How Streaming and Tech Giants Are Transforming the Sports Media Rights Landscape

The future of sports rights is a topic that is ever changing and in the new digital age looks set to revolutionise over the next 5-10 years. We sat down with Simplestream, Head of Sales, Josh Harrington to get his thoughts on what this future looks like.

How do you see the landscape of sports media rights evolving over the next 5–10 years?

It’s hard to predict what the sports rights landscape will look like in ten years the pace of change is too fast. But over the next five years, we can already see two clear trends emerging.

Firstly, the era of exclusive, single-fee rights behind one paywall is largely over. Most rightsholders are now embracing what’s often called diversified streaming or non-exclusive licensing. That means packaging up content in different ways and sending it to multiple destinations some free-to-air, some subscription-based, some licensed to aggregators.

Leagues are already experimenting. La Liga has partnered with Disney+ for reach. The Bundesliga has streamed on YouTube. Everyone is chasing scale, and many have realised that building it alone on their own platforms is simply too difficult.

The result is more complexity and fragmentation. Rights are being split into multiple packages, sold differently across markets and windows. What’s needed is centralised tracking and delivery infrastructure systems that can distribute, monitor, and monetise each viewer or “eyeball” differently, depending on where they’re watching and how engaged they are.

I’m also watching closely to see if global tech players Amazon or Netflix, for example move toward global rights deals for truly universal properties like the Premier League or Champions League. That would be a fascinating counter-trend to the increasing regional fragmentation we’re seeing today.

What factors are driving the biggest changes in how sports rights are bought and sold?

The biggest shift is risk management. Broadcasters are becoming more cautious about taking on exclusive, high-cost rights the guaranteed return on that investment just isn’t there anymore.

As a result, we’re likely to see more revenue-share or hybrid models, where partners share the advertising and revenue around specific events. Piracy is also a major factor: in a borderless internet, exclusive rights per territory are almost impossible to protect. Why sell rights country-by-country when anyone can use a VPN and access a free stream elsewhere?

So, the focus is moving toward openness and transparency licensing to multiple outlets, tracking engagement, and sharing revenues fairly across partners.

Are we approaching a saturation point in sports rights valuations, or is there still room for growth?

It depends on who you are. For tier-one properties the NFL, Premier League, Formula 1 there’s still more juice in the lemon. But for mid-tier and niche sports, the market is tightening.

That doesn’t mean rights values will fall just that the old model no longer works. The future lies in smarter collaboration. We’re seeing leagues and platforms pooling resources marketing, customer service, technology to operate more efficiently and reach more fans.

The key is monetising every level of fandom. Offer free-to-watch, ad-funded clips and matches for reach and growth. Keep premium content behind a paywall for the superfan who will always pay for what they love. Rights growth will come from this smarter segmentation rather than simply charging more for the same thing.

What role do social media platforms (YouTube, TikTok, X) play in the distribution and monetisation of sports content?

Social platforms play a massive role but not necessarily as monetisation engines. Increasingly, they’re becoming the modern-day billboard or EPG (Electronic Programme Guide). They tell fans where to watch, driving discovery and traffic toward the main broadcast or OTT service.

There are limits. Social monetisation models are under pressure particularly with growing government scrutiny (as seen in Australia’s proposed social media restrictions). The ad-funded “you are the product” model may not hold forever.

So, while social media will remain crucial for reach, awareness, and directing audiences to the main event, it’s unlikely to replace the premium monetisation potential of owned OTT and broadcast channels.

How are streaming platforms and traditional broadcasters adapting their business models to stay competitive?

Both sides are learning to share. Rights are increasingly non-exclusive, and broadcasters are licensing content to multiple partners.

Streaming remains critical for serving the superfan the person who wants every match, stat, and replay but even top-tier sports need free-to-air exposure to sustain long-term growth. The Premier League is a good example: it thrives behind a paywall because other football (FA Cup, internationals) keeps the broader ecosystem alive on free-to-air TV. Rugby and cricket, by contrast, have learned the hard way that going fully paywall-only can choke off the next generation of fans.

We’re also seeing traditional broadcasters merge or align strategically for example, Comcast’s interest in ITV and Paramount’s ownership of channel5 in the UK. The lines between “free” and “pay” TV are blurring again, as everyone looks to rebuild audience funnels that start with free exposure and end with paid engagement.

How might technologies like AI, VR, or AR change the way fans engage with live sports?

VR has been “the next big thing” for 20 years and it’s still waiting to deliver. I’ve seen some clever use cases (like virtual tactical boards), but so far, it feels more like a gimmick than a revolution. Fans want to watch together, not isolate behind headsets.

Where I do see promise is in AI localisation. The ability to automatically translate and re-voice live commentary into multiple languages could unlock global reach for federations without huge production costs. AI-driven tools can help personalise overlays, language feeds, and data, making the same core content more relevant to different audiences and that’s a genuine commercial advantage.

What do sports rights holders have to consider when looking at their digital presence?

Accessibility is everything. Your fans are everywhere phones, connected TVs, web, social, set-top boxes so you need to be everywhere too.

Connected TV is now the primary viewing platform, but fans engage differently across devices:

• Mobile is for discovery, app downloads, and sign-ups.

• Web is for deeper engagement - tickets, merchandise, community.

• CTV is where the real viewing happens.

That means your OTT app and CMS must be multi-platform, with each surface optimised for the kind of engagement users expect there. Discoverability and syndication are also key you can’t rely on users finding you; you must be where they already are.

Do you think that sports leagues will take control of their own rights in the future?

Not entirely. Sports leagues will always need to work in partnership with publishers and distributors. Managing the balance between accessibility, exposure, and monetisation is complex and it constantly shifts.

The most successful rights strategies will remain agile and market specific. Leagues need to maintain multiple distribution pathways and adjust them dynamically as markets evolve. We’ve lived through an incredibly volatile decade, and that pace of change will only continue. The answer isn’t “go it alone”  it’s stay flexible and collaborate.

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