Sports fans are tired of struggling to find their favorite teams
Sports fans are tired of struggling to find their favorite teams
New data fron Gracenote reveals streamers still have an opportunity to improve their sports discovery tools.
The spread of live sports has been, at best, a mixed blessing for fans. Viewers certainly have more options available for watching, but with those options comes the confusion of trying to sort through which platform has which game. New data from Nielsen's Gracenote shows that fans are still struggling more than they should be in finding their favorite teams, sending a clear message to live TV streamers that they need to step up.
Key Details:
- Doing the work: Nearly 70% of sports fans pay for a subscription to watch their favorites.
- Getting nowhere: Nineteen percent of viewers say they still spend more than 10 minutes trying to find the game they want.
- Are you listening?: The data is a signal to streamers that they need to serve sports fans better.
The data from Gracenote found that 68% of self-identified sports fans pay for at least one subscription to watch their favorite events. Nearly 24% pay for three or more subscriptions, and half said they would consider paying for another subscription if it meant greater access to the sports they like.
These fans are doing the work necessary to bring the sports they want into their home, but they’re often not being shown a pathway to watching that event — not quickly, anyway. Twenty-six percent of those surveyed by Gracenote say they frequently can’t find the game they’re looking for on their subscriptions.
Nineteen percent of respondents said it takes them more than 10 minutes to find the game they’re looking for, and 85% of fans say they would like a centralized sports hub with frictionless content discovery to browse through games, highlights, and other content surrounding their favorite sports.
There are encouraging signs in the data from Gracenote for live TV streamers like DIRECTV and YouTube TV. These platforms already have dedicated sports viewing hubs, and DIRECTV has been steadily augmenting the features it offers alongside live sports; the streamer recently launched a new multiview for sports fans to enjoy this season.
But there are also clear signs that streamers have work to do in guiding fans to their favorite teams. Most live TV streamers allow viewers to pick favorite teams to follow, but perhaps creating a menu card on the home screen with data about their next scheduled game and links to further content would help direct fans to their chosen clubs more efficiently.
The data from Gracenote also serves as advanced warnings to streaming services like DAZN and Prime Video, which are increasingly pursuing local sports rights. DAZN will host Indiana Pacers games in the team’s local market this year, and Prime Video will stream in-market games from a total of seven NHL clubs.
Fans who are used to watching these teams on a traditional TV channel will have a hard enough time transitioning to streaming. DAZN and Prime Video would be wise to ensure they plaster their home pages with links to home team content for fans in these markets, including scores, live viewing windows, and highlights from recent contests.
Sports moving to streaming platforms undoubtedly gives fans more access compared to the days when teams played on expensive, hard-to-find regional sports networks. But Gracenote’s data shows that fragmentation is still creating confusion among fans, and streamers still have work to do to help connect viewers to the teams they like to watch most.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.