Report: Content Aggregation, Robust Programming Slates Key to Attracting Sports Fans to Streaming
New data released by Altman Solons has good news for Prime Video and ESPN as each plots its sports future.
Sports are one of pay TV’s last bastions, but even that pillar of strength is not invincible. A report from March found that all of the major sports channels, including ESPN and FS1 were losing customers as more and more users leave cable and satellite behind.
- Data released by A;tman Solons shows that 59% of sports fans report an accessibility issue in watching their favorite sport.
- The data also shows that fans want aggregated sports platforms and value big content libraries.
- The numbers present good news for Prime Video and ESPN, both of which have ambitious sports plans for the future.
What Are Sports Fans’ Priorities When Watching?
As streaming platforms rush to pick up the slack from cable providers when it comes to offering live sports, there are key lessons that they must keep in mind. New data released in a report by Altman Solons helps to clarify those lessons, and offers good tidings for Prime Video and ESPN.
To start with, streaming platforms need to ensure they provide easy access to the sports in question. This may seem like a no-brainer, but a survey in Altman Solon’s report shows that 59% of fans report having accessibility issues of some kind or other when trying to watch their favorite sport. Cost of access is the top issue reported, with difficulty finding which channel or service the event is on coming close behind in second.
Given that data, it’s no surprise that fans want an aggregated platform that offers a variety of top sports, as well as a unified guide that will show them where they can watch their beloved teams if their games are not actually on the platform. Sixty-five percent of respondents noted this was their top suggestion for improving accessibility to live sports.
Both of these data points are music to the ears of ESPN executives. Disney wants to launch a streaming version of ESPN by 2025, and the channel has had contact with major sports leagues like the NBA and NFL about incorporating big portions of their offerings onto the service. Having all in-market NFL games available to stream on the service, for example, would cut down on confusion about where they’re available, and ESPN is already a sports aggregator, holding rights to packages from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.
Is Amazon Ready for Primetime?
Altman Solons’ report also portends well for Prime Video, which is hoping to expand into NBA streaming following the 2024-25 season. The report features a survey in which respondents were asked what providers could do to make their sports offerings more engaging. The most-given answer (77%) was to expand the content library beyond live sports, followed closely by an augmented live experience through immersive features (74%).
“Immersive features” have clearly been Amazon’s focus for its second season of “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts. The platform already offers several alternate broadcasts of “TNF,” and has integrated artificial intelligence into its “Prime Vision” stream to give fans even more statistics and analytical data in real time. Prime Video is also bringing back the “TNF with Dude Perfect” alternate stream for two games in November.
Although Amazon doesn’t really offer any sports content beyond live events, it at least has experience in this regard. Amazon first unveiled a 12-hour bloc of daily sports talk that would be free to all users in November of 2022, but decided to shut down that programming in September of 2023. That certainly helped the company gain experience, and if it can apply those lessons when/if it gets more live sports to stream, it could bring back a more in-demand sports talk slate later on.
The availability of live sports on streaming platforms will continue to widen as cable’s declines increase. Providers like Prime Video and ESPN stand poised to increase their live sports offerings, but must carry these lessons with them if they hope to be successful.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon 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 Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.