2022 Global Sports Survey
2022 Global Sports Survey
Opportunities On And Off The Field
Global sports has never been more popular among fans nor presented more opportunities for properties, investors, and media partners. It is also at a point where new innovations are transforming the way the world watches and connects with sports and its top athletes, teams, and leagues. Altman Solon’s 2022 Global Sports Survey offers insights and perspectives on sports viewership and fandom, viewing experiences, and emerging digital technologies in sports from more than 17,000 respondents across 17 countries spanning North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
Below is an introduction to our 2022 Global Sports Survey, which provides a preview of the insights to be released over the next several months. This page will be updated regularly, so please complete the contact form below to receive future publications directly in your inbox.
We also invite you to reach out to us directly with any questions or to schedule a discussion with one of our experts.
Emerging Trends in Sports Create Exciting Global Opportunities
Sports are evolving with growing investment and innovation, and the businesses that best adapt to these changes will have a leg up on their competitors
The business side of sports has never presented more opportunities to properties, partners, and investors – or been more globally competitive. As sports has come roaring back since the pandemic, interest remains strong with fans across the globe, encouraging teams and leagues to expand their fanbases and drive growth internationally. In parallel, the prices of media rights, franchises, and sports-adjacent businesses have also seen significant growth with no slowdown in sight. Key trends in content consumption, emerging technologies, and fan engagement are continuing to shape the future of investment and M&A in sports as momentum continues to build.
Altman Solon’s 2022 Global Sports Survey, which gauged sports interest, viewership and preferences, and fandom among 17,000 respondents in 17 countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, reveals many opportunities for sports entities through changing fandom, growth in women’s sports, evolving content consumption, emerging digital technologies, and expansion into adjacent businesses.
The business side of sports has never presented more opportunities or been more globally competitive. The prices of media rights, franchises, and other sports-adjacent businesses have shown significant growth with no slow-down in sight, with several billion-dollar transactions in the last year alone. As sports has come roaring back since the pandemic, strong viewership, attendance, and engagement signal that sports continues to offer an attractive value proposition for fans and business opportunities for commercial partners and investors.
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Interest in sports remains strong with fans across the globe, encouraging leagues and teams to look abroad to increase their fanbases and drive growth. Strong interest in sports has returned since the pandemic and translates into TV consumption of and willingness to pay for sports content. While Altman Solon’s survey reinforces that soccer is the most global popular sport, many sports are reaching and finding international audiences.
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Growing investment and M&A in sports as well as strong interest from fans are driven by key trends and developments impacting sports properties and their partners/investors including:
- Changing fandom: Fan perspectives are evolving with expectations of direct engagement with properties, preferences for shorter-form, “snackable” content, and engagement with a wider range of organizations
- Growth in women’s sports: Women’s sports have stepped into the spotlight as European soccer leagues invest heavily in their associated women’s leagues, popularity of women’s sports in the U.S. reaches new heights
- Evolving content consumption: More AR & VR options have attracted fans to this new technology, promising engaged viewing experiences and creating new ways for fans to engage with their favorite leagues and teams
- Emerging digital technologies: The adoption of cryptocurrency and NFTs in sports expands at the league, team, and athlete levels, generating substantial revenue for rights holders while also creating deeper fan engagement
- Expansion into adjacent business opportunities: Opportunities adjacent to sports, such as betting and gaming, continue to become more prevalent and lucrative, opening new channels with an engaged, attractive demographic
Altman Solon will release survey results and analysis over the next several months on:
- Key trends and developments reshaping/impacting the world of sports and what it means for properties, media partners, and investors
- How emerging technologies (AR/VR/NFTs/crypto) transform fan consumption and engagement
- Where fans want (new) sports viewing/engagement experiences
- How sports fans can be segmented and targeted
- Where fans participate in sports betting and gaming
Altman Solon, the world’s largest strategy consulting firm exclusively focused on Telecommunications, Media, and Technology, conducted its annual Global Sports Survey in August-September 2022. This page will be updated with new insights from the 2022 Global Sports Survey over the next several months.
Explore Insights from the 2022 Global Sports Survey
Making Sports a Winning Investment
Sports is a growing global enterprise, with sports leagues competing to grow their fan base internationally. Increasingly, the competition has left the pitch and entered the financial realm, with investors looking to tap into the global sports boom.
AR/VR: Game changers for increasing sports fan engagement and monetization
Altman Solon’s 2022 Global Sports Survey shows fan interest in using augmented and virtual reality in sports, as many leagues and teams embrace the technologies to grow reach and engagement with fans.
FIFA World Cup 2022 to Be a Magnet for Emerging Soccer Fanbases in U.S., India, and China
Altman Solon’s survey reveals scope of global fan interest in the FIFA World Cup 2022, with growth opportunities in emerging markets and streaming.
Growth in New Fan-Focused Technologies, Women’s Sports Creates Exciting Opportunities for Global Sports
Altman Solon’s survey shows that social media, VR/AR, emerging digital technology, and ‘’snackable’’ content are engaging fans who are spending more time watching live sports post-pandemic.
Press Releases
2021 Global Sports Survey
The 2021 Global Sports Survey explored trends in sports interest and viewership, awareness of live TV and sports OTT services, and international fandom of top US/EU leagues, clubs, and athletes from more than 18,000 respondents across 16 countries spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
With High Popularity at Home, European Football Primed for More Global Growth
In recent years, the success of the English Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and others has attracted significant investment activity as investors favor the positive financial profiles and growth outlooks for leagues and clubs.
Super Bowl Party: Is the U.K. and E.U. ready for more American Football?
The kickoff for Super Bowl is this coming weekend and, at least according to the sky-high TV ratings of recent playoff games in the United States, American viewers are planning to watch the game in huge numbers.
The Winter Olympics Are Back, and Sports Fans in Europe and the U.S. Are Ready to Watch
The Winter Olympics in Beijing open this week and a recent Altman Solon survey found that sports fans globally are eager to watch them again.
As Women’s Sports Grows, So Does the Female Fan Base
The popularity of global stars like Serena Williams, new media and sponsorship deals for women’s leagues and teams, and high-profile campaigns for more equity in professional sports have kept women’s sports in the spotlight.
The Top Live TV, OTT, and SVOD Services for Global Sports Fans
Live sports broadcasting and viewing are shifting globally. Sports continue to be made-for-TV but increasingly are being consumed on digital platforms and devices, while competing with other live and on-demand video and entertainment options.
Global Sports’ Great Comeback Means Opportunities for Leagues, Clubs, and Investors
Interest in sports has roared back since the pandemic, but how can leagues and clubs create sustainable engagement and monetize their fanbases?
The Athletes Driving Sports Viewing and Valuations Globally
Top sports stars are well known at home, but which athletes drive interest among fans abroad, and which are creating value for clubs, leagues, and partners?
2020 Global Sports Survey
Altman Solon’s 2020 Global Sports & News Survey, conducted in August-September with more than 14,000 respondents across 10 countries, focused on fandom, TV viewership, and investor trends, and identifies which players, teams, and leagues fans most want to watch.
From “Bookies” to the TV Booth: How Sports Betting Is Gaining Global Popularity and Changing the Way Sport Is Viewed
Betting and sports have had a long, often uneasy, relationship. But due to widespread legalization – and a loosening of some betting restrictions due to COVID-19 – sports and betting seem to be at the beginning of a much closer relationship, one that will have a dramatic impact on how fans consume sports.
Investors’ Appetite for Professional Sports Is Increasing
Why is professional sports attractive for investors and what long-term impact is to be expected from COVID-19?
News Viewing and Subscribership Grow Globally but So Do Concerns Around Trust
Boosting consumer trust and exploiting willingness to pay among top opportunities for news publishers and media companies
Sports and News Are Critical to the Future of Pay TV and OTT
Live sports and news are critical to attracting viewers to live TV and OTT services – but are sports and news fans still watching?
The Athletes and Clubs Driving Global Sports Fandom and Viewership
Live sports draw viewers and captivate fans, but which sports entities – leagues, clubs, competitions, and athletes – are global sports fans most interested in watching?
U.S. Leagues Struggle to Win Fans in Europe, Trail European Soccer Leagues’ Success in the U.S.
U.S. and European leagues target growth on opposite continents, but which leagues are attracting mindshare of sports fans across the pond?
As NBA Players, Other Pro Athletes Take Bold Stands For Social Justice, Evidence Shows Support From the American Public
This summer, as nationwide protests began after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others by police, many of us began to rethink how to become better advocates for minority communities and move beyond words towards creating action for meaningful change.
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