Over three-quarters of global sports fans now want to watch sport exclusively on streaming services, according to Grabyo’s new 2021 Sports Video Trends Report.

Grabyo surveyed over 15,000 consumers across 14 countries including Japan, Thailand and India, to identify the video viewing and purchasing habits of global consumers. It found that over one-third of consumers are watching sport regularly across broadcast and digital platforms.

The report’s findings show sports fans are growing impatient with the lack of streaming options, suggesting that fans either expect more to be available in the future or may choose not to watch live sport if it is only available through broadcast TV subscriptions.

In 2019, Grabyo found that 53% of global sports fans that pay for video services were planning to cut the cord and switch to streaming exclusively by 2024.

In 2021, 45% of fans are only paying for streaming services. By 2026, Grabyo’s report suggests that the pay-TV market will only have a 28% customer share of global sports fans.

Sports fans across Asia show a keen willingness to pay for sports streaming services, building on the considerable growth of OTT services in the region. Over 90% of consumers in Thailand and India are ready to switch to streaming exclusively, alongside two-thirds of Japanese fans.

These findings reflect a global trend of consumers adopting streaming services in favour of broadcast TV subscriptions, which has been accelerated by stay-at-home safety measures during 2020. This led to consumers across age demographics experimenting with streaming services and being convinced by their value. Grabyo reports that half of global sports fans surveyed are over 45 years old.

Since 2019, the report finds that broadcast TV subscriptions have fallen 9% among global sports fans, while online streaming subscriptions have increased 41%.

The report also finds a high demand for free-to-access sports content across social media. Across Thailand and India, over 70% of sports fans in each territory are using social media platforms regularly to access content, with over half of fans in Japan. Over 60% of those fans want to see more live sport broadcast to social media, while over half want more instant highlights and social videos.

“Broadcasters and media rights holders across sport must act fast to align their video strategies with what consumers are demanding”, comments Elliot Renton, EVP and Head of APAC at Grabyo. “Fans across Asia want more availability across streaming platforms and social media and content delivered in the right formats. The success of services such as DAZN, SonyLiv, and others fires final warning shots to all sports broadcasters and properties. They must evolve their offering as fans demand more data, participatory content and analysis. We expect to see even more creative rights deals and partnerships emerging to meet these expectations and combat local monetization models”