This is a collaborative piece by Estibaliz Rodero, regional strategy director for Evergent.
Streaming was supposed to bring live sport closer to its fans – any device, any game, anytime. But as the sports media landscape has evolved, so too have the complexities of access. Hybrid distribution models, multi-partner rights deals, and siloed subscriptions mean fans often need multiple services to follow a single season.
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For the businesses behind these platforms, building and maintaining direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming relationships has introduced new opportunities and changed responsibilities.
In parallel, many leagues and services are expanding their monetization models well beyond media rights. Subscription revenue is now one part of a broader portfolio that includes ticketing, merchandise, experiential access and digital engagement. But with fans demanding more flexibility, control, and transparency, converting those relationships into sustainable revenue remains a challenge.
The question isn’t whether D2C can gain subscribers, it’s whether it can do so without eroding the emotional connection that makes sports so commercially valuable in the first place. Fans need to feel like fans first, consumers second.
The Age of Fixed Subscriptions is Over
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By GlobalDataThe traditional monthly sports subscription – rigid, recurring, and increasingly expensive – is showing signs of fatigue. Churn remains a persistent challenge, especially around off-seasons and post-event drop-offs. Fans who once felt locked in by a pay-TV bundle can now enter and exit at will. And if they don’t see enough value from their subscription, they do.
This trend is being accelerated by global regulatory changes with new consumer protections in some markets, meaning that subscription services need transparent cancellation processes, clear opt-ins, and easy cancellation processes. What used to be a back-end compliance task is now a strategic front-end moment. And it’s forcing providers to design smarter retention journeys from day one, built on trust, transparency, and user control.
To counter this, leading providers are building flexibility directly into their monetization models. The NBA League Pass is a prime example. Once a single-price, season-long product, it now supports multiple-tiered pricing models with capabilities like new purchase upgrades, downgrades, and pause and resume.
That flexibility has helped drive significant growth in active subscribers and engagement over recent seasons, a reflection of its evolving and increasingly personalized model. YES Network, meanwhile, has embraced a range of flexible subscription capabilities, including personalized offers and promotions to incentivize retention, unlocking a 25% boost in subscription revenue in one of the most saturated sports markets in the world.
Redefining Fan Loyalty
Fans aren’t just subscribers. They’re supporters, critics, community members, and customers – often simultaneously. That reality is forcing sports streamers to experiment with new ways to monetize attention without alienating their fan base.
Loyalty might look like following a second-division team through thick and thin. It might mean buying a one-match pass every month, because that’s all the time or money allows. Leading sports streamers are now designing around this complexity. Some use behavioral triggers to surface relevant offers before a user cancels. Others build fan-first subscription models – offering discount tiers, pause and resume capabilities, and additional content outside of game day matches.
Just as sports fans now consume content on their own terms, many are also willing to pay accordingly. Pay-per-view strategies have found new momentum in D2C, especially during high-stakes or one-off events. These models aren’t replacing subscriptions, but they do offer a complementary path to revenue, particularly for casual viewers who don’t see the value in year-round access.
Member-based and loyalty-focused offers are gaining ground in fast-growing sports markets like the Middle East, where streaming providers are moving beyond just access to build value-added ecosystems around sport.
According to recent research, two-thirds of global sports executives are concerned about the relevance of live sports as more young fans gravitate towards highlights, documentaries, and short-form video. As more streamers explore hybrid models to engage the next gen of fans, this “episodic engagement” is likely to become a bigger part of the monetization mix.
Bundling Value
In the race for new revenues and reach, services are turning to bundling as a way to enhance stickiness without sacrificing user autonomy. But modern bundling isn’t about locking users into bloated packages. It’s about combining services and experiences in ways that increase perceived value, improve retention, and help fans manage cost while expanding access. From sports and movie combos to cross-platform telco partnerships, the goal is to raise perceived value while lowering churn.
The recent Fubo-DAZN agreement is one example of a win-win bundle we’re seeing: Fubo subscribers gain access to DAZN’s pay-per-view lineup, while DAZN customers can explore Fubo’s broader slate of free sports content, including niche events. It’s a model that adds value on both sides and reflects the direction the industry is heading.
Providers that can dynamically configure and repackage offerings will be best positioned to respond to demand shifts, new distribution partnerships, and platform fatigue. And as partnerships and bundles become increasingly modular and global, managing the complexity of multi-partner revenue agreements – across regions, currencies, and rights windows – is becoming as important as the content offering itself.
Meeting Global Fans Where They Are
For all the talk of global audiences, the reality is that sports streaming requires a local approach. Payment habits, infrastructure, mobile access, and even the perceived value of sport vary wildly across regions. In the Middle East, voucher-based systems still drive acquisition. In Asia-Pacific, sports streaming has been dominated by broadcasters. Sports D2C has a ripe opportunity in that region.
Expanding into new markets means offering language localization, data-backed acquisition strategies, and region-specific pricing – including time-limited promotions, local league calendars, or public holidays. In one instance, a MENA-based platform we work with was able to double subscriptions after launching with tailored access tiers and promotions centered around Ramadan – this type of agile, data-driven, and culturally-nuanced marketing is crucial.
The platforms that succeed aren’t just those with the best content or slickest UX. They’re the ones that treat each market as a new challenge with different behaviors, cultures, and fan expectations.
Fans are sticky – Subscriptions Should Be Too
There’s no single blueprint for sports D2C success. But there is a pattern: understanding fan behavior and giving subscribers more control over how they engage. From personalized pricing to flexible upgrades or smarter cancellation flows and modular bundling, every interaction becomes a chance to build value.
It’s a business model that no longer sees the subscription as the finish line, but as the beginning of a longer, more data-driven relationship. One that balances unique fan experiences with sustainable, recurring revenues, and evolves as fast as the game itself.
