Sports content drives highest levels of engagement, according to Tubi report

Tubi, Fox Entertainment’s free streaming service, has released key findings from The Sports Streaming Audience, a commissioned study in partnership with consumer strategy firm Magid, to understand the current state of sports streaming. The insights coincide with the recent launch of Sports on Tubi, which features 10 live streaming channels from some of the biggest brands in sports.

The study revealed that sports content of all kinds, from live events and clips to classic games, documentaries and sports talk, will drive the highest levels of interest and engagement and hold audience attention – especially for males aged 25-44.

More than half of the US adult population displays an active interest in four or more sports and spends an average of 5.4 hours per week consuming sports content. Additionally, sports streaming audiences are rapidly growing with a large percentage of viewers interested in more than 13 types of sports, including football, baseball and basketball (1 in 4 adults aged 18+, 1 in 3 females aged 25-34 and 7 in 10 males aged 25-44).

Furthermore, sports ranks as the fastest growing segment within the OTT ecosystem. In line with Tubi’s ad experience, there is a strong preference for ad-supported streaming for sports – more than half (56%) of the total sample prefer watching streaming sports with commercial breaks integrated into the event, if they can get it for free.

The Sports Streaming Audience outlines a streaming sports strategy as a business imperative for marketers looking to reach younger demographics who spend more time streaming, attracting 78% of Gen Z and 82% of Millennials weekly.

Tubi and Magid commissioned an online survey of 2,000 consumers aged 18+ and conducted online focus groups with 24 participants, ages 18-54 for the survey.

Sports on Tubi, features 10 live streaming sports channels, including football, baseball, soccer and collegiate sports. Live streaming and on-demand content includes currently available brands such as Fox Sports, NFL, MLB, Nascar, Big Ten, NHRA, PBC boxing, PBA bowling, Concacaf soccer and more.