Enhancing Digital Fan Engagement
The future of sports broadcasting includes new ways to keep fans engaged and capture their attention with compelling, authentic experiences. There is significant opportunity for continued technological advancement for fans looking to consume sports across devices and integrate augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), social media, and gambling into their viewing experience.
The future of sports broadcasting: Sports that follow fans

While exclusive rights deals lock some sports content into certain providers and channels, the mechanism through which fans reach those channels, and what they expect from the broadcast itself, is evolving. For more than 75 percent of fans surveyed, cable and satellite TV remains the preferred viewing options; only 61 percent of Millennials prefer cable and satellite TV.10 Instead, the percent of Millennials who prefer TV streaming options edged higher.11

This shift is occurring as fans, across all age groups, place increasing importance on convenience—the ability to watch via whichever device fits the needs of the fan was the second most important attribute in our study. Specifically, fans rated convenience nearly 2.5 times more important than most other factors, and Millennial fans rated this the most important attribute.12

As the rollout of 5G improves wireless connectivity and the quality of device screens gradually increases, fans will likely continue to look to their mobile devices for sports viewing, leading to an increase from more than 10 percent of all fans and more than 20 percent of Millennials who say they watch on a tablet or phone today, and connecting to the fan desire for ease of access at a time when leagues and teams continue to explore exclusive licensing agreements.13

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