Broadband revenues generated from sport-related content are set to increase from $344 million last year to $6.4 billion globally by 2008, according to a new forecast from Screen Digest.
The
Global Business of Sports Television report says that consumer use of broadband services to access data, play sports-related games or watch additional coverage of sport globally will be a significant revenue stream for sports broadcasters and rights holders over the coming years. The value is expected to have jumped to $3.3 billion by just 2005.
The main markets for broadband sports by 2008 will be the US, China, Japan, Germany and South Korea. In the UK, many Premier League football clubs are already taking advantage of their right to show delayed coverage of their matches on broadband channels, says Screen Digest.
Although traditional broadcasters with major sports rights will benefit most from new broadband revenue streams, according to report author Rachael Church, a market will emerge for less popular or niche sports that are unable to gain television carriage.
“New communities and therefore new audiences are already being built up around new technologies. Delivering sport through broadband will be a saviour for sports unable to reach their fans through traditional means,” she claims.
An earlier study by Strategy Analytics also found that an increasing number of viewers are using broadband to access sports content, in an industry already worth $100 million (see Broadband Offers Sporting Chance To Rights Holders).
