
Report: Sports fans demand personalisation and flexibility from broadcasters Huge opportunities if viewers can pick and chose By Heather McLean, Editor
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 08:00
Print This Story
Fans of sport want more flexibility and personalisation from broadcasters to allow them to pick and chose their own content, according to new research.
Sports fans are willing to pay more for streaming live sports, but only if it provides better access to the sports teams and leagues they are interested in, according to an international survey commissioned by Verizon Media into what fans want from services that let them stream live sports.
On how broadcasters can make sports content more relevant to sports fans as individuals, Ariff Sidi, general manager, media platform, Verizon Media, told SVG Europe: Ultimately, consumers are looking for flexibility, and with sports, that means making the right content packages available. For example, our research found that those who watch live sports less frequently had a greater preference for pay as you go' individual games than those who consume a greater amount of live sports content.
Those particular consumers may never go all in on a complete package of sports content, but rather than miss out on their custom altogether, give them the flexibility to pay for what they're interested in, Sidi advised.
The research was conducted amongst 5,000 sports fans in the US, UK, France, Germany and Holland and found that the opportunity for content providers streaming live sports is huge, as long as they offer greater personalisation, better viewing options and a different advertising experience better suited to a streaming environment.
Almost two thirds (63%) would consider paying or paying more if they already do so for a live sports streaming service if it offered coverage of a sports league or team that interests them. Less than half (47%) of respondents with a premium subscription feel that it gives them access to all the teams they want to watch, pointing to a market with plenty of opportunity for growth.
Meanwhile, 51% of sports fans specifically use streaming services to follow sports that are not available anywhere else. They like the flexibility and high quality experience streaming gives them, with 39% using a streaming service because it allows them to watch on their smartphone and 32% opting to stream live sports in 4K UHD. Over a third (37%) of respondents choose to stream live sports over the top (OTT) because it is a less expensive alternative to satellite or cable Pay TV.
However, commented Sidi, viewing sport on the big screen is far more popular than the smartphone: Our recent survey results and data from our platform suggest that the majority of streamed content is delivered to larger screens, rather than mobile devices. In fact, the growth of streaming on connected devices (eg, smart TVs, game consoles, streaming media players, etc,) far outpaces streaming growth on mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc). To illustrate the point, 46% of those surveyed in this research stream live sports via a connected or smart television versus 22% doing so over mobile.
He went on: This indicates that consumers want high quality streaming on larger screens, so the challenge is for content providers to meet their viewers where they are, and to offer a seamless viewing experience no matter the size of the format. Further, consumers expect content to be personalised to them when it comes to OTT. Not only do they want to be able to watch their favourite teams, but they also demand localised, relevant ads, personalised highlights, and more.
He continued: There is a huge opportunity for content providers to reshape the entire landscape of live sports by offering more choice and deeper coverage of specific teams. There is the potential to build global audiences around niche sports and leagues that don't currently get enough airtime, but to do so they must employ the latest and most flexible technology resources.
Over a third (37%) of sports fans have cancelled a live streaming subscription, with almost half (45%) citing cost as the primary reason. The most passionate sports consumers, cancel services due to a lack of coverage of the teams they follow (23%), a hard-to-use interface (15%) or inordinate delay behind live (19%).
Sidi added: We've already seen that if you get the content right, they could be willing to pay more and still see it as the option available to them that gives the most value for their money.
Approximately one in three sports fans are looking for more control over the live experience, wanting access to replay controls like slow motion (35%), the ability to switch between camera angles (30%), time shifting (30%) and the ability to skip ads (30%). There is also significant interest in getting easier access to match highlights (42%), and libraries of on-demand content (22%).
The industry talks a lot about streaming services being TV-like' but sports fans actually want a different experience that puts them in total control. Streaming services are much more capable of innovating because they have the luxury of using advanced technology that can serve every consumer need from day one, added Sidi. Live sports streaming services can emulate the best aspects of traditional television while bringing totally unique immersive experiences to fans.
Asked to choose between 4K UHD or improvements to the gap between true live and pictures appearing on screen, two thirds of sports fans (66%) would choose picture quality versus only a third (34%) who would pick reduced latency.
As to what the challenges and opportunities for sports broadcasters in creating this greater level of personalisation for fans will be, Sidi explained: The immediate addressable opportunity lies in the advertising models. W
North America Stories
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Scalable broadcast-grade production over public internet, replacing traditional OB workflows...
30/04/2026
Live demonstrations highlight LCEVC ecosystem momentum, AI-powered video pipelines, and expansion across broadcast, streaming, and social media.
DTV (TV 3.0) ...
30/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Matthew Leon The dual major shares his path from community college to Berklee, and how his heritage influences his work.
April 29, 2026
B...
30/04/2026
Berklee Artists to Perform at Major Global Music Festivals As part of the Berklee Popular Music Institute, students will perform at Lollapalooza, Governors Ba...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/04/2026
A flexible monitoring platform designed to simplify ST 2110 operations, consolidate vendor tools, and support modern live production environments. See it at NAB...
30/04/2026
Sundance-premiering Run Amok is an expressive, unconventional take on today's teen experience, replete with musical numbers. When cinematographer Shachar ...
30/04/2026
JACKSONVILLE, AL, APRIL 29, 2026 Jacksonville State University, known as Jax State and a proud NCAA Division I member of Conference USA, has transformed its a...
30/04/2026
Transforming viewer and content data into real-time intelligence to deliver relevant streaming experiences at scale
ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-pow...
30/04/2026
Sports Production, Delivery is Big Biz at NAB
Andy Marken April 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image source: NAB
One of the neat things about trade shows i...
30/04/2026
It's gonna be May - and the cloud's in full festival mode.
16 games ar...
30/04/2026
Scripps Research ranks third in 2026 Cure Innovation Index
April 29, 2026
LA JOLLA, CA Scripps Research ranked third in the inaugural 2026 Cure Innovation In...
29/04/2026
It was a delicate job in a 150-year-old venue laden with traditions. Begun at th...
29/04/2026
In annual event, the league gives startup companies the opportunity to prove the...
29/04/2026
Panel discussions, networking, and a facility tour will take place in the renova...
29/04/2026
(L-R) Derek Drescher, Coss Marte, and Syretta Wright have each other's backs. (Micheal Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Veronika Lee Cla...
29/04/2026
Some people stumble into their passion. Julissa Padilla walked straight into a film vault. For her, entertainment was never just about the movies themselves. It...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Clear-Com has appointed Brian Grahn as Market Outreach Manager of the Americas and Ben Turnwell as Business Development Manager for EMEA live, expanding their ...
29/04/2026
nxtedition is bringing its range of consolidated production tools to MPTS 2026, with new developments spanning transcription, editing, graphics and AI-assisted ...
29/04/2026
Quortex Switch to boost the streaming experience for Telxius customers, reaching millions of viewers worldwide
Synamedia and Telxius, the leading global connec...
29/04/2026
freispace, the leading ERP-as-a-Service platform for media and entertainment production, and Projective, a leading provider of post-production collaboration tec...
29/04/2026
DHD reports strong interest in its broadcast audio product range, exhibited at the April 19th-22nd NAB Show in Las Vegas. The event attracted a claimed 58,000 a...
29/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Alan Catz The Argentine film and game composer talks about working on League of Legends, receiving Berklee's BMI Award, and the lifelon...
29/04/2026
Jay Jennings Builds the Worlds You Hear on Screen The supervising sound designer behind A Minecraft Movie, The Meg, Letters from Iwo Jima, and dozens of other...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/04/2026
Back to All News
SUPERNOVA: GENESIS Reached a Peak Audience of More Than 6.5 Mi...
29/04/2026
Jin-Quan Yu elected to the National Academy of Sciences Yu is recognized for his pioneering work in synthetic organic chemistry.
April 28, 2026
LA JOLLA, CA S...
28/04/2026
The audio team for the entertainment event must blend speech intelligibility with full-range music reproduction while considering the broadcast
Last week's...
28/04/2026
The Pac-12 Conference has released an updated primary mark and logo as the starting point of the new league's brand identity. The mark was soft-launched acr...
28/04/2026
The DP World Tour and Amazon Leo have signed an agreement making Amazon's lo...
28/04/2026
Pixellot and HELIOS have announced an integration that automatically converts full-game hockey video into individualized shift videos for each athlete, without ...
28/04/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the Asheville Tourists to manufacture and install a new LED video display. The installation was completed in late 2025 and is now ...
28/04/2026
Eutelsat has announced the renewal of its partnership with PCTV, a content aggregation and distribution company in Mexico and part of Megacable Holdings, for co...
28/04/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the Gary SouthShore RailCats to install a new LED video display at U.S. Steel Yard, replacing the previous Daktronics display inst...
28/04/2026
Telos Alliance and the College Radio Foundation have announced that WWSU-FM of W...
28/04/2026
Golf viewership is growing. The 2025 Ryder Cup drew five million viewers in the UK, a 45% increase over the 2023 event. The US Open was the most streamed golf e...
28/04/2026
The CW Network and WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), have announced t...
28/04/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced that the Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) suite of standards and specifications has been named...
28/04/2026
The 2026 NAB Show is in the books and the show once again served up a cavalcade ...
28/04/2026
Gray Media and RAJ Sports have announced Rose City SportsNet (RCSN), a new netwo...