As per the report, sports OTT is accelerating, with 23% of the worlds top leagues and federations now having their own service and more than a third of the top 25 football clubs.
The Global Market for Premium Sports OTT Services report has highlighted key trends and findings shaping the global sports over-the-top market and their impact on traditional pay-TV service providers.
The research defined six main categories of sports OTT providers and highlighted key trends and developments in the market including paid premium OTT sports services from the worlds top sports leagues and clubs; pay-TV provider sports-oriented skinny bundles; the emergence of specialist OTT sports aggregators; and emerging sports content pricing and packaging models.
As per the report, sports OTT is accelerating, with 23% of the worlds top leagues and federations now having their own service and more than a third of the top 25 football clubs.
The report also identified seven key implications for pay-TV providers going forward: that live sports are the last bastion of live TV, making it mission-critical for pay-TV companies to retain tier-one sports rights in their bundles; pay-TV companies appear well-positioned to retain the tier-one sports right; digital giants such as Amazon and the major sports broadcasters, are likely to be the two most significant threats to pay-TV providers; pay-TV providers will continue to rationalise their investment in tier-two sports rights; sports OTT providers will continue to experiment with different pricing and packaging models; pay-TV providers will need to evolve their service offerings in response to agile challenger brands; pay-TV providers must continue to take steps to limit the impact of sports streaming piracy by leveraging new anti-piracy technology and industry collaboration, particularly as 5G begins to roll out.
Commenting on the findings, Simon Trudelle, Senior Director, Product Marketing at NAGRA said: This special Pay-TV Innovation Forum report delivers valuable insight on the state of the global sports OTT market, focusing on how pay-TV operators can take advantage of the sports OTT opportunity.
It also reinforces our continued commitment to helping our customers leverage the right technology and expertise to scale video delivery, enhance fan engagement and take advantage of smart monetisation strategies while ensuring that unparalleled content protection and anti-piracy solutions secure the business model.
Sports have been a key driver of growth in pay-TV for more than two decades, added Jon Watts, Managing Partner, MTM.
However, the rise of sports OTT has introduced a new wave of competition and innovation into the market, prompting traditional providers to adapt their pricing, packaging and overall value propositions to stay successful. This report brings to light the key trends, challenges and opportunities of the global sports OTT market to help both service providers and sports rights holders prepare for the future.
