The NFL is predicted to become the world' s most valuable sport in terms of media rights revenue by 2030 according to a new report from Rethink TV, which estimates that global media rights revenue (MRR) for the Top 17 sports leagues will grow to $96.3 billion by 2035, more than four times its 2015 total.
Despite surging valuations, the sports media market is at a critical crossroad, the researcher said. The Pay TV rights holders that once underpinned sports broadcasting are rapidly eroding, but the transition to Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) streaming remains fraught with technological and financial hurdles. OTT players like Amazon and Netflix have driven record-breaking deals, yet even DAZN, the most aggressive pureplay sports streamer, is still struggling to achieve profitability.
By 2030, the market will hit $73 billion, with American Football set to overtake the combined MRR of the world’s top nine Soccer leagues for the first time in history. These two sports, along with Baseball, will further cement their lead as the three most valuable sports in terms of MRR, Rethink said.
The shift to D2C streaming remains constrained by infrastructure limitations and escalating content costs. While sports leagues are eager to take control of their distribution, few are ready to match the reliability and scale of legacy broadcast networks. Multicast ABR and Open Caching solutions remain in early stages, delaying full-scale adoption of D2C platforms from rights owners.
OTT giants like Amazon and Netflix continue to sign multi-billion-dollar deals, but sustainability is questionable as ad-based models fail to offset soaring rights costs. Hybrid models are expected to dominate the next decade, with leagues selling partial rights while experimenting with their own D2C platforms.
At the same time, shifting consumer habits pose new challenges. Younger audiences increasingly favor short-form, on-demand highlights over full-match broadcasts, forcing leagues to rethink their monetization strategies. This transition is already underway, with sports documentaries, behind-the-scenes content, and interactive digital experiences becoming key revenue drivers, Rethink said.
