Netflix, streaming rivals dominate US$6bil Asia sports arena

Streaming services from Netflix to China’s Tencent Holdings now pay half of all fees to broadcast sports across Asia, underlining how digital services are upending traditional media around the world.

Online platforms such as India’s JioHotStar will pay 50% of regional sports rights fees this year, estimated at around US$5.7 billion, Media Partners Asia projected. That’s up from about 36% in 2021, the consultancy wrote in its latest report.

Streaming apps are taking over fan screens across the globe as they race to ink deals with top professional leagues. That means viewers – particularly those watching from outside their home markets – need to pay for a growing number of subscription-based services instead of relying on a handful of cable channels like before.

In Asia, that could slow the growth of commercial sports. Rights fees may rise by just 1% to 2% per year till 2030, compared with 58% total growth over the past five years, according to MPA.

The US$16.2 billion Asian sports economy – which includes merchandise and sponsorship deals – should expand around 5% per year to about US$19.5 billion in the same period, the consultancy wrote. Each viewer in Asia generates only about US$4 in commercial sports revenue, a fraction of the US$200 per person in North America.

India has driven more than half of the region’s sports economy growth since 2021. The Indian Premier League topped Asia’s pro leagues in terms of rights fees, earning about US$12.4 million a match – on par with the Premier League.

Asia’s streaming giants have carved up the market, meanwhile. JioHotstar, India’s largest streaming platform operated by Walt Disney and Reliance Industries, snagged cricket.

Tencent grants access to NBA and NFL games for the world’s second-biggest population, while Indonesia’s MNC Digital Entertainment Tbk shows Asian Football Confederation and matches from the Uefa European Championship.