The economics of sport are shifting—and not quietly.
According to the latest global study from Altman Solon, rights holders are facing a widening gap between audience growth and monetization. Consumption is expanding beyond live broadcasts, but revenue models haven’t kept pace.
The conclusion is blunt: diversify, or fall behind.
The Monetization Gap Is Real
Sports audiences are no longer confined to 90 minutes—or even to live viewing.
Fans now engage through:
- Highlights and short-form clips
- Creator-driven content
- Social and AI-generated formats
Yet while reach is expanding, revenue is not scaling at the same rate. Digital creators amplify visibility, but don’t necessarily translate into direct income for rights holders.
That disconnect is becoming structural.
Fans Are Willing to Pay—But Not Just for Live
One of the study’s most revealing insights challenges a long-held assumption: live rights are no longer the only premium product.
- 42% of fans aged 24–35 are very willing to pay for live sports
- 30% are also very willing to pay for highlights and non-live content
That second figure is critical. It signals untapped value in formats that have traditionally been treated as secondary.
For rights owners, it opens the door to:
- Tiered subscription models
- Paid highlight packages
- Microtransactions around key moments
Streamers Are Getting Selective
The era of aggressive, all-in sports rights spending is cooling.
Global platforms like Netflix and Amazon are increasingly:
- Prioritizing premium, high-impact rights
- Avoiding large-scale, loss-making portfolios
- Targeting properties with global appeal
In fact, 45% of executives expect selective deals—not volume buying—to define the next phase.
For rights holders, that means fewer blank checks and more competition for attention.
Streaming Has Already Won (In Some Markets)
The transition from linear TV is no longer theoretical.
- Streaming has overtaken traditional TV in Spain and Italy
- In the U.S., the gap is down to less than 14 minutes per week
This isn’t a future trend—it’s a current reality.
And it forces rights owners to think beyond traditional broadcast cycles toward always-on, multi-platform distribution.
Piracy: The Silent Revenue Killer
One of the most persistent threats remains unchanged: piracy.
- More than 1 in 5 sports viewers under 35 use unofficial streams
That’s not just lost revenue—it’s a signal of unmet demand:
- Price sensitivity
- Accessibility gaps
- Fragmented rights distribution
Unless addressed, piracy will continue to erode the value of premium rights.
Creators and AI: Opportunity, Not Just Noise
Perhaps the most forward-looking finding:
- 51% of executives believe creator-led and AI-generated content will increase the value of sports IP within 3–5 years
This reframes what was once seen as a threat.
Instead of competing with creators, rights holders may need to:
- Partner with influencers
- License content formats
- Build AI-driven personalization layers
The goal isn’t control—it’s participation.
The Strategic Shift: Diversify or Decline
The message from Altman Solon is clear.
Relying solely on live rights is no longer sustainable. Future growth will come from:
- Expanding content formats (live + non-live + interactive)
- Flexible monetization (subscriptions, ads, micro-payments)
- Platform diversification (broadcast, streaming, social)
The Bigger Picture
Sports still command one of the most valuable assets in media: live attention.
But attention alone is no longer enough.
To unlock the full value of that IP, rights owners must evolve from broadcasters into multi-format content ecosystems—where every moment, not just kickoff, has a price.