Sports media rights values hit record levels this year and are forecast to continue defying warnings of the bubble bursting, according to a new report.
The World Cup and bumper new agreements for the NBA and UFC drove the total aggregate value – the main revenue source for all major sports – from $62.4bn in 2024 to $65.8bn in 2026, the SportBusiness Global Media Report found.
It means the worldwide market has enjoyed a 20 per cent increase in four years and is projected to hit $66.3bn in 2028, despite fears within the industry that media rights growth has slowed and in some cases stopped.
“There is still growth out there, but it’s not being evenly spread among properties,” said SportBusiness Media editor Joseph Perry.
“And what we found also is that, outside the top 10, every other sport is sharing one per cent of the media rights market. So there is more money being spent than ever, but it’s not being widely spread.”
While the top-line figure is up, the trend is for more of the money to flow to the biggest markets, sports and competitions, the report said.
US market, football and NFL lead ledia rights
The US makes up 54 per cent of media rights value in the top 10 markets and the figure is growing, thanks to the NBA and UFC renewals and the NFL’s world-leading contracts.
Football is the top driver of media rights, comprising 39 per cent of value generated by the top 10 sports, followed by American football.
Of the top 10 competitions, the NFL’s $10bn-a-year package accounts for 19 per cent of total value, followed by the NBA’s $7bn and the Premier League’s $5bn.
The collapse of TV deals in French football and the relative struggles of the Italian and Spanish leagues to monetise an international audience has led to warnings about the direction of travel.
The Independent Football Regulator’s draft State of the Game report, published this week, noted that “the value of the next round of deals [for English clubs] is uncertain”.
“Competition organisers may face challenges when they next go to market,” it added. The IFR is chaired by former media rights executive David Kogan.