It's funny how sport can become such a part of one's life.
And in recent years, this has been partly down to the media.
Before the likes of TV sports broadcast, if you wanted to watch a sporting event, you had to physically go to experience it. And although - thanks to developments in technology and social media - we have a huge breadth of sports content available to us, most of us prefer watching sport in real life.
In a recent survey I conducted (of which I had nearly 50 responses)*, 75% said they preferred watching sport in real life over on TV. This was mainly so they could experience a more immersive atmosphere, and to have control over what they were watching. One participant, for example said "watching [athletics] in real life makes you realize how fast people actually run, how far they jump and throw: you get to see your idols in person". Nevertheless, those who preferred watching in the comfort of their own home praised the accessibility and ease of watching sports on TV or online. These people argued the camera captures the action from a better angle then they could afford tickets to see, with one participant declaring travel and ticket expenses "make live sport a luxury".
To put this into perspective, the majority of those participating in the survey were aged 18-24 years old and lived in the UK. Yet to my surprise, only 1 said they rely on online paid subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon to consume sport. So, regardless of recent figures from Ofcom stating more audiences - especially the younger generation - are increasingly turning to digital services to view their entertainment and news, the big US companies (the likes of YouTube, Apple and Netflix) haven't seemed to dominate the British view of sport just yet.
As the world's third most valuable company, Amazon has begun to heavily invest in live sports streaming within recent months. This move has seen them acquire broadcasting rights to the Premier League in the UK, and NFL games and US Open tennis championships in the States. Until now, broadcasters have been at the forefront of covering live sport. However the likes of Amazon and other similar companies are looking to disrupt the peace and get their foot in the door...
In this age of emerging technology and streaming, I predict if I replicated my survey in a few years, the way by which we watch sport would look very, very different.
*Survey conducted using www.surveymonkey.com
In a recent survey I conducted (of which I had nearly 50 responses)*, 75% said they preferred watching sport in real life over on TV. This was mainly so they could experience a more immersive atmosphere, and to have control over what they were watching. One participant, for example said "watching [athletics] in real life makes you realize how fast people actually run, how far they jump and throw: you get to see your idols in person". Nevertheless, those who preferred watching in the comfort of their own home praised the accessibility and ease of watching sports on TV or online. These people argued the camera captures the action from a better angle then they could afford tickets to see, with one participant declaring travel and ticket expenses "make live sport a luxury".
The pub environment: decent sized TV, good sound, and good atmosphere [makes] going to an event unnecessaryDespite the majority of people preferring to watch sport in real life, TV has helped us to find alternatives which provide a similar experience. This is likely to be down to the Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) providing accessible sports content for all. Over half of the respondents said they most commonly watched sports through the likes of the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 or 5 (see graph below).
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| Through what media platform do you most commonly watch sports? (Source: www.surveymonkey.com) |
To put this into perspective, the majority of those participating in the survey were aged 18-24 years old and lived in the UK. Yet to my surprise, only 1 said they rely on online paid subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon to consume sport. So, regardless of recent figures from Ofcom stating more audiences - especially the younger generation - are increasingly turning to digital services to view their entertainment and news, the big US companies (the likes of YouTube, Apple and Netflix) haven't seemed to dominate the British view of sport just yet.
But, US companies have latched onto this, and are loading their ammunition...
According to The Telegraph, last week, in a move which would test live sports broadcasting and intensify their rivalry with traditional broadcasters, six technology companies have bid for a group of 22 local US TV sports channels. One of which is Amazon.As the world's third most valuable company, Amazon has begun to heavily invest in live sports streaming within recent months. This move has seen them acquire broadcasting rights to the Premier League in the UK, and NFL games and US Open tennis championships in the States. Until now, broadcasters have been at the forefront of covering live sport. However the likes of Amazon and other similar companies are looking to disrupt the peace and get their foot in the door...
In this age of emerging technology and streaming, I predict if I replicated my survey in a few years, the way by which we watch sport would look very, very different.
*Survey conducted using www.surveymonkey.com
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