PwC Outlook: North American Sports Market Will Grow to $75.7B by 2020, Media Rights To Hit $21.3B

PricewaterhouseCoopers has released its outlook for the sports market in North America through 2020. The publication, authored by leaders of the PwC US Sports Practice, projects the North American sports market to grow from $63.9 billion in 2015 to $75.7 billion by 2020, largely driven by rising media rights and sponsorship. According to the PwC Outlook, media rights revenues may rise to $21.3 billion by 2020 and are projected to exceed gate revenues as the sports industry’s largest segment within the next two years.

PwC belives broadcast rights preservation is likely to remain industry priority through at least the next deal cycle, which will lead most properties to avoid major disruption of existing distribution and potential further dilution of rights fees. As a result, direct to consumer offerings featuring live game content will likely continue to be positioned to incremental audiences and/or focus on consumer experiences complimentary to traditional game viewing. F

Findings draw on insights based on historical and current data alongside informed assumptions from our industry specialists related to factors likely to impact future trends.

Featured topics in this year’s coverage include the season ticket remodel, premium seat market size, fan zone building program, immersive digital products, sponsorship segment composition, and retail business models.