Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+ collectively increased the number of sports programmes across their streaming services year on year by 72% in Q1.
According to the latest Data Hub update from Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, four of the five aforementioned services tracked by Gracenote bolstered their sports programming.
This was led by Disney+, which more than quintupled (+471%) the amount of sports programmes, largely by integrating content from ESPN in December.
Netflix, meanwhile, doubled its amount of sports content, such as through streaming WWE Raw and NFL Christmas Day games.
The outlier that did not increase its sports programming in Q1 was Apple TV+. However, it is poised to see a substantial uptick in the spring as both Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games get under way.
While Amazon still accounts for the highest share of sports programming among the streamers, its share has shrunk substantially in the past year as more competitors have sought to capitalise on sports. Amazon previously distributed 54% of all sports programming on streaming, compared with 35% in Q1.
Meanwhile, Disney+ now accounts for one-third (33%) of available sports programming, followed by Netflix at 23%.
Advertisers can score big with live sports streaming
The spike in sports programming on streaming has piqued the interest of advertisers, which place a high value on sports given they are one of few live entertainment opportunities that still reliably draw large audiences on TV.
Sports programming has helped propped up declining linear viewing numbers for years, but streaming companies have increasingly sought access to sports rights to begin integrating live events into their offerings.
According to EssenceMediacom’s Creative Futures UK managing director Dan Wood, sports’ move into streaming has presented a unique opportunity for brands to reach new audiences. This is true in part because more women and young people are being drawn into sports fandom via streaming services.
For example, Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive has been credited with expanding fandom for the racing league into new demographics. Netflix appears intent on doing the same for the NFL by adding further live events catering to non-sports fans, such as Beyoncé’s halftime show during its Christmas Day coverage.
“Live sports programming continues to be an important driver of user growth, retention and engagement for streaming services,” Gracenote chief product officer Bill Michels added.
He suggested that streamers have an opportunity to better integrate sports-related metadata into user experiences beyond merely streaming live games, such as by better delivering synopses, scores and highlights to users on demand.
Examining streamers’ output more broadly, Gracenote found that the five services measured added 6.7% more content to their catalogues in the past quarter. This equated to approximately 3,000 films, 2,000 TV shows and 500 sports programmes.
Amazon remains the largest overall distributor of video content among the five, as its content library comprises 69% of available streaming programming.
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