--- title: Top Trends to Watch in the Global Sports Industry description: The global sports industry continues to grow at a robust rate. New technologies related to esports and virtual reality are expected to drive the market. image: https://blog.marketresearch.com/hubfs/Stock%20images/soccer%20stadium%20lights%20reflectors%20against%20black%20background.jpeg --- [![MarketResearch.com](https://blog.marketresearch.com/hs-fs/hub/209482/file-22777923.gif?width=295&height=66&name=file-22777923.gif "MarketResearch.com")](https://www.marketresearch.com/) [Market Research Blog](https://blog.marketresearch.com/) # Top Trends to Watch in the Global Sports Industry by [The Business Research Company](https://blog.marketresearch.com/author/the-business-research-company), on December 9, 2019 ![sports industry statistics](https://blog.marketresearch.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stock%20images/soccer%20stadium%20lights%20reflectors%20against%20black%20background.jpeg?width=300&name=soccer%20stadium%20lights%20reflectors%20against%20black%20background.jpeg)The global sports market will rise at an annual growth rate of around 6% to nearly $614 billion by 2022, the report [Sports Global Market Opportunities and Strategies](https://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Research-Company-v4006/Sports-Global-Opportunities-Strategies-12395148/?progid=91593) from The Business Research Company shows. During the forecast period, the growing popularity of esports events is expected to drive the global sports market. eSports, or competitive video gaming, is a multiplayer video game played competitively for spectators, typically by professional gamers. Sports organizers are also [implementing virtual reality (VR) technology](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/sports-business-trends-disruption.html) to improve the spectators’ experience in sporting events. Virtual reality generates images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a physical presence in an imaginary environment. Clubs and teams are experimenting with simulated and 360-degree environments to enhance the match viewing experience of the spectators by allowing them to have a virtual walkthrough of the stadium or the race track and view the match at different angles. For instance, the NBA game between the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs was broadcasted in VR. NASCAR has created an interactive fan area at the racetracks with the implementation of virtual reality. Further driving the sports market will be the emergence of a high number of sports channels and rising competition among channels that will capture increasing sports viewership and are expected to drive the demand for broadcasting rights of sports events globally. This competition raises the prices that sports organizers are able to charge the channels for licenses to cover events. For example, the sports audience for Indian TV increased by 7% during 2017 to reach 46 billion impressions in 2018, and the number is expected to increase further during the cricket world cup, Indian Premier League (IPL) and other sports events planned in the forecast period. These factors are expected to drive revenues for the spectator sports market in the forecast period, supporting overall the growth of the sports industry. A major restraint on the sports market in the forecast period will be the increasing adoption of home entertainment technologies such as home game consoles and virtual reality headsets, which poses a challenge to the sports market. Technologies such as these are enabling customers to experience similar set ups while watching sports events at home, which is offered by sports organizers in the field, decreasing the demand for participatory and spectator sports. On demand video and movie streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, which is expected to be launched in the middle of 2019, are also negatively affecting the demand for sports globally. ## Regional Variations in the Market North America was the largest market for the sports industry, accounting for around 31% of the global market. It was followed by Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and other regions. Going forward, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East will be the fastest growing regions in this market, where growth will be at annual growth rates of around 9% and around 6% respectively. ## Key Market Segments and Major Players The sports market is segmented by type of engagement into participatory sports and spectator sports. The participatory sports market accounted for the largest share of the sports market in 2018 at around 56%. The spectator sports market is expected to be the fastest-growing segment going forward at an annual growth rate of around 6%. The global market for sports is supported by the high popularity of both spectator sports and participatory sports, and high expenditure on sporting activities. The sports market is highly fragmented, with a large number of small players. The top ten competitors in the market made up around 2% of the total in 2018. Players in the market include Life Time Fitness, Inc., Maruhan, Dallas Cowboys, Futbol Club Barcelona, and Manchester United Football Club. ## Where to Learn More [**Sports Global Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2022**](https://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Research-Company-v4006/Sports-Global-Opportunities-Strategies-12395148/?progid=91593) is one of a new series of industry reports. It provides sports industry analysis, a sports market overview, analysis and forecasts of market size and industry statistics, sports market growth rates, market trends, market drivers, market restraints, market revenues, sports market shares, and company profiles of the leading competitors. --- ## About The Business Research Company [The Business Research Company](https://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Research-Company-v4006/?progid=91593) is a market research and intelligence firm that excels in company, market, and consumer research. It has research professionals at its offices in the U.K., India, and the U.S. as well as a network of trained researchers globally. It has specialist consultants in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and technology. The Business Research Company’s management team has more than 20 years of varied business research experience. They have delivered hundreds of research projects to the senior management of some of the world’s largest organizations. The Business Research Company’s consultants have master’s qualifications from top institutes and include MBAs, MSCs, CFAs, and CAs. 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