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March 21, 2022

How live streaming is impacting sports



The sports industry has undergone a massive transformation over the past couple of decades and the landscape is continuing to evolve at a rapid rate.

Advancements in technology have been the primary driver for change, providing the sports sector with the tools to revolutionise the way it operates.

Nowhere is this better evidenced than live sports coverage, which bears little resemblance to what passed for the norm at the start of the 21st century.

For example, the clamour for live soccer streams when the 2022 World Cup is staged in Qatar may well outstrip the demand on more traditional broadcast platforms.

So how has live streaming impacted the sports industry and what does the future hold? Read on as we take a closer look.

Sports rights

With sports fans increasingly gravitating towards streaming services to watch live action, rights holders have been forced into a major rethink about their content.

While live sports remain a powerful part of traditional pay-per-view packages, their grip on viewers has started to loosen in recent times.

This point is highlighted by some of the recent broadcast deals agreed by major leagues, particularly in the hugely lucrative North American market.

The NFL completed a licensing deal last year for all games between 2023 and 2033, with a portion of the package set side exclusively for streaming platforms.

Amazon has the exclusive rights to Thursday night games, Disney can simulcast games on ABC and ESPN (News - Alert) on ESPN+ and ViacomCBS can simulcast games carried on CBS with Paramount+.



The deals that local games are available live to stream online, although viewers must subscribe to the appropriate service to watch.

The NHL has strengthened its link with the streaming sector, with US media giant Sinclair recently securing a multi-year renewal of its domestic digital and outer market distribution rights.

The Sinclair owned Diamond Sports Group can offer streaming content, including live games, on an authenticated and direct-to-consumer (DTC) basis via the Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks.

The deal covers the local territories of 12 NHL teams and sees Sinclair overcome a significant hurdle towards its plans to launch a DTC product for its Bally Sports channels.

Sinclair was seeking to raise $250 million to fund the new sports streaming service last year and was working with investment bank LionTree on the venture.

MLB (News - Alert) has also headed towards streaming platforms, with Apple recently announcing the launch of ‘Friday Night Baseball’ on Apple (News - Alert) TV+.

Streaming aggregation

Streaming aggregation has become a buzz phrase within the sports industry, with governing bodies, clubs and streaming services increasingly exploring the opportunities it offers.

A recent agreement in New Zealand between Spark Sport and Amagi highlighted how aggregated content could become the new norm in sports over the next few years.

Spark Sport, premium sport streaming service, teamed up with Amagi to provide content aggregation and playout services for their OTT linear channel, Spark Sport 1.

This offers live and on-demand sports content including the English Premier League, UEFA football, Formula Racing, New Zealand and English cricket and several other sports.

The 24/7 linear channel, which will feature both live and replay content, is powered by Amagi LIVE, a broadcast-grade live event transmission solution.

With a state-of-the-art cloud broadcast operations centre that can support more than 1,000 live linear channels, Amagi have become a big player in live sports streaming.

The firm’s clients include USA Today, ABS (News - Alert)-CBN, beIN Sports, Discovery Networks, Fox Networks, NBCUniversal, Vice Media, Warner Media and several others.

User experiences

While increased convenience is one of the biggest advantages live streaming platforms have over traditional broadcast mediums, it is not their only positive characteristic.

Their ability to provide improved viewing experiences for sports fans is undoubtedly another key factor in the rise of the live streaming sector.

For instance, if you love watching live football on TV, you will know how prevalent streaming technology has become in this area in recent times.

An excellent example of this is second screen experiences, which have been used to great effect by several top broadcasters including BT (News - Alert) Sport.

By tapping into user-generated analytics, BT have been able to offer subscribers a more personalised viewing experience than would be the case via a single screen.

Live streaming is also influencing associated sectors such as sports betting by allowing users to access content that was previously unavailable to them.

One of the main attractions of placing a bet is watching its progress in real-time, which is where live streaming services come in.

With bookmakers increasingly incorporating live streaming technology into their online sportsbooks, elements such as in-play betting are guaranteed to grow even further over the coming years.



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