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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
21/01/2026
The Living Room Remains Central: Nielsen Highlights Growing TV Screen Dominance ...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Telestream , the industry's leading provider of content lifecycle management and media workflow orchestration, and Quantum Corporation (NASDAQ: QMCO) today ...
21/01/2026
Lightware s TPN ecosystem brings a new level of predictability and structure to 10G AV-over-IP deployments, offering professional AV integrators a deterministic...
21/01/2026
Wisycom, a global leader in advanced wireless RF solutions, launches its new wideband antenna matrix, MATF, which supports RF and fiber for demanding multi-zone...
21/01/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate how it is powering scalable, future-ready live production at FOMEX 2026, taking place February 2 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Exhibi...
21/01/2026
BCNEXXT, the developers of the advanced playout platform Vipe, today announced that OKAST, the monetization-first OTT platform provider, is using BCNEXXT's ...
21/01/2026
Revamped design enables advanced capabilities, leading with powerful IP to HDMI conversion
Magewell, developer of innovative, high-performance video I/O and I...
21/01/2026
Jan 20th 2026, Changsha Kiloview today announced the launch of two major additions to its AV-over-IP ecosystem: the AVX24-4 Media HUB and KiloLink Station, ma...
21/01/2026
Latest version of enterprise-class Buttons brings simple, coherent control to more than 700 professional devices and applications
Bitfocus, the specialist in ...
21/01/2026
Clear-Com is pleased to announce the appointment of Kari Eythorsson as the new Regional Sales Manager (RSM) for Southeast Asia & Australia, based in Singapore,...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
21/01/2026
From skilled trades to startups, AI's rapid expansion is the beginning of th...
20/01/2026
SVG Sit-Down: BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on the Future of Cloud, Remote, Softwar...
20/01/2026
From architecture to reality: What CBC's Milano Cortina 2026 workflows tell ...
20/01/2026
Milano Cortina 2026: Making the Winter Olympics and Paralympics workflow work fo...
20/01/2026
Countdown to Milano Cortina 2026: SVG Launches SportsTechLive Blog in Lead-up to...
20/01/2026
Grand finale: Rally Saudi Arabia pushes WRC to make the most of cameras and dron...
20/01/2026
State of Change: What's Happening in the Remote-Production Business?NEP Group, Game Creek Video, Dome Productions, Mobile TV Group, Program Productions exec...
20/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: A Look Back at SVG's Complete CoverageGo behind the scenes with ESPN, Game Creek Video, Van Wagner, and the champion Indiana...
20/01/2026
The Gotham, Film Independent, and Creators Coalition on AI Join Alliance
by Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director, Sundance Institute's Artist Programs...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
20/01/2026
December, the first month of winter and the holiday season, has traditionally encouraged families to spend time together in front of the television. During this...
20/01/2026
During December, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.3%, an increase of 0.1 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI TV,...
20/01/2026
Christmas Day is Most-Streamed Day Ever with 55 Billion Viewing Minutes, led by...
20/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/01/2026
Disguise and ASB GlassFloor today announced a strategic partnership that turns the arena floor into a fully customizable interactive digital surface. This will ...
20/01/2026
Last summer, ITV celebrated the tenth anniversary of its popular reality dating show, Love Island. To ramp up the excitement of series 12 (launched in the UK on...
20/01/2026
Berklee's Mark Ethier Named One of SPIN's Most Influential People in Mus...
20/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/01/2026
Emergent, a provider of AI-powered media production solutions, today announced its presence at ISE 2026 in Barcelona, taking place February 3 6, where it will u...
20/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery Amend Agreement to All-Cash Transaction
Business
20 January 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
All-C...
20/01/2026
Back to All News
Now You Can Play a Role in Our Live Events With Real-Time Voting
Elmar Nubbemeyer
VP, Member Product
Product
20 January 2026
Global
Link...
19/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: Indiana Football's Digital Crew Generate Hyp...
19/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: Van Wagner Relies on Experience for Indiana-Miam...
19/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: Game Creek Video Fields Premiere IP Compound for...
19/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: For a Slew of Studio Shows, ESPN Turns Hard Rock...
19/01/2026
CFP National Championship 2026: ESPN's Sweeping Live Game Production Leverag...
Report: Sports fans demand personalisation and flexibility from broadcasters Huge opportunities if viewers can pick and chose By Heather McLean, Editor 
