Sports Content on Major Streamers Grew 77.5% YoY

Sports has become the fastest-growing category in streaming. According to Gracenote’s Q2 Data Hub, sports content on the top global SVOD platforms (Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video) jumped 77.5% year-over-year, with these services doubling their sports catalog share in just 18 months. HBO Max leads the field, accounting for 35% of all available sports content across tracked streamers, while Paramount+ holds 30% of games, events, and episodes of sports-related shows. Even FAST channels are getting in on the action. Live sports makes up 37% of programming on FAST sports channels and overall channel availability is up 19% year-over-year.

For advertisers, the shift is impossible to ignore. Digital live sports viewership is set to grow 6.1% this year, while traditional linear live sports audiences will drop 3.3%. And streaming sports ads pack a punch: NFL streaming ads during the 2024-25 season were 66% more effective than cable and broadcast equivalents. Sports has always been a reliable way to reach big, engaged audiences. Now, Connected TV is where those audiences increasingly live — giving marketers a high-attention, performance-friendly environment to win them over.

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