Sports Technology

A new report released by Nexxen has revealed how the way in which Australians view live sporting content is changing, with linear television no longer dominating, and fans are navigating an increasingly crowded media environment to follow their favourite teams.

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), 65% of Australians actively engage with live sports content - a healthily sized segment.

Furthermore, 2024 data from the ACMA revealed that connected TV has overtaken linear TV in daily household usage, claiming 58% of the market compared to linear TV's 46%.

As the live sports viewing world evolves in step with broader TV and viewing trends, the habits of viewers and advertisers are changing, too. The fragmented nature of today's media landscape does pose a challenge for viewers and advertisers alike. Viewers must now navigate a much more diverse range of channels to find the matches they want to see, and when fans miss a game, advertisers miss an opportunity to connect .

Details on how sports fans are adapting and responding to the ever-changing media mix in Australia has been revealed in a new report, Inside Live Sports, released by Nexxen.

The report takes a closer look at sports fans as an audience group, surfacing insights around what they view, how they view, how they feel about today's multi-service content landscape, and which kinds of creative resonates with them.

Understanding Today's Live Sports Fans
Nexxen’s latest report identifies three distinct types of live sports viewers, each with different levels of passion. The largest group, representing 44% of live sports viewers, falls into the 'Dedicated Fan' category. 

Unlike 'Superfans' (16%) who plan their entire schedules around games, or Casual Fans (34%) who prefer the bigger events, Dedicated Fans are regular viewers who try to catch most of their favourite team's games but aren't too phased if they miss a game.

Football drives the Australian sports viewing economy, with AFL and NRL being the primary driver for fans' connected television (CTV) subscriptions, making these platforms a must-have for their viewing lineup. Nexxen's data shows AFL leading the pack in viewership, followed by cricket, rugby league, tennis and football/soccer.

Modern sports fans are defined by more than just their love for the game. They engage with digital content beyond the match itself, with distinct interests that influence their online behaviour. Superfans, Dedicated Fans and Casual Fans all show differences when it comes to events they are likely to engage with as well as their top online interests. These interests range from automotive content to cooking and travel programs.

How Fans Are Watching
Fans are covering all the bases with their viewing habits. CTV viewership is on the rise, but there's still considerable overlap with linear TV, particularly among Superfans.

Live sports fans are streaming more than ever, with streaming platforms seeing 87% year-on-year growth across all fan types. Despite this, traditional TV remains important across generations. Some 43% of all Dedicated Fans combine traditional TV with CTV. Even among younger demographics, 34% of millennials remain loyal to traditional TV while adding CTV to their mix, and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, 37% of adult Gen Z viewers still watch traditional TV.

Viewers say they are sticking with traditional TV largely because it provides guaranteed access to tentpole events (69%). Access to dedicated sports channels follows at 65%, while reliable content delivery comes in third at 64%. These responses highlight the trust fans place in traditional broadcasters to licence and curate the right sporting content

CTV adoption is accelerating among younger demographics. More than 60% of adult Gen Z and millennials use CTV, making them the dominant users. Adult Gen Z viewers average about three subscriptions to watch live sports, surpassing the general population average of two.

Mobile devices also play in the market for viewingduring live sporting events. At any given moment during a live sporting event, 73% of fans are multitasking on a second device, typically their phone. These second-screen activities are typically social media (52%), texting (51%), and checking stats and scores (45%).

Reacting to a Fragmented Landscape
The proliferation of channels, platforms, and services is creating genuine confusion for sports fans. Nearly half (46%) of survey respondents said they struggled to find where games are being broadcast, while 53% regularly feel frustrated when searching for live sports content.

Some 46% say they have actually missed games because they couldn't figure out where to watch them. This represents a real missed opportunity for advertisers. Fragmented audiences mean reduced reach with highly valuable sports fans. Advertisers with better access to viewer data stand a greater chance of sorting through the noise to reach these audiences.

Platform recognition varies significantly across the market. Less than half of fans associate live sports with CTV platforms generally, though some specific platforms (largely those with ‘Sport’ in the name) are breaking through.

This crowded platform landscape creates significant challenges for newer or smaller services trying to establish themselves. While established sports-focused brands like Kayo Sports (60%), Optus Sport (58%), and Fox Sports (51%) achieve strong recognition, many other platforms struggle to break through the noise.

The busy marketplace is also taking its toll on viewers by means of subscription burnout. Live sports fans are frustrated by aggregated costs and the complexity of managing subscriptions, and that's leading to high churn rates. Of the fans surveyed, 39% feel frustrated by needing too many subscriptions, while 37% have cancelled a service they previously used to watch sports.

Cost drives most cancellations, with 32% saying it's too expensive to maintain all their subscriptions. Seasonal behaviour accounts for 18% of cancellations, as fans subscribe only during their preferred sports season and unsubscribe at the end.

Implications for Marketers
It’s clear from the data that converged media campaigns are no longer optional. Live sports audiences are fragmented, and single-channel approaches risk missing key segments and engagement opportunities.

A strategy that spans linear, CTV, and digital video, unified through data, provides broader reach, more precise targeting, and the opportunity to engage the large number of dual-screen fans.

The growth in CTV platforms creates new opportunities for smaller brands. While converged campaigns are necessary for mass reach, not all brands have the budget for the high price tags of linear and major streaming platforms.

However, the growing availability of live sports across other CTV platforms, FAST channels, and digital networks gives more brands the chance to engage live sports fans without breaking the bank.

The fragmented landscape that frustrates fans also creates targeting opportunities for brands willing to meet audiences where they are. Rather than fighting the complexity, successful marketers will work with it by understanding which platforms serve which fan segments and crafting campaigns that work across multiple touchpoints.

Sports fans' dual-screen behaviour also opens additional creative possibilities. Brands can design experiences that span the main screen and mobile device, creating more engaging and memorable interactions during live sporting events.

The Report
The data from Nexxen’s Inside Live Sports report consists of survey data, insights from Nexxen’s proprietary audience Discovery tool and creative analysis.

For the survey, 1001 adults over 18 who are members of the Australian general population were enrolled provided they viewed live sports more than once per month.

Click here to view the report.

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