Streaming Sports: The Fan Experience

Description

SYNOPSIS:

The video services market's transformation away from pay-TV to streaming has disrupted sports media. Sports fans have more ways than ever to engage with favorite teams and watch live matches out-of-market. At the same time, the fan experience is more fragmented as teams and leagues maximize revenue by selling rights to different matches across different streaming, broadcast, and pay-TV properties in the same season.

INFOGRAPHICS

This study tracks the rise of sports streaming services and tests sports as a driver for uptake of general-purpose streaming services that own major sports rights packages. It investigates major paint points in the sports fan experience and quantifies consumer sports viewing behavior in and out of season. This study tests the appeal of new interactive fan experiences and consumers' willingness to pay for conceptual sports streaming models.

Key questions addressed:

1. What are the leading pain points of the fan experience, including game fragmentation/access to live broadcasts and perception of affordability?
2. How has consumer use of D2C streaming sports services changed over time?
3. How many fans churn in/out of sports streaming services between seasons, and what off-season content is most appealing to keep them subscribing all year?
4. Is sports a driver to subscribe to general-purpose streaming services? Are sports fans more likely to take premium subscription tiers, or cheaper ad-based tiers of leading services?
5. What interactive fan experiences interest sports streamers, such as sports betting, alternative broadcasts, live chat, e-commerce, and co-viewing?
6. How much are consumers willing to pay to access all of their favorite team's games in a single streaming service?

ANALYST INSIGHT:

"Like a rising tide, the growth of streaming sports lifts vendors across the streaming ecosystem, including infrastructure providers, technology vendors and broadband service providers. The market is far from settled, as the fan experience gets ever more fragmented, the live event streaming experience lacks reliability, and leagues and service providers experiment with revenue models." - Michael Goodman , Senior Contributing Analyst, Parks Associates.

Video Services Ecosystem

Sports Viewer Segments

Executive Summary

Streaming is transforming sports broadcasting.
Penetration of Traditional vs. OTT Video Services
Method of Accessing Sports Video Content
US Internet Households that Subscribe to a D2C Sports Service
Top 5 Incentives to Retain D2C Sports Subscribers
Top 5 Pain Points in Sports Viewing
% of Sports Viewers Facing at Least One Challenge Watching Sports
% of Sports Viewers Subscribing to a General Streaming Service to Access Exclusive Sports
Sports Viewing Preferences by Age
Appeal of Interactive Sports Features

Key Video Market Trends

Penetration of Traditional vs. OTT Video Services
Adoption of vMVPD Service
Streaming TV and vMVPD Provider Market Share, YoY
Trends in Adoption of Leading SVOD Services
Average Number of SVOD Service Subscriptions
Trends in Monthly Spending on OTT Video Services
Use of Leading Free Ad-based Video Services

The Sports Viewer Base

Types of Video Content Typically Watched
Sports-Specific D2C Service Subscriptions Overall
Sports OTT Service Penetration
Sports Viewer Segments
Types of Sports Watched in Season

The Sports Viewing Experience

Frequency of Watching Sports Content, by Content Format
Sports Formats Viewed Weekly, by Age
Platforms to Watch Live Sports/Highlights
Platforms to Watch Live Sports/Highlights, by Age
Pain Points in Streaming Sports Content
Pain Point in Streaming Sports by Sports Viewer Segments
NPS of Online Sports Video Services
Primary Connected TV Platform by Sports Viewer Segments
Trends in Monthly Spending on OTT Video Services

Subscriber Acquisition & Retention

Drivers to Subscribe to Sports-Specific D2C Services
Streaming Sports Subscription Drivers by Major Sports OTT Services
Actions Taken When Sports Season Ends
Likelihood of Re-Subscribing to Sports Streaming Apps
Actions Taken When Sports Season Ends by Major Sports OTT Services
Likelihood of Re-Subscribing to Sports Streaming Apps by Major Sports OTT Services
Incentives to Retain Subscription During Off-Season
Incentives to Retain Subscription During Off-Season by Sports OTT Service Subscription
Subscription to Streaming Services or Purchase of Sports Pass Exclusively Services
Post-Season Actions Regarding Sports Streaming Subscriptions
Subscription to Streaming Services or Purchase of Sports Pass Exclusively Service by Leading SVOD Services

Concept Testing: Streaming Sports Models

Preferred Live Sports Streaming Package
Preferred Live Sports Streaming Package by Sports Viewer Segments
Preferred Live Sports Streaming Package by Sports Fans
Likelihood of Paying for Favorite Team's All-Access Sports Package
Willing to Pay for Favorite Team's All-Access Sports Package by Age of Personal Sports Viewers
Willing to Pay for Favorite Team's All-Access Sports Package by Sports Fan

Interactive Sports Viewing & Betting

Engagement with Interactive Features While Watching Live Sports
Engagement with Interactive Features While Watching Live Sports by Age
Engagement with Interactive Features While Watching Live Sports, by Sports League/Genre
Appeal of Interactive Sports Features
Sports Betting While Watching Live by Sports Fan
Activities Engaged While Watching Live Sports by Sports Viewer Segments
Appeal of Interactive Sports Features, by Major League/Sport Services

Appendix

Demographic Breakdown of Sports Viewer Segments
Demographic Breakdown of Sports Viewer Segments - Major Sports
Demographic Breakdown of Sports Viewer - Secondary Sports