• Loading stock data...
Thursday, March 28, 2024
2024 Best Venues nominations are open now through April 8! Submit Now

Short-Form Video Rights Could Be Worth More Than Live Rights by 2030

  • The change in the live rights market is driven by generational change, according to a new report from Delaware North.
  • The reports predicts there will be a $68 trillion transfer of wealth between generations within 10 years.
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

As younger generations continue to gain disposable income, their viewing habits of live sports content will drive a revolution in the rights market, according to a new report.

The Future of Recreation, Travel, and Hospitality (FORTH) report — the fifth in Delaware North’s Future Of series — predicts that the value of short-form video content will overtake the live-rights market by 2030.

In other words, in eight years time, it could be more expensive to buy the rights for short-form video content — such as social media clips — than it will be to buy the rights to the live broadcasts of the events themselves.

“Only a small percentage of Gen Z — and an even smaller proportion of Gen Alpha — will watch a three-hour live sporting event, preferring video highlights on YouTube, TikTok and other outlets, usually curated by social media stars,” the report states.

As such, decision-makers in the industry will have to begin valuing ownership of these “bite-sized elements” over that of live content.

The next generation of decision-makers is millennials, who aren’t Gen Z or Alpha, but are closer in age and viewing habits to them than baby boomers or Generation X are. Millennials will also be in charge of the money, per the report.

“Over the next 10 years, our researchers reckon that there’s going to be a $68 trillion transfer of wealth between those generations,” Delaware North CMO Todd Merry told Front Office Sports. “Millennials would be five times wealthier by 2030.”

These predictions are already beginning to manifest themselves: Excluding the last two pandemic-affected series, the first game of the 2022 NBA Finals was the least-watched Game 1 broadcast in 15 years.

However, the transition won’t be instantaneous and it’s likely that the live-rights market will be able to salvage itself by latching on to the short-form rights.

“It’s a complex issue, because you might have to buy the live rights to own the short form rights,” says Merry. “So they are gonna be linked, I think, for a long while.”

The Future Of series of reports has a history of robust predictions: The first two editions in 2015 and 2016 — focused on sports — correctly predicted the rise of esports, legalized sports betting in the United States, and a pronounced move to live streaming.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The NFLPA Report Card Is Doing Exactly What It Was Intended For

Robert Kraft hasn’t gone to school in nearly 60 years, but on Tuesday the Patriots’ owner found himself talking about his report card. 

How Lack of Planning by NCAA, Gonzaga Led to Racial Abuse of Utah Athletes

The NCAA gave Gonzaga a waiver to place teams in an extremist hotbed.

NCAA President Calls for Nationwide Ban on College Prop Bets

The NCAA president is reacting to the recent betting turmoil in sports.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

MLB Opens Season With MLBPA, Ohtani, and Ownership Dramas

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) react in overtime against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.

‘An Expensive Game’: March Madness and NIL Collectives Are Intertwined

At schools nationwide, collectives are fueling NCAA tournament runs and vice versa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits to be announced in the starting lineup against West Virginia in a NCAA Tournament round of 32 game Monday, March 25, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
March 26, 2024

The Women’s Trading Card Market Is Overlooked. Can Caitlin Clark Change That?

Traditionally, women’s sports cards have been a marginal part of collectibles.
The Sports Illustrated cover signed by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, February 27, 2019, at Don & Charlie's, 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Don Charlie S
March 24, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing ‘Sports Illustrated’ Saga

Understanding the strange state of affairs for the nearly 70-year-old publication.
March 23, 2024

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Inside the Big East’s Bizarre Online Subculture

Peeling back the curtain on the ‘phenomenally weird’ Big East online ecosystem.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Live Nation
Multiple - USA Careers
Adidas
Multiple - USA Careers
Spotify
Multiple - USA Careers

NFL Executive Questions Logic Behind Streaming Giants’ Joint Venture

The ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox alliance is expected to launch this fall.
March 25, 2024

Inside the Proxy Fight for the Future of Disney (and ESPN)

Dissident investor Nelson Peltz is seeking two board seats in an upcoming election.
exclusive
March 26, 2024

Threats, Demands, a Lawsuit, and a Website in Limbo: Inside the Chaos at ‘SI’

‘Sports Illustrated’ has new publishers, but the transition has been messy at best.
Sponsored

How Daily Fantasy Sports Solved NBA Fantasy

The remarkable growth of the #1 Discord sports server in the world.
March 25, 2024

The Brian Kelly ‘Hit Job’ Kim Mulkey Ripped Is Barely About Brian Kelly at All

The article was hardly about Kelly at all.
March 23, 2024

At ESPN, She’s the Storyteller of the Women’s Tourney—and What a Year It Is for That

Sara Gaiero sees Caitlin Clark hype as an opportunity to hook people on two ESPN products: March Madness and, eventually, the WNBA.
March 21, 2024

Ian Eagle Is Ready to Get March Madness Started

He succeeds Jim Nantz as the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS and TBS.
March 19, 2024

ESPN Locks Up a $7.8B College Football Playoff Extension

Network chairman Jimmy Pitaro announced the six-year deal at a conference Tuesday