The sports subscription video on demand (SVOD) category has grown nearly 200% in size between 2018 and 2020, according to new data released by Antenna. They point out several specifics, however.
First, some of the single-sport services pause their billing during their off-seasons. Second, premium entertainment subscription services like Paramount+ and Peacock, have significantly added to the amount of live sports they carry in the midst of their program mix in order to attract more subscribers.
Growth of Sports on Sports Services
In terms of stand-alone products, ESPN+ has more than quadrupled its subscriber base, they said, which accounts for more than half of the overall Sports SVOD category’s growth in the two-year time period. The growth from ESPN+ was driven largely by UFC PPV events starting in 2019.
The OTT service from WWE had more than doubled its subscriber base during the same period — before the wrestling federation licensed its streaming rights exclusively to Peacock.
The only Sports SVOD service to subscription numbers fall in the United States, according to the Antenna study, was DAZN. Their numbers fell, the study said, as the streamer pursued a more internationally-focused strategy.
In addition, they said, though ESPN+ has grown significantly as a stand-alone service, the Disney Bundle — which groups ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney+ — accounts for more than half of the service’s subscriber base.
Sports on Premium Entertainment Subscription Services
Paramount+, due to its historic presence with CBS Sports, has already has had a strong relationship with the NFL, College Football and Basketball, the PGA Tour, and PBR Tour. Some events from each have been carried on Paramount+ in recent months.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Over the past year, the streamer has forged its way onto the pitch, securing the rights to UEFA Champions League and Europa League, the CONCACAF Nations League, Argentine Primera División, Brazil’s Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Italy’s Serie A, and in the United States, the National Women's Soccer League.
Peacock is tied to NBC Sports, and as a result, will have an Olympic presence beginning this summer in Tokyo. Peacock is an integral part of the sports picture going forward, which includes the French Open tennis tournament this month in Paris and the Tour de France this month, alone.
NBC Sports will simulcast all of the network’s NFL coverage on Peacock beginning this year, and, of course, Notre Dame college football returns to NBC in September, with an expected presence on Peacock. With the sunset of NBC Sports Network by the end of this year, other sports programming will move to Peacock.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
Some English Premier League soccer coverage has already shifted to Peacock Premium, and other premium services previously provided on the streaming NBC Sports Gold service are shifting to Peacock Premium also. Additionally, Peacock has become the streaming home for WWE, including all WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network-exclusive events live and on-demand.
CBS All Access reported its largest single-day sign-up event on Feb. 7, 2021 — the date of Super Bowl LV, according to the Antenna report. CBS All Access did not become Paramount+ until March 4, 2021. The largest driver of sign-ups to Peacock came with the airing of Wrestlemania 37 during the weekend of April 10-11, 2021.