Survey finds fans struggle to find and afford sports content

A survey by strategy consulting firm Altman Solon of 2,500 global sports fans and 150 sports executives says fans crave more sports video content but have trouble accessing it due to the fragmented nature of the sports video market.

59% of participants in The Altman Solon 2023 Global Sports Media Survey say they currently have trouble finding or affording sports content they want to watch, while 56% would watch more sports video content if it were available.

The current industry structure in media distribution, with Pay-TV, streamers, D2C, OTT, social media platforms and free-to-air broadcasters amongst the long-list of platforms distributing sports content, not making life easier for fans wanting to discover and access the content they are passionate about.

Of the sports fans who say they have trouble accessing live sports content, 35% say it’s too expensive to access all the content they want, 30% don’t know which channels to watch, and 28% don’t know which platforms to watch.

Altman Solon director David Dellea, said: “It seems counterintuitive that the answer to the glut of sports content is more sports content, but sports fans are hungry for more. It turns out fans actually want more content, but often can’t afford the costs of additional subscriptions or get lost in the web of channels and streaming platforms providing content. Some form of industry consolidation seems likely, either through audience aggregation or content democratization, which should be beneficial for both the industry and sports fans.”

This year’s survey included a poll of more than 150 global sports media executives. They identified facilitating content aggregation (65%), improving content promotion (64%), and fostering flexible pricing (58%) as the top ways to make content more globally accessible.

The executives also pointed to a transformation in the way consumers view fandom, with more than half (56%) expecting a continued transition towards an athlete-driven fandom, opposed to loyally following the same teams.

Altman Solon director Matt Del Percio, said: “It is important to recognise that the way fans consume sports is much different from a generation ago or even at the end of the past decade. While historically fandom was defined by the local team(s) you follow – and often the team your parents followed – modern sports fans are now more making decisions based on athletes’ on-field performance and off-the-field personalities or social media presence.”

In developing this report, Altman Solon surveyed 2,500 adults across eight countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, China, between July-August this year. Respondents represent the country’s population, weighted by age, gender, and income.