Streaming platforms will shell out some $12.5 billion on sports rights this year, according to data from Ampere Analysis.
This year, streamers will account for 20 percent of global sports rights spend, Ampere indicates, up from just 8 percent in 2021 and 18 percent last year.
DAZN will remain the top spender on digital sports rights at 33 percent, with Prime Video at 23 percent, YouTube TV at 16 percent and Netflix at 5 percent. DAZN’s share will be higher once it closes its acquisition of Foxtel.
Sports is seen as a valuable subs driver for streamers, as well as a lucrative vehicle for ad sales. Netflix added about 1.5 million new members in the U.S. following the Paul/Tyson boxing match and almost 700,000 subs for its NFL Christmas Day games. Similarly, Peacock gained 2 million subscriptions on the weekend of its exclusive NFL playoff game last year. Paramount+ gained 2.4 million customers the day of its Super Bowl coverage in 2024.
Danni Moore, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, noted: “Over the last five years, streamers’ share of investment in sports rights has increased for two main reasons. The first is the growth of DAZN as a specialist sport streamer. In particular, DAZN has driven investment in top-tier sports rights in major European markets such as Germany, Italy, Spain and, most recently, France. Then, as streaming nears saturation point, general entertainment platforms are adjusting their content investment strategies and have turned to sports as a key part of their subscription growth plans. They are recognizing the benefit of acquiring rights to major season-long competitions for both subscriber acquisition and retention. Netflix, Peacock and Paramount all saw the commercial value of acquiring key sporting tournaments and one-off events in 2024, and we expect more of the same in 2025.”
