Inside Live Sports: New Nexxen report reveals how Australian fans are watching today
Partner content – 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 the multi-service content landscape we live in today, and which kinds of creative resonates with them.
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 eyeballs during 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.
Subscription burnout
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 Advertisers and 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.
Targeted Ad Campaigns and Creative Potential
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.