Sports Rights Survey 2021

Will Pay TV bounce back and remain a strong and critical holder of distribution rights as live sports returns to the living room? Or will sports TV follow the same trajectory as general entertainment services and transition to OTT?

The TV industry has been evolving in recent years and the pandemic has accelerated this change. Broadcasters - under pressure to cut costs - are evaluating their investment in sporting rights and are increasingly selective over acquisitions. Services like Disney+ and Netflix believe that Pay TV Operators will further integrate Sports D2C services into their platform, with bundling deals likely for their customers.

However, there are many challenges for all, not least from the effects of piracy, which despite the best efforts of broadcasters has yet to be resolved.

There is no denying that live sport fuels the appetite for audiences around the world. To examine this, we surveyed our global network of industry contacts for their thoughts on a number of emerging topics in the Sports TV landscape, ranging from Pay TV and D2C integration, the value of sports rights, anti-piracy measures and distribution channels. The report examines the results from the survey and addresses the future of the sports distribution ecosystem.