How the Streaming Revolution Can Reshape Sports Marketing

By Steven Warshaw, Founder and Creative Director of Universal Sports Marketing

Remember when finding your team’s game was as simple as remembering a channel number? Those days are fading faster than a sprinter’s lead in the final stretch. Welcome to the era of sports streaming, where the playbook for marketers is being rewritten on the fly.

According to PwC, over 90 million U.S. viewers will stream sports monthly by next year, up from 57 million in 2021. This isn’t just a cosmetic upgrade like a stadium getting a new scoreboard — it’s shaking the very foundation of how fans consume sports and how marketers can reach them. More of these streaming services are popping up by the day.

In New York, the YES Network and MSG Networks will launch The Gotham Sports App streaming service this fall so that fans can watch the Yankees, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils all in one place. This isn’t a one-off, although it’s among the more significant changes to take place in the streaming trend. Individual teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars have launched their own streaming services.

Amazon is also suiting up for game day. No longer relegated to delivering impulse buys, it’s bringing “Thursday Night Football” to your living room. Netflix is trading in binge-watching for body slams with a massive WWE broadcast deal.

Fans like what they’ve seen from streaming and are excited for more. According to one report, 59% of fans prefer streaming live games, highlights, and other content, more than double the 24% that believe network TV does it best.

This shift is opening up a whole new playbook for how teams connect with fans. The Vegas Golden Knights’ KnightTime+ is a direct line to their fan base. Want to watch last night’s game again? Done. Need pre-game analysis while you’re stuck in traffic? You got it. Through apps like KnightTime+, teams can serve fans other content like promotions with sponsors, a free wager on an online sportsbook, or information about upcoming events outside of the games themselves.

Streaming sports will unleash a torrent of data, open up new channels for engagement, and blur the lines between content and commerce in ways that would make even the most seasoned sports marketer’s head spin.

As teams and leagues explore direct-to-consumer models and tech giants enter the sports streaming arena, the opportunities for innovative marketing strategies multiply faster than highlight reels on social media.

For marketers willing to think outside the box, the potential rewards are nothing short of game-changing.

A new way to engage

Remember when slapping your logo on a stadium or running a few TV spots was enough to call it a day in sports marketing? Well, wake up and smell the Wi-Fi because those days are as outdated as leather helmets in the NFL.

Streaming platforms are serving up more user insights than options at a Las Vegas buffet. Every click, every pause, every rewind is a goldmine of information. Want to know which ads make a Red Sox fan tick or a Knicks devotee click? It’s all there, waiting to be mined and refined into marketing gold.

Streaming turns every fan into a potential participant. Live polls during games, real-time betting integrations, turning a rain delay into an interactive quiz — these are closer to reality with smart TVs and mobile devices that run these streaming apps.

Sponsorships are getting a significant league makeover, too. Forget being the “Official Snack of the NFL.” How about making a telecom or internet service provider the “Exclusive Streaming Partner” of your local team’s direct-to-consumer platform, with a discount for bundling the services? Or sponsoring a “SportsCenter”-style show explicitly tailored for die-hard fans of a single team?

 All this data and engagement potential mean fans expect more. They don’t just want ads; they want experiences. They don’t just want content; they want conversation.

The future of sports marketing

Those who can offer the triple crown — content, convenience, and community — will be ahead of the marketing game on streaming services.

Instead of everyone tuning into Peyton and Eli Manning as they watch “Monday Night Football” from their couches, football fanatics will be able to converse with other fans from theirs. Imagine not having to type out all those snarky mid-game tweets because you’re in an exclusive virtual bar with like-minded fans where you can speak them as you would at your favorite watering hole.

Data will continue to be the MVP but with a twist. As privacy concerns mount, look for innovative ways to leverage insights without being creepy. Think less “We know what you had for breakfast” and more “The second baseman has been on a hot streak, so you might want to buy his jersey.”

Personalization will get dialed up to 11. We’re talking AI-powered highlights packages tailored to your interests, dynamic ad insertions that actually make you want to watch commercials (OK, maybe that’s a stretch), and second-screen experiences that make you feel like you’re in the coach’s booth.

Successful marketers will be the ones who remember that sports are about shared experiences and raw emotions at heart. The tech is cool, but it’s just the delivery mechanism. Your job? Use it to amplify the roar of the crowd, the tension of the final seconds, the joy of victory, and yes, even the agony of defeat.

The future of sports streaming isn’t just about watching games. It’s about creating immersive, interactive experiences that turn casual viewers into die-hard fans and die-hard fans into brand ambassadors. It’s about using technology not to replace the traditional sports experience but to enhance it, expand it, and make it accessible to more people in more ways than ever before.