Altman Solon Global Sports Survey
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the Global Sports Survey 2024 by Altman Solon Highlights the transformation of the sports media sector, focusing on the need for new distribution and monetization strategies to remain relevant to all segments of fans. Key growth drivers include artificial intelligence, private investment and geographic expansion, especially in the Middle East.
In this exclusive Q&A David Delia From Altman Solon details the findings of the 2024 Global Sports Survey, with topics including the impact of younger generations’ changing consumption habits on live sports, the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing viewing experiences, the challenges of content segmentation and monetization, and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
David Delia
Tyler Nessler: What are some key paths for sports content providers to stay relevant to all fan segments, especially given the loss of relevance of watching live sports with younger fans?
David D’Elia: We need to be specific about what we mean by sports losing its relevance. Until a few years ago, when you asked different age groups about their level of interest in sports and sports media, interest was relatively constant across age groups. Now, we’re starting to see some cracks in certain markets where younger generations have a slightly lower level of interest than older generations. However, these are not consistent across countries.
I think there are different tools that sports rights holders can activate. First and foremost, of course, it’s about the distribution aspect, and distribution means, first of all, trying to catch people where they are and trying to make sure that you can direct them to where you want them to consume and where you have the opportunity and also to add enough value to them so that they can share The money is with you. So this is one area. But the second point that we should never forget is the basic product.
I think every rights holder is trying to figure out where the sport can be modified to make it more attractive on the playing field. We must never forget that. It’s like any consumer product; It all starts with the product. If the product is not attractive, you can do whatever you want to distribute it, but people will not buy it now.
So, you have a wide range of attempts to try out the product. Now, take the football. I have risen Kings League In Spain and expanding to other countries. You have too Football league In Germany [with small-sided football]. [There is also the use] Intellectual property in a new context, [with] A lot of sports organizations try to play by being in them Robloxand trying to appeal to younger generations where they are, and trying to build brand equity with them in locations that wouldn’t necessarily expect a sports franchise.
Ten: The study found that short-form content is becoming preferred by younger sports fans. How can providers optimize and better monetize short-form content?
D: Short-form content is mostly available for free and non-exclusively across many easily accessible platforms. It’s a light, short, intense, and attractive meal. It’s mostly about athletes. The short form will not revolve around the big story arc of the match. It will mostly be about certain personalities speaking about the consumer preferences of the younger generation.
In our survey, we try to show that we need to be careful as sports professionals. You will hear many people say that interest in sports is the same: people consume less life, [but] They consume more light. It’s a very difficult point because monetization happens through live content, not to the same extent as through premium content. That’s why I find this statement difficult. While this is true, it does not generally translate into the same level of income generation. That’s why I think we all need to be very aware of how to shift consumption from snackable content to live storytelling that works.
Formula 1 and Driving to survive They are prime examples of how a live product can be brought to life through another type of engagement initiative. That’s why live sports are so important. People consume it. The question, of course, is whether you need to tell the story in a way that motivates people to engage with it.
TN: How can emerging AI technologies enhance the live sports viewing experience?
D: The immediate use case is all about automation, which allows for a lot of customization. One customization element that I find eye-catching is the AI-generated commentary. If you haven’t looked at it, I would encourage you to check out a demo of something done with it [AWS] Named Spalk. tv. It will show you the power of artificial intelligence for automated commentary. This means that any language depends entirely on data flow. So this isn’t someone speaking and then getting a translation. This is a comment built from the ground up, natively through dataflow. You can also customize through video. This means that automatic cropping allows for a more personalized viewing experience. Again, by automating typically manual workflows, you can automate them and create more customization at scale without inflating costs.
TN: What are some of the technical and payment issues identified that cause only two-thirds of fans to watch live matches, and what needs to happen within the industry to fully address these issues?
D: I think the challenges here are less technical and more business model related. We are in an environment where we have reached peak fragmentation. I think the American Premier League and major leagues in the United States are a clear example. In order to be able to follow the entire story of the League, you need to subscribe to multiple services, and we have reached a level where we will reach the peak of dispersion. I think this causes a set of challenges. Therefore, for fans, access to content is becoming harder and harder.
Fragmentation and exclusivity create huge barriers to accessing content. Many properties also saw a decline in viewership, but not all. Some continue to escape the trend because they are so unique that people still search for them. It’s not a bug. It is an advantage if done intentionally. But I think it will eventually become a bigger drawback [overall].
Trinidad and Tobago: The report found that there is a need for geographic expansion, especially in the Middle East. What are some reasons why the Middle East market is underserved, and what are some ideal solutions to increase access to these markets?
D: The Middle East market in general has a level of passion for certain sports. Football is one of them. I think the question is how do we best serve that. How can content be localized? So the question now is: How can we make the Middle East consume more energy? Premier League, UEFA Champions Leagueor NFL?
It’s more about understanding how to bring the local sports ecosystem to a level that is attractive for them to compete. I think this is the main question that many investors in the Middle East are trying to answer. So, how do you localize content? How can we ensure that content in the Middle East attracts viewership rather than just exporting premium sports properties from the US or Europe? You see a huge investment before Saudi Professional League To attract top-class players from Europe. This is one effort to create greater traction within the local content ecosystem and try to really raise the bar.
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