A sporting chance

This week, it was widely reported that Nine has acquired the rights for the English Premier League, as current holders Optus Sport withdraws from the sport streaming market.

This isn’t just a blow to Optus’ biggest appeal to antipodean migrants. It’s the latest development in what has become an incredibly competitive and fractured landscape. 

Fifteen years ago, sports were split between free-to-air channels or behind the paywall of a single provider. But a combination of the globalisation of fandom and streaming services tapping into mass viewership of live sports have led to dramatic changes.

This fragmentation leads to eyewatering costs for consumers. In Australia, the price of being an armchair fan is now more than $2000 per year. In the US, that balloons to more than $7000.

This matters, and not just because a significant majority of Aussies have at least some interest in sport.

The money sporting teams now earn from global TV contracts dwarf ticket sales, shifting the focus away from local communities to deep pocketed international supporters. 

Without that connection to place, there is a consequential shift from the organisation to individual athletes. In a recent survey, 15% of Zoomers said they’d switch allegiance if their favourite athlete moved to a new club. Almost half would support both the old and new teams.

This isn’t just another demonstration of the changing nature of fandom. It’s a sad indictment of fracturing social norms, and a loss of ritual, generational connections, and truly shared experience.

Australia has been partly protected from this cultural tidal wave by smaller global audiences, but with the NRL steadfastly returning to Las Vegas every year, and Big Ange and the Matildas putting local football on the map, it’s only a matter of time. Cricket is already split between Kayo, Prime Video, and Disney Plus.

The toothpaste is out of the tube on this one. Sport already claims the heart and soul. Now it also costs an arm and a leg.