How fans, from the die-hard to the casuals, are consuming live sports content in 2025
Paige Gordon, Manager, International Go to Market, Nexxen
Whether it’s from the sidelines or the comfort of their own home, Australian viewers are changing the game on how they watch their favourite sporting teams.
To help marketers navigate these trends, we’ve released a new report, Inside Live Sports, exploring how fans are adapting to the evolving media mix and what that means for reaching them effectively in 2025.
Three types of sports fans in Australia
Nexxen’s latest report identifies three distinct types of live sports viewers, each with different levels of passion. The largest group, representing 44% of live sports viewers, falls into the "Dedicated Fan" category.
Unlike “Superfans” (16%) who plan their schedules around games, or “Casual Fans” (34%) who prefer the staple events, “Dedicated Fans” are regular viewers who try to catch most of their favourite team's matches, but aren't phased if they miss one.
Football hits the mark with the Australian sports viewing economy – Whether AFL or NRL, footy is the primary sport pushing fans toward CTV subscriptions, making these platforms essential for viewing lineups.
How are Aussie fans tuning into live sports?
Fans are covering all the bases when it comes to watching live sporting events. Streaming is now central to the viewing experience, with 87% year-on-year growth across all fan types. However, traditional TV still plays an important role across demographics.
Among “Dedicated Fans”, 43% combine traditional TV with CTV. Even for younger viewers, traditional TV still holds relevance, with 34% of millennials and 37% of adult Gen Zs still using both.
Almost 70% of viewers say they stick with traditional TV for guaranteed access to tentpole events, followed by dedicated sports channels and reliable content delivery. These responses show the trust placed in traditional broadcasters to license and curate key sports content.
CTV adoption is growing fast among younger Aussie fans. More than 60% of Gen Z and millennials use CTV platforms to watch live sports, while Gen Z viewers subscribe to an average of three platforms (compared to two across the general population).
Moreso, live sports viewing is no longer a single-screen experience. At any given moment during a match, 73% of fans are using a second device, typically their phone. These second-screen activities include social media (52%), texting (51%) and checking stats and scores (45%).
This dual-screen behaviour creates a ripe opportunity for brands to engage audiences across multiple touchpoints during a single live event.
Crowded landscape and subscription burnout
The sheer volume of platforms and broadcast deals has left fans feeling confused about where to find live sports content. Many viewers (46%) struggle to find where games are being shown, and 53% feel frustrated when searching for sports content. Consequently, nearly half of them have missed crucial games they wanted to watch.
This confusion represents a missed opportunity for brands. Fragmented audiences mean reduced reach unless advertisers know where to find and engage them. While top platforms like Kayo Sports (60%), Fox Sports (51%) and Optus Sport (48%) are the leading pack in terms of association with live sports, many fans are still overwhelmed by the spread of content across multiple services.
This fragmentation is contributing to growing subscription fatigue. Live sports fans are huffing at aggregated costs and the complexity of managing multiple subscriptions, leading to high churn rates.
Of the fans surveyed, 39% feel frustrated by needing too many subscriptions, while 37% have cancelled a service they previously used to watch sports. Cost is driving cancellations, with 32% saying it's too expensive to maintain all their subscriptions. Seasonal behaviour accounts for 18% of cancellations, as fans unsubscribe at the end of the season.
How marketers can score points
It’s clear from the data that the era of single-channel campaigns is over. Live sports audiences are fragmented, and single-channel approaches risk missing key segments and engagement opportunities.
To reach live sports audiences effectively, advertisers must think holistically. Strategies that combine CTV, linear TV, digital video will gain more wins.
The growth in CTV platforms creates new opportunities for smaller brands, providing more accessible media buying options for those without major linear budgets.
Australia’s passion for sports remains strong, but the pathways to reach fans are changing quickly. By meeting fans where they are, brands can build campaigns that resonate long after the final whistle.
Access the full sports report here.
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