Sports industry leaders expect the sector’s growth to continue at a healthy rate of 7% annually over the next three to five years, according to PwC's Sports Survey 2018, which collected the opinions of 470 sports industry leaders. However, growing concerns over shifts in consumer behavior among younger generations have led to less confidence in sustained growth during the transition to digital. The consumption of highlights is expected to grow faster than live sports content, and the ability to target fans through personalized content will be a top priority. Furthermore, traditional sports can no longer ignore esports and should devise a clear strategy to enter the space. Highlights and on-demand sports content are foreseen to grow at a greater pace than live in the next three to five years, with 14-35-year-olds consuming considerably more non-live than live sports content online. When asked where sponsors should be focusing their energy in the next three to five years to drive higher returns, nearly three-quarters of sports leaders chose personalized fan/customer targeting through improved customer relationship management data. By contrast, over half believe that senior management at global sponsors either does not, or only partially appreciates, the shift in consumer behavior with regard to sports media (PwC).
