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Let’s talk… sport!

The professional sport landscape has seen significant development in the past few decades, none more so that the quest for power between numerous broadcasters seeking to be the chosen host of TV sports rights on an international scale.

Football in the UK can be seen as one of the biggest drivers in this regard. Back in 2021, the Premier League signed a staggering £5.1 billion television deal which runs to the end of the 2024-25 season, split mainly between Sky Sports and BT Sport. While on a global scale, the Indian Cricket Premier League has recently seen a deal agreed with Star Sports for £5 billion between 2023-2027 to become the second most lucrative competition behind the English Premier League.

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You could be forgiven for thinking this is the peak of the wave with the vast resources already invested, however in truth this looks like just the start. Further rapid development within the broadcast industry is likely to be seen with the rising interest of the media giants, such as Amazon & Facebook, who are all seeking to make their own splash in the desire for sports broadcast rights.

It could be asked why companies are prepared to dedicate so many of their resources into investing into sporting rights however it has a massive impact on attracting viewership to platforms and helps in the bid for long-term customer retention. The NFL in America has a staggering monopoly in the USA TV space with 48 of the top 50 most watched TV shows last year in the country being NFL games.

The world of sports broadcast is constantly evolving, with two main challenges identified in research done by the Johan Cruyff Institute. The first being, the shift in behaviour of younger generations who are less inclined to sit down and watch Live TV as there are so many content options available. And the second, the rise of piracy. A massive problem for broadcasters with it estimated to have costed the broadcast industry around £30 billion in 2022 alone.

This fight for market share between major broadcasters has presented numerous opportunities within broadcast recruitment, where a number of new job opportunities have been created that only a few years ago were completely unheard of. An example of this being E-Sports which has seen massive success recently. This has led to professional sport teams creating their own individual teams to compete, with major names such as the ePremier League, having competitive finals broadcast live on Sky Sports!

As we see surges for top talent across sports media, the opportunities available for potential candidates are vast and super exciting. So if you love the buzz of live sports and have experience in broadcast & production… let’s chat – as the opportunities are endless!

circle2Written by Matthew Parkin, Consultant