Sports content broadcasting rights are no longer just a trend in the USA and Europe. Since 2021, the APAC market has grown in this segment, both due to the demand of its audience for this content, and due to the interest of providers in embarking on one of the most thriving regions for TV.
BB Media has reported this trend, which has been driven mostly by streamers. ‘As a result, consumers have become accustomed to having more options to enjoy sports competitions and no longer depend solely on Linear TV’, noted Facundo Engel, Media Analyst.
According to the consulting firm, the region with the highest viewing of live sports content is APAC, reporting that 49% of users who claimed to consume online content use platforms to watch sports competitions. This coincides with recent data from Amagi in the FAST segment, where sports are in the TOP 5 most watched, in addition to news and movies.
On the other hand, BB Media also observed that sports viewing is lower in the UCAN and EMEA regions. For example, in EMEA 30% of online consumers watch sporting events, while in UCAN, 28% of users do the same. In these two regions, excluding movies and series, documentaries, miniseries and news content are consumed more frequently than live sports.
In addition, certain regional differences can be observed in terms of the sports that users choose to watch. Like in EMEA, where football is by far the most watched sport. 78% of users who claimed to regularly consume sporting events in the region generally watch football matches. Tennis (36%) and basketball (25%) follow with a significant margin.
While in the UCAN region, the most consumed sport among users who watch sports content is American football, with 68% of consumers online, followed by basketball (57%).
Finally, in APAC, football is also the most consumed sport, with 58% of consumers. It is followed by basketball (50%), and in third place, a regional sport: badminton (41%). Additionally, in APAC there are higher consumption rates for regional sports such as table tennis and cricket.
The trend of consuming live sports aligns with the preferences for Live-Streaming in the regions analyzed. BB Media data shows that Asia Pacific is precisely the region with the highest consumption of live content, where 79% of online platform consumers watch linear content, while in UCAN and EMEA, that percentage is 63% and 61 % respectively.
Meanwhile, among the total consumers of live content, in APAC, 28% consume Live-Streaming only for sporting events or special occasions, while in UCAN and EMEA, the percentage is 29% and 34% respectively.
The consulting firm deduces that in the APAC region the greater consumption of live sports correlates with a greater tendency towards Live-Streaming. It is observed that the preference for this type of content in this region is greater compared to UCAN and EMEA, which show greater favoritism for On-Demand content.
beIN Sports media network goup, with a large presence in Asia, signed early this year exclusive broadcasting rights for the Formula 1 World Championships in 10 Asian territories. These rights will apply until 2025 and include the territories of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brueni, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Also last September, IMG secured an exclusive NFL deal in more than 30 countries in Asia and Europe. The 3-year agreement also grants advertising strategies in newspapers and local media.
While Prime Video broadcast live all the Samurai Japan games in the Asia Professional Baseball Championships 2023 at the Tokyo Dome. This allowed users of the Amazon service to access this content at no additional cost.
