Altman Solon is the largest global TMT consulting firm, with deep expertise in sports media consulting. Drawing on the 7th Global Sports Survey, this insight analyzes how streaming, non‑live formats, and changing fan behavior are driving the next phase of sports media growth.
Sports are entering a new growth cycle, and the mood across the ecosystem is notably upbeat. Altman Solon’s Global Sports Industry Confidence Index is at 77/100, with 88% of leaders expressing optimism about the global sports sector’s future over the next 12 months. Optimism is strongest among the stakeholders best positioned to capture upside: investors, as well as tech and service providers, while media companies, teams, and leagues are slightly more cautious amid structural pressure in the media market.
The signal is clear: the sports sector is entering a new phase of expansion, underpinned by capital inflows, innovation, and new content distribution models.
For 2026, the focus should be on taking more ownership of the fan base, engaging deeply with them, and monetizing across channels — from social, to events, streaming, and health/fitness apps — with new levels of personalization.
— Gilles Domartini, CEO, Cleeng
That confidence is grounded in sports’ distinct risk profile in a media landscape flooded with content and rising commoditization. As other genres face increasing uncertainty amid shifting consumer tastes, sports remain scarce, culturally relevant, and appointment-based, a combination that continues to enable premium monetization across subscriptions, advertising, and sponsorship.
Consumer behavior reinforces the point: sports viewing is widespread across age groups, and demand is still growing, especially among 25–34-year-olds.
At the same time, attention is fragmented, especially among younger fans. While overall sports video consumption is at an all-time high, viewing is shifting from traditional live broadcasts toward a broader mix of formats. Non-live content continues to gain share, and among 18–34-year-olds, the shift is decisive: they spend nearly three times more time with non-live formats (e.g., highlights, short-form, unscripted, creator-led content) than watching live games. Younger audiences are also less likely to consume full events end-to-end, elevating the role of non-live content. No longer just add-ons to live coverage; these formats increasingly carry standalone value.
Sports rights owners can win big by treating IP as a core asset and building direct fan relationships, turning every highlight, jersey, archive, and data point into a monetizable product.
— Mohit Pareek, Partner, Drake Star
Across age groups, fans engage differently by content type: linear TV continues to over-index on live games and highlights, while streaming and social platforms lead in short-form and creator-driven formats. At an aggregate level, weekly sports viewing time on streaming is now approaching linear TV, with streaming expected to overtake it in 2026. Winning in this environment will require diversified, buyer-specific channel strategies that reflect how each platform creates value.
Capturing the full potential of these shifts is far from assured; rights owners and investors must adapt strategically:
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On the product side, the industry must evolve toward a multi-format, multi-channel offering, as consumption is no longer anchored in traditional TV or a live-first model. Media rights strategies should be designed to support a broad range of product–market fits across distribution channels, each serving different audience segments and content formats, to address the full spectrum of platforms and audiences.
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On the operational side, organizations must expand core capabilities, moving from event management and traditional rights sales to full-stack production and direct-to-consumer (DTC) publishing, multi-platform licensing, and tech-enabled services across the value chain.
The industry is entering a new era of accelerated transformation, where the scale of opportunity matches the scale of change required to capture it.
