Why most fans prefer watching sports via streaming than pay TV

Hesgoal is one of the most popular streaming sports site in the world. [Courtesy]

A report conducted by live video production firm Grabyo has revealed most sports fans would rather watch live matches and events on streaming platforms than on pay-TV broadcasters.

According to the indepth report seen on Wednesday by The Standard Sport, most sports supporters prefer streaming because it has more flexible pricing and greater accessibility.

Grabyo showed 79 per cent of sports fans worldwide would only watch live events on online streaming platforms, such as DAZN, ESPN+ and Kayo Sports.

The Premier League football clubs in the 2021/22 season. [Courtesy]

Pay-TV subscriptions for sports channels have dropped 9% globally since 2019, while 65per cent of sports fans are paying for online streaming services. This is compared with 46 per cent in 2019, according to the survey of 15,000 people across 14 countries, including US, UK, Japan and Italy.

"Video consumption has increased exponentially in the last year.

"Consumers have had more time at home, and as a result they have branched out to other sports, leagues and types of content than they would usually watch," said Grabyo Chief Executive Gareth Capon.

Grabyo's survey. [Courtesy]

According to the report's findings, the broadcast TV market will only have a 28 per cent share of global sports customers by 2026, down from 49 per cent currently and 54 per cent in 2019.

65 per cent of fans would want to see more live sport on social media while 54 per cent would want to see more instant highlights published on social spaces.

Grabyo's survey. [Courtesy]