sports

s consumption evolution

Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
Contents
Introduction 3

Methodology 4

TV broadcast methodology 6

Returning to “normal” 7

Video continues to grow 8

TV remains a major platform 16

A diverse approach is needed to

navigate the evolving landscape 19

Summary and Learnings 21

2 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
Introduction
The sports industry continues to adapt to the new
habits fans have developed over the last two years,
with the pace of change accelerating substantially
since the start of the pandemic in 2020. This is
evidenced by the increasingly flexible and dynamic
approaches to competition formats, fan engagement,
and content distribution by the world’s biggest sports
properties.

No matter which sport or region, rights holders know

they must:

• Meet fans where they are—consumers continue

to have more platforms to engage with their
favorite content
• Attract new fans whilst balancing engagement of
existing fans
• Tailor content to meet the strengths of each
platform and appeal to a variety of fan segments

“Rights holders know they have

to build a relationship with their
future fans today to remain
relevant tomorrow”
Salvatore De Angelis - head of digital
consulting, Nielsen Sports International

We see that TV remains a dominant player for many

of the world’s major sports properties, producing
large cumulative audiences and significant broadcast
time. However, the TV landscape is changing with the
growth of OTT, whether that’s from traditional major
broadcaster-owned platforms or disruptors to the
market. The use of social media for sports content
continues to skyrocket and the emergence of TikTok
shows the endless capacity for sports to innovatively
engage with fans.

In this report, we examine 20 of the world’s largest

sports properties and the quadrennial events—Tokyo
2020 Summer Olympic Games and UEFA European
Championship—to understand how these major rights
holders reached their global fanbases in 2021.

3 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
Methodology
For this report we’ve chosen to focus on traditional sports entities and
primary events. We identified 22 of the market leaders from the world
of sports in 2021 (see following page for list of sports properties) based
on their digital footprint, fan growth and fan engagement. Esports,
individual teams/clubs and individual athletes are of course also very
important, and the subject of other Nielsen Sports reports, but for this
report have not been considered.

For the 22 selected sports entities, we have used a combination of data

sources to better understand the size, scope and engagement of these
fan bases. We added additional insight from the Nielsen Sports network
of global sports consultants and other leading industry experts.

Fan base size

Nielsen Fan Insights global syndicated sports data (available in 48 countries)
identifies fan base sizing, demographics and media habits from fans around the
world.

Digital impact
Worldwide metrics including total video views, follower sizing, engagement per post
and top-performing content provide the insights to understand how to keep and
grow a fan base.

TV audience
Cumulative reach and broadcast hours in 18 markets (across all formats including
pre/post game, live game, re-airs, delayed and other dedicated shows) deliver
insights enabling Nielsen Sports to provide the context to understand the magnitude
of the TV coverage these sports properties are able to achieve. It is important to note
that annual local market forces and changes to broadcaster relationships can result
in significant changes for any given market or property.

4 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
About cumulative reach
Cumulative reach indicates the number of unique viewers who
tuned in to watch at least one minute of TV broadcast. This is useful
to understand the total population reach, but gives only limited
understanding of deeper fan engagement and needs to be read in
conjunction with the digital and fan survey data contained in this report.

To be clearer about this limitation:

• The global population is 7.9 billion people, of whom 4.3 billion are
counted within the metered TV universe across 95 countries.
• We have selected 18 major markets that together account for 2.4
billion of the metered TV universe, 1.6 billion are Asian markets and
China alone is 1.3 billion. The remaining 0.8 billion are non-Asia
markets, including the core commercial sport markets of the USA
and Western Europe’s five largest countries.
• All non-metered channels, which are significant for some sports
properties in this report, are excluded.

Key aspects, such as whether the event is free-to-air (FTA), Pay

TV or over-the-top (OTT) will impact the overall numbers. Also, not
all channels are metered, which means some countries and sports
audiences may not be fully captured. For the U.S., this report contains
only national audiences; regional TV audiences are excluded, which can
be significant for some sports.

5 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 TV broadcast
methodology
The cumulative reach figures contained within this report refers to the
following events based on data available for metered channels in 18
countries (by population size: China, USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico,
Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Germany, Thailand, U.K., France, Italy,
South Africa, Myanmar, Spain, Argentina, Malaysia).

Property Season/event data Number of markets with

metered channel broadcast

Australian Open Australian Open 2021 12 out of 18 markets

Bellator Bellator 2020 4 out of 18 markets

Bundesliga Bundesliga 2020/2021 season 14 out of 18 markets

F1 F1 2021 season 16 out of 18 markets

French Open French Open 2021 14 out of 18 markets

LaLiga LaLiga 2020/2021 season 12 out of 18 markets

MLB MLB 2021 season 9 out of 18 markets

MLS MLS 2021 season 10 out of 18 markets

MotoGP MotoGP 2021 14 out of 18 markets

NASCAR NASCAR 2021 10 out of 18 markets

NBA NBA 2020/2021 season 9 out of 18 markets

NFL NFL 2021 season 12 out of 18 markets

NHL NHL 2021 8 out of 18 markets

ONE Championship ONE Championship 2021 10 out of 18 markets

The Premier League The Premier League 2020/2021 season 12 out of 18 markets

Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games (staged in 2021) 17 out of 18 markets

Tour de France Tour de France 2021 11 out of 18 markets

UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League 2020/2021 season 13 out of 18 markets

UEFA European Championship UEFA European Championship (staged in 2021) 14 out of 18 markets

UFC UFC 2021 13 out of 18 markets

US Open Tennis Championships U.S. Open Tennis Championships 2021 12 out of 18 markets

Wimbledon Wimbledon 2021 15 out of 18 markets

6 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
Returning to “normal”
2021 will be seen as the year when many of the world’s sports events
were able to return to a scheduled approach that was similar to their
pre-pandemic formats. Events such as Wimbledon (cancelled in 2020)
or the French Open (moved to September 2020) were able to return
to their usual slots in the sporting calendar. The Tokyo 2020 Summer
Olympic Games and UEFA European Championship were able to take
place a year later than originally planned. And other seasonal sports
such as the NFL or European football leagues could start to maintain a
consistent schedule and welcome some fans back to the stadiums.

However, despite this “return,” the world has changed and new fan
behaviors have been established. The last two years forced many rights
holders to experiment with new methods to keep their fans engaged.
Everything from archive footage, virtual sports, old event “watch
alongs” and Q&As were all tested to help build a connection. The ways
in which fans consume content has also changed—the fast emergence
of new online streaming platforms, the placement of sports content
across non-traditional sports broadcasters, D2C and social media’s
evolution have all expanded significantly.

7 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 Video continues
to grow
Growth of video consumption shows little sign of slowing down. The
majority of the sports properties examined in this report significantly
increased the number of video views from 2020 to 2021 across
Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Total Video Views

Total video 2021
views 2021 (FB, IG,growth
& actual YT, TT)
2020-2021 (m)
Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

12.000

10.000

8.000

7282

6.000

4.000
3558

2.000

1236
865 829 823
574
336
144 145 91
0 -135 -12
-181 -159 -15 20 15 25
-250
-470 -530

13.9k 13.4k 8.6k 7.0k 5.6k 5.2k 2.8k 2.7k 1.8k 1.8k 1.5k 1.2k 0.9k 0.5k 0.6k 0.4k 0.2k 0.3k 0.2k 0.1k 0.1k 0.0k
A

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Total video views 2021 (Facebook, Instagram and YouTube)

Actual growth 2020-2021

*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2020 - Dec 2021)

8 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 When we factor in TikTok video views we see even more growth across
nearly all sports properties. Seven of the rights holders doubled their
number of views, including two out of the top three (ONE Championship
and UEFA Champions League). Rights holders are matching content to
both the platform and the audience. In the case of TikTok, it is providing
the opportunity to connect with and engage a harder-to-reach younger
audience.

Total Video Views 2021 (FB, IG, YT, TT)

Total video views 2021
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
M
55

M
,5

41
14

,8
13

2M
,10
10

M
40
7,7

5M
64
6,

7M
50
5,

9M
79

1M
3,

03

3M
3,

M
M
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M
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17

38
2,

1,9

1,9

M
1,6

5M
67

6M

8M

0M
1,1

98

7M

7M
78

73

6M
48

M
38

M
22

39
91
11
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ch
M

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*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

9 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 “F1 is taking a diverse approach. We are
trying to appeal to a younger audience as
well as a wider audience. For example, we
are pushing our drivers ‘up front’ to give
fans a chance to get to know them and
build a connection”.
Max Metral - senior analytics manager at F1

Growth has not been limited to video consumption, the total number of
followers across social media platforms has also increased. The chart
below shows followers by property along with their percent growth in
2021. Unsurprisingly, Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games had the
highest growth at 73%, as expected from a one-off event peaking in
the summer of 2021. Similarly, the other major quadrennial multinational
event, UEFA European Championship, was tied for the second-highest
growth along with F1 across Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

2021 followers & growth % 2020-2021

Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

150M

73%

100M

35%
50M
31%

24%
21% 20%
19%
16%
14% 14%
12% 12% 12% 12% 11% 11%
10%
8% 8% 8%
6% 5%

165M 125M 124M 104M 82M 49.3M 42.7M 35.3M 33.7M 26.2M 21.0M 20.0M 11.4M 9.4M 7.6M 7.4M 7.1M 7.1M 5.6M 4.9M 4.6M 2.2M
A

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Total Followers
U.

Follower growth (%)

*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,
Jan 2020 - Dec 2021)

10 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 The continued emergence of new social platforms and video platforms
has also represented a chance for accelerated growth, none more so
than TikTok. In 2021 six of the sports properties included in this report
were able to achieve triple digit expansion in follower base. Many other
sports properties saw high double-digit growth. New platforms create
new content formats while attracting new fan segments.

TikTok followers & growth % in 2021

14M

12M

10M

192%

8M

146%
140%
6M
122%

104%
100%

4M
80% 77%

54%
2M
33% 36%

16%
9%
0M
14M 10M 8.0M 7.3M 6.6M 4.8M 4.2M 3.5M 2.7M 2.4M 2.2M 1.5M 1.5M 1.3M 1.2M 1.1M 0.7M 0.4M 0.2M 0.1M
A

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Number of TikTok followers

Follower growth (%)
*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,
Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

11 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 “TikTok offers rights holders the
opportunity to create content that fits
the consumption preferences of younger
generations like Gen Z. Snackable content,
funny videos, challenges, catchy tunes
and collaborations with TikTok creators
are formats with high engagement
potential”
Salvatore De Angelis - head of digital consulting,
Nielsen Sports International

Engagement rates vary by platform and property. Each sports property

employs unique strategies to keep their audiences engaged, such as
matching more technical content to platforms with higher levels of
hardcore fans or providing more athlete stories on channels that reach
casual fans. Matching content to the platform and meeting consumers
where they are demonstrates the opportunity for rights holders to grow
their fanbase and stay on top of the current trends.

Average Facebook engagements per post 2021

26.4k
25.3k

20.1k

16.6k
15.2k

12.5k

9.4k

7.3k
6.1k 6.0k
5.0k 4.9k 4.9k 4.6k
3.5k 3.3k
3.0k 3.0k
2.4k 2.2k
1.4k 1.0k
L

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pe
S .O
U.

*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

12 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 Average Instagram engagements per post 2021
581k

409k

277k

208k 201k

152k
133k
100k
79k
68k
42k 37k
29k 28k 26k 25k 24k 23k
16k 16k 15k 12k
pi 020
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*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

13 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 Average YouTube engagements per post 2021
28k 28k

12k

8.7k 8.5k
7.4k

5.2k 5.0k
4.4k 4.1k 4.0k 3.8k
2.6k 2.4k
2.0k 1.9k 1.8k
0.9k 0.7k 0.6k 0.3k
on

AR

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NA

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RO

nd

ch

n
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to
pi
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lia

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pi

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lla

rd
EU

on
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ra
am

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u
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U.

*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

14 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 Average TikTok engagements per post 2021
837k

599k

396k

240k 233k
196k
175k 172k
162k
135k
99k
52k 42k 37k 29k 29k 21k 19k 15k
2k
LB

on

F1

ga

LS

20
ue

20

en

ip

AR
s

e
ip
NF

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lig

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nc
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NB
UF

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20
20

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on

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Fr
Le

bl

on

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RO

nd
n

M
pi
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lia

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pi
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k
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*Source: Nielsen Analysis (data sources: Social Blade, Fanpage Karma,

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)

“Our team was hyper-focused on

optimizing content for every platform
in 2021—serving up a blend of action
and storytelling curated for each of their
unique audiences…we dedicated more
time to scrubbing through our video
archives for unseen viral highlights, and
doubled down cross-platform when we
noticed a particular moment or content
format taking off.”
Hua Fung Teh - group president at ONE Championship

15 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
TV remains a major
platform
Whilst social media followers and video views continue to grow,
the strength of TV as a primary source of content consumption still
endures. As noted earlier, the data in this report is limited to metered
channels and may not include comprehensive coverage of every sports
property depending on their content distribution partners. Specifically:

• The global population is 7.9 billion people, of whom 4.3 billion are
counted within the metered TV universe across 95 countries.
• We have selected 18 major markets that together account for 2.4
billion of the metered TV universe, 1.6 billion are Asian markets
and China alone is 1.3 billion.The remaining 0.8 billion are non-Asia
markets, including the core commercial sport markets of the USA
and Western Europe’s five largest countries.
• All non-metered channels, which are significant for some sports
properties in this report, are excluded.

When analyzing the TV cumulative audience data, it’s clear the two
mega events of 2021 achieved the largest global viewership. The
Olympic Games was unsurprisingly the most watched, likely due to
its availability across both linear and streaming in many countries
(often subscription free) and the Games’ global cultural and sporting
relevance. Similarly, UEFA European Championship, a once-every-four-
years multinational event, ranked second on the list. Despite being
a European-only event, it resonates as one of the most prestigious
football tournaments in the world. We also see MMA organizations
ONE Championship and UFC in the top 10 of sporting properties.
Many sports properties continue to expand their global footprint by
hosting games abroad or negotiating expanded media rights deals.
ONE Championship has employed a similar strategy. With a traditionally
strong fanbase in Asia, ONE Championship hosted live events at time
slots compatible with prime time for U.S. audiences, thereby growing
their audiences in that part of the world.

16 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 Global cumulative TV reach (m) in 2021
1,470

741

530

406
368 345 338
307
259 251 235 230 230 219
181 178 155 151
124 108

11
20

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20

F1

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a

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LS

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ip
UC

NF

EP

NH
g

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hi

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UF

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an
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M
20

20

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ns

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de

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on
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o
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n
M

to
pi

lia
de

pi
k

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en
am

lla
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am
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Be
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st
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FA

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is
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U.

*Source: Official local TAM (Television Audience Measurement), AGF/GfK Germa-

ny, Kantar Spain, Auditel/Nielsen Italy, Mediametrie France, BARB UK, Ibope Kan-
tar Argentina (x2.93 multiplier to approach total population) Brazil (Cov% applied
to Total Population 211m), Mexico (x2.31 multiplier to approach total population),
CSM Media Research China, Video Research Japan, Nielsen Indonesia (x4.88 mul-
tiplier to approach total population), Malaysia (x1.49 multiplier to approach total
population), Myanmar (x4 multiplier to approach total population), Philippines,
South Africa, Thailand and USA, AMI Vietnam, Glance
See TV broadcast methodology (page 6) for details of period covered

17 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 When examining total broadcast coverage, sports that have a traditional
league format benefit from a higher number of total broadcast hours.
While the English Premier League and La Liga are the top two sports
properties in the chart below, the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games are a
somewhat surprising third. Despite being only 17 days in duration, the
sheer volume of sports played over such a short period of time and the
high level of coverage boosts the Games into the top three.

Total TV broadcast hours in 2021

45k

34k

22k 21k 21k 20k

19k
17k

12k
11.1k 10.7k
9.5k 9.4k
7.2k
6.4k
4.8k 4.7k
3.8k 3.8k 3.4k
2.7k
0.2k
L

20

LB

L
ga

F1

ga

ip

ar

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on
20

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UC

NF

NH
pe
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NB

M
UF

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sc

an
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sli

ed
M
M
20

20

sh

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O
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La

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de

Fr
bl

on
yo

RO

ch

n
M

to
pi

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n

lia

de
pi
k

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en
m

lla
EU

W
To

ra

am
a

ur

Be
Fr

st
Ch

FA

Ch

To
Au
UE
E

is
ON

nn
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en
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U.

*Source: Official local TAM (Television Audience Measurement), AGF/GfK Ger-

many, Kantar Spain, Auditel/Nielsen Italy, Mediametrie France, BARB UK, Ibope
Kantar Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, CSM Media Research China, Video Research
Japan, Nielsen Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand
and USA, AMI Vietnam, Glance
**Total Broadcast Hours on Metered TV Channels

18 - Copyright © 2022 The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC. Confidential and proprietary
 A diverse approach
is needed to navigate
the evolving
landscape
The growth of social media platforms and the continued strong
performance of TV broadcast indicates that a multi-faceted approach
to reaching fans is required. Linear TV as a source of live sports
viewership amongst the general public has declined over the past three
years globally, whilst OTT and streaming platforms have continued
to grow. This trend is likely reflective of both traditional broadcasters
significantly improving their OTT and streaming offerings (such as
NBC’s Peacock in the U.S.) and also new entrants into the market,
whether it be Amazon adding sports content or the emergence of
services such as DAZN, a wholly dedicated OTT sports broadcaster.
In addition, social media platforms are also streaming live sports
through partnerships with major leagues and events around the world.

How fans watch live sports

48%
46%
Linear TV: FTA & Pay
43%

39%
37%
OTT & Streaming
30%

2019 19 19 19 2020
20 20 20 20 2021
21
*Source: Nielsen Fan Insights 2019-2021 (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India,
Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, UK, U.S.)
Q: How often do you watch sport on...?
Note: Claimed behaviour

“We [F1] did a very successful live stream

in Brazil with Twitch personality Gaules,
this helped us reach a younger audience
in a new way [that] we had not been able
to do before”
Max Metral - senior analytics manager F1

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 The broadcast experience has continued to evolve, with traditional
sports adopting approaches often used for gaming and esports.
Many sports properties are signing supplementary rights deals with
streaming services such as Twitch to help expand their reach. We also
saw ESPN launch “The Manningcast” for their flagship Monday Night
Football (MNF) program in 2021. Whilst ESPN was airing the traditional
MNF broadcast, ESPN2 aired “The Manningcast.” The two Manning
brothers (Peyton and Eli, former NFL Quarterbacks) host the show
from their homes and invite famous guests (NFL players, sportspeople
and celebrities) to watch segments of the game with them whilst they
discuss the action on the field and other culturally relevant topics. This
broadcast was a significant departure from the traditional broadcast
format and more in line with what viewers expect from an esports
streamer.

Looking at regional shifts and variations, North Asia is the only region
where OTT & streaming has already overtaken linear TV. This is
primarily driven by China which has a well-developed streaming culture
and a number of strong local players such as Tencent sports, Migu
sports, iQIYI and CCTV video. Elsewhere, we generally see the macro
global trend being played out on a regional level with slight changes in
linear TV and faster growth from OTT and streaming.

How fans watch live sports by region - Gen Pop

‘20 ‘21 ‘20 ‘21 ‘20 ‘21

37% 32% 42% 42% 49% 45%

22% 25% 17% 25% 52% 51%

NORTH AMERICA EUROPE NORTH ASIA

‘20 ‘21 ‘20 ‘21 ‘20 ‘21

47% 49% 54% 49% 49% 49%

33% 43% 46% 45% 28% 29%

AFRICA & SOUTH ASIA SOUTHEAST

‘20 ‘21 MIDDLE EAST ASIA
54% 56% ‘20 ‘21
31% 38% 39% 37%

LATAM 17% 22%

OCEANIA

Linear TV: FTA & Pay OTT & Streaming

*Source: Nielsen Fan Insights 2020-2021

Q: How often do you watch sport on...?
Note: Claimed behaviour

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Summary
and learnings
• The world’s largest sports properties returned to a more
recognizable schedule whilst continuing to adopt more flexible and
progressive approaches originally developed at the height of the
pandemic.

• TV broadcast remains strong and continues to deliver high

viewership but growth is largely driven by digital and social video
consumption. It is paramount for sports organizations to develop
a dynamic video strategy, thereby increasing the reach of their
property.

• Global events are still a major draw, both Tokyo 2020 Summer
Olympic Games and UEFA Euro Championship were two of the best
performing sports across digital and TV metrics. These events
maintain an important place in the sporting calendar alongside
premium annual events.

• New digital platforms continue to close the viewership gap and at

times eclipse traditional media. As new platforms, influencers and
content creators continue to emerge, sports properties need to
develop nimble strategies to capitalise on the potential fan base
growth.

For more insights on changing fan behavior and their impact on

sponsorship models and content consumption, check out our report
“Fans are changing the game” and other content at
https://nielsensports.com/
 

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About Nielsen sports solutions

Nielsen Sports is the global leader in sponsorship analytics and fan

intelligence. We provide brands and rights holders the knowledge to
identify and connect with the audiences that matter most to them.
Nielsen Sports supports commercial growth through expertise in fan
behavior, media consumption and engagement habits.

We monitor 15,000 teams, leagues and events crossing over 150,000

brands while tracking over 170,000 sponsorship deals. Our data
contextualizes the value of sports partnerships, helping brands
and sports properties predict the future value of media assets and
marketing investment ROI. We specialize in:

• Fan development
• Driving sponsorship revenue
• Optimizing investment returns
• Media rights monetization
• Maximising event impact
• Market intelligence

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