Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, has reported that five of the top SVoD services globally – Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+ and Netflix – have significantly grown their sports programming over the last quarter.

These five providers collectively increased sports programmes by more than 72 per cent in the recent quarter, underscoring the value of sports as a driver of live, real-time viewership and critical component of their content strategies. This key insight, along with others, are captured in the latest update to the Gracenote Data Hub which provides a snapshot of global SVoD programming to illuminate content trends and changes over time.

Since the first Data Hub release in October 2024, sports programming, including exclusive NFL games, WWE events, US Open tennis tournament matches and more, has become increasingly available across streaming platforms. Notably, four of the five SVoD services tracked by Gracenote have bolstered their sports programming, led by Disney+ and Netflix, with increases of 471 per cent and nearly 100 per cent, respectively. While Apple TV+ did not increase its sports content in the recent quarter, that will change as the new MLS and MLB seasons get underway and live games air on the service.

Tapping Gracenote Global Video Data, the Gracenote Data Hub highlights video trends in a series of data visualisations that provide insight into the SVoD libraries of Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+ and Netflix. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, these services have added 6.7 per cent more content to their catalogues, with increases of 5.4 per cent and 7.6 per cent for TV and movies, respectively.

Other highlights in the data include:

• The increase in content across global SVoD services includes approximately 3,000 movies, 2,000 TV shows and 500 sports shows.

• A dramatic increase in sports programming on Disney+, largely the result of adding select ESPN programming, has shifted the distribution of sports programming across the five services.

  • Disney+ now accounts for nearly 33 per cent of available sports programming, just behind Prime Video (35 per cent), which previously distributed 54 per cent of sports programming.

  • Netflix accounts for just over 23 per cent of sports programming.

• Overall, Prime Video remains the largest distributor of video content, offering nearly 69 per cent of the available programming, up from 67.8 per cent in Q1 2024.

• An increase in French content and a notable decrease in content produced in India on Disney+ has made France the third-biggest producer, accounting for 5.6 per cent of the total.

• Drama remains the top genre across the five services, but it has dropped from the No. 1 position on Disney+, where it has been overtaken by documentary, comedy, children and adventure.

“Live sports programming continues to be an important driver of user growth, retention and engagement for streaming services,” commented Bill Michels, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote. “We are also seeing that relevant metadata, such as synopses, scores, highlights and imagery have the power to help streamers build world-class user experiences that keep users engaged beyond the live game.”

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Tags: Apple TV, Gracenote, netflix, Prime Video, sports, wwe