Analysis: NFL supercharges streaming in the US
April 15, 2024
Consumer research from Ampere Analysis has highlighted the importance of live sports to US streaming platforms.
Ampere’s latest consumer survey shows that streaming platforms that held rights to the NFL saw a significant boost to monthly active viewing in the first quarter 2024, far greater than platforms without NFL rights. Paramount+, which had rights to the Super Bowl LVIII, saw the biggest boost.
Key findings:
- All US streaming platforms that hold NFL rights saw average growth in monthly active viewers of 14 per cent between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024, compared to 10 per cent growth across SVoD platforms as a whole
- In Q1 2024, 50 per cent of US Internet users claimed to have used Prime Video in the past month (+8 per cent), 22 per cent used Paramount+ (+22 per cent) and 21 per cent used Peacock (+18 per cent)
- This monthly active viewing increases even further among NFL fans. Prime Video rises to 59 per cent, Paramount+ to 30 per cent, and Peacock to 28 per cent, highlighting how this cohort is driving engagement
- Paramount+ has seen the biggest growth in monthly active viewing of all the streaming platforms with NFL rights, driven by Super Bowl LVIII on the 11th of February. The Super Bowl LVIII had the highest US TV ratings since the 1969 moon landing
- These numbers show the positive impact live sport can have on platform engagement in an increasing fragmented streaming landscape
- As more SVoD platforms move to an advertising model, sports can provide huge live audience figures.
“The growth in viewership for platforms holding NFL rights shows how important tier 1 sports rights can be to streaming platforms, especially in an increasingly competitive streaming market,” notes Minal Modha, Research Director at Ampere Analysis. “ While most US domestic rights have now been tied up, Q2 will likely see the awarding of the NBA rights, the last chance for platforms or streamers to get a seat at the table for a significant amount of time. As streaming platforms try to diversify revenue streams through advertising, live sports will play a bigger role in helping to guarantee eyeballs, thereby pushing up advertising value”