Feature: Sports Channels
BSkyB, dominant in the sports channel market, last year agreed to part with £1.1bn to retain broadcasting rights to Premier League football games for another three years, a scenario which demonstrates how money has become a primary factor in successful sports broadcasting, much to the BBC’s chagrin.
Sky Sports 1 launched in 1993, joining Eurosport among the non-terrestrial channels. Sky Sports 2 followed in 1994 and 3 in 1996. By 1999 Eurosport commanded a 1% audience share (ASTRA), and Sky Sports 1 a share three times the size. However most sports channels have seen a decline in audience share over the past two years, as choice of viewing and audience size has increased.
In 1993 Sky’s sports offering was one of around 20 channels available through non-terrestrial service providers. Over the years this total has more than trebled. The number of multi-channel homes has grown too, according to BARB estimates, from 3m when the sports sector was just Sky Sports 1 and Eurosport, to 8.5m by the time the niche upstart Extreme Sports launched in October 2000, to 10m in September this year.
The sports channels’ audience make-up offer few surprises, being male dominated. Movie channel Sky Premier, which manages a 1.38% overall share, has a more or less equal share for 16-24 year old men and 16-24 year old women. Sky Sports 1, in contrast, with its 1.86% overall share, commands a 3.54% share of viewing amongst 16-24 year old men, compared to a 1.49% share amongst 16-24 year old women.
A key factor in the future success of sports channels could be illustrated by the name of Sky’s digital 24-hour sports news channel: Skysports.com TV. One of the most notable areas where interactivity and the web are taking off is sports coverage, with the success of the rivals.net sports website network, Sky’s interactive football coverage with “player cam” and the BBC’s interactive Wimbledon coverage on digital services this year bearing witness.
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