Over two-thirds of sports fans in Australia now want to watch sport exclusively on streaming services, according to Grabyo’s new 2021 Sports Video Trends Report.
Grabyo surveyed over 15,000 consumers across 14 countries, to identify the video viewing and purchasing habits of global consumers. It found that over one third of consumers are watching sport regularly across broadcast and digital platforms.
The report’s findings show sports fans are growing impatient. Suggesting that fans either expect more sport to be available on streaming services in the future, or may choose not to watch live sport if it is only available through broadcast TV subscriptions.
In 2019, Grabyo found that 53% of global sports fans that pay for video services were planning to cut the cord and switch to streaming exclusively by 2024.
In 2021, 45% of fans are only paying for streaming services. By 2026, Grabyo’s report suggests that the pay-TV market will only have a 28% customer share of global sports fans.
Sports fans are not yet abandoning broadcast TV subscriptions entirely because of the lack of sports available on streaming services. The likes of Kayo Sports and Stan Sport carry a variety of live sport in the Australian market, but 58% of fans report they will not cut the cord because not enough content is available without a broadcast TV subscription.
The report also finds that among those Australian fans who would switch to streaming exclusively for sport, 36% would pay up to A$10 per month for a dedicated service, while 38% would pay up to A$25 per month.
Globally, 79% of sports fans report they are ready to switch to online streaming only for sport.
These findings reflect a global trend of consumers adopting streaming services in favour of broadcast TV subscriptions, which has been accelerated by stay-at-home safety measures during 2020. This led to consumers across age demographics experimenting with streaming services and being convinced by their value. Grabyo reports that half of global sports fans surveyed are over 45 years old.
Since 2019, the report finds that broadcast TV subscriptions have fallen 9% among global sports fans, while online streaming subscriptions have increased 41%.
The report also finds a high demand for free-to-access sports content across social media, which is beginning to rival broadcast TV and streaming platforms for attention. With over half of Australian sports fans using social media platforms to access content, 66% want to see more live sport broadcast to social media, while 50% want more instant highlights and social videos.
“Broadcasters and media rights holders across sport must act fast to align their video strategies with what consumers are asking for”, comments Marcello Fabiano, Head of Australia/New Zealand at Grabyo. “The growth of services such as Kayo Sports, Stan Sport, and Optus Sport prove there is a huge appetite for sports streaming across Australia. Sports properties must keep looking forwards and evolve their offering. Attracting younger viewers and growing the reach of all sports is paramount, and the blueprint for doing this is becoming clear.”
Visit https://about.grabyo.com/uk/2021-sports-video-trends-report/