Digital live sports viewership will grow by more than 14% this year as a result of organic growth and accelerated cord-cutting. Despite sports suspensions and delays, 36.5 million people in the US will watch live sports digitally this year.
Despite the delays of sports amid the Covid-19 pandemic, digital live sports viewership will rise more than 14% this year as a result of organic growth and accelerated cord-cutting, according to Emarketer. “In recent years, TV networks and pay-TV providers have relied more on live sports as cord-cutting and audience erosion accelerate,” said Eric Haggstrom, Emarketer Forecasting Analyst at Insider Intelligence. “Live sports represent billions of dollars in advertising and affiliate fees for the networks. Advertisers are eagerly awaiting the likely return of live sports in the fall as it is one of the few ways to reach a large, younger audience at scale.”
According to the research firm’s first forecast on digital sports viewers, 36.5 million people in the US will watch live sports digitally this year, including individuals who watch live sports monthly during at least one sport’s season, regardless of age. The data predicts live sports to return later in 2020. As a result of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness tournament cancelation, overall live sports viewership will drop by 0.2% this year.
Almost one in four, 23.7% of US live sports viewers will watch via digital channels this year. Nearly half of those digital viewers will watch live sports through virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs), such as Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, and YouTube TV. This year, 17.1 million people will watch live TV on these platforms, up 13.3% from 2019. And 69.3% of internet-delivered pay-TV viewers will use vMVPDs to watch live sports.
One of the most popular platforms for viewing live sports digitally is ESPN+, which will have 14.9 million viewers this year, representing 40.8% of digital live sports viewers in the US. The platform experienced rapid growth last year thanks to additional offerings and a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.
In recent years, TV networks and pay-TV providers have relied more on live sports as cord-cutting and audience erosion accelerate. Live sports represent billions of dollars in advertising and affiliate fees for the networks. Advertisers are eagerly awaiting the likely return of live sports in the fall as it is one of the few ways to reach a large, younger audience at scale.” Eric Haggstrom Emarketer Forecasting Analyst at Insider Intelligence
Related News
