Due to the impact of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, sports matches in the United States have been forced to be canceled, but the viewing rate for digital live sports broadcasts is expected to increase by more than 14% this year due to the continued growth of online viewing and the acceleration of the shift away from pay cable TV.
According to our initial forecast for digital sports viewers, 36.5 million people in the United States were expected to watch live sports digitally this year. This includes individuals of all ages who watch live sports at least once a month during at least one sports season. By the second half of 2020, we expect to see some live sports return. This year, nearly one in four (23.7%) U.S. sports viewers will watch via digital channels
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Individuals of all ages who watch live sports at least once a month during at least one sports season on digital platforms such as OTT, TV Everywhere, and virtual MVPDs. Excludes highlights, non-live content, e-sports, and Olympic-related content.
Due to the cancellation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness tournament, overall live sports viewership is expected to decline by 0.2% this year.
“In recent years, as cable TV churn and viewership decline accelerated, TV stations and pay TV providers became more reliant on live sports,” said Eric Haggstrom, eMarketer forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence. ”Live sports represent billions of dollars in advertising and affiliate revenue for TV stations. Advertisers are eager for a potential return of live sports in the fall, as it is one of the few ways to reach young audiences at scale.”
Nearly half of these digital viewers will watch live sports through virtual MVPDs (OTT services that provide TV shows, cable TV shows, and streaming service content via the internet) such as Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, and YouTube TV. This year, 17 million people will watch live TV on these platforms, a 13.3% increase from 2019. In addition, 69.3% of pay TV viewers who watch live sports on the internet are expected to use virtual MVPDs.
Individuals of all ages who watch live sports on a virtual MVPD at least once per month during at least one sports season. Excludes highlights, non-live content, e-sports, and Olympic-related content.
Postponed live sports leagues will return at some point in 2020. Postponed leagues include the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Hockey League (NHL).
One of the most popular platforms for watching live sports digitally is ESPN+, which had 14.9 million viewers this year, accounting for 40.8% of digital live sports viewers in the US. ESPN+ grew rapidly last year due to additional services [pre-roll ads for on-demand content] and a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.
_Source: [eMarketer](https://www.emarketer.com/content/in-the-us-people-are-switching-to-digital-for-live-sports-viewing)_
The NBA and MLB resumed in July, and the NHL resumed in August, but the situation is still considered to be fluid.
