StreamTime Sports

Creators, athletes, and influencers are reshaping how fans engage with sport, but is the industry able to keep up?As initiatives like DAZN48 and athlete-led platforms gain momentum, the balance between media rights, reach, and relevance is being tested.Co-hosts Nick Meacham and Chris Stone question whether broadcasters are losing control of the conversation and why off-field content is starting to outperform the main event. If attention is shifting faster than revenue models can evolve, what does that mean for the future of sports media? Key Points:Are creators and athletes starting to control the sports conversation over broadcasters?Is attention now more valuable than traditional media rights?Why is off-field and creator-led content outperforming the live product?Can the sports industry actually monetise the massive attention it generates?If the model doesn’t evolve, who loses out—broadcasters, leagues, or everyone?

According to the Anonymous Fan Index recently run by Dizplai, 76% of sports fans have no identifiable data. StreamTime Sports co‑hosts Nick Meacham and Chris Stone are joined by Ed Abis and Joe Edwards to unpack the findings. The conversation explores the growing gap between reach and conversion, what it takes to build loyal and active communities, and what major sports media organisations can learn from creators and challenger brands.Sources & further reading:The Anonymous Fan Index: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0qLYG_0The Ultimate Guide To Turning Your Fans From Anonymous to Known: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0qLYQc0Sports Fan Revenue Calculator - Identify the potential additional revenue based on growing your known audience: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0q_N6f0 Key PointsHow much value is sports losing when the majority of its fans remain anonymous?How do rights holders solve the conundrum where the best channels for reach are the worst for conversion?Why are brands increasingly unwilling to accept vanity metrics?What would it take for sports to convert unknown fans into engaged, known supporters?

After signing last year’s historic 7-year deal, UFC 324 became Paramount+’s largest single streaming event, marking the platform’s biggest live event to date. It also represented the first UFC major event to move away from pay-per-view. In this episode, StreamTime co-hosts Nick Meacham and Chris Stone dive into how Paramount+ should be feeling after their first UFC event, key takeaways from Netflix’s Q4 results, and YouTube’s groundbreaking partnership with the BBC.Key Topics:Should Paramount be pleased with the numbers from their first UFC event? Did streaming perform well enough to justify UFC ending their pay-per-view model? Is it appropriate to credit live sports for Netflix's subscriber and ad-revenue growth? Does Netflix have a consumption problem? And why isn't sports solving it? Why is the BBC partnering with YouTube? Will other broadcasters follow the BBC's digital distribution strategy?

In this episode of StreamTime Sports, Nick Meacham and Chris Stone sit down with Graeme Smith, commissioner of South Africa’s SA20 league, alongside data and digital specialist Ellie Roach from InCrowd, to unpack what it really takes to launch and scale a modern sports league. From private investment and broadcast strategy to data foundations, fan experience and the evolving role of franchise cricket, the conversation explores how SA20 has been built at speed and with intent in a changing sports media landscape. Key Points:How and why the SA20 league was created, and what it takes to launch a competition at paceThe role of broadcast partners, equity structures and long-term media deals in de-risking growthWhy getting the domestic product right is critical before scaling internationallyHow data, digital infrastructure and first-party fan relationships were prioritised from day oneWhat SA20’s approach reveals about the future of cricket, franchise leagues and fan engagement