feed and expect a nonstop stream of the moments that matter to them, and they won't wait for a broadcast replay, said Daniel Shichman, CEO and co-founder of WSC Sports. Without AI, you can't deliver at that speed or scale, and the connection with fans gets lost.
The report underscores a decisive change in the media landscape. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels have become the primary way fans discover sports content, with expectations for player-specific clips delivered in seconds. This shift means success is no longer defined only by what content gets produced, but by how fast, how targeted, and where it reaches audiences.
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Report: Mobile-first content has overtaken the big screen as the way fans watch sports By Heather McLean 
