Sports OTT Landscape in France

Executive Summary

The past 12 to 18 months have seen a proliferation of digital sports offerings in France. Some leading services are owned by national TV broadcasters. Newcomers include Amazon, Eurovision Sports and Mediapro.

• How interested are French viewers in sports content? According to data from Vertigo, sports represented 1.2% of total content broadcast by national TV channels in 2017 (by hourly volume), and they accounted for 2.9% of viewing time on these channels—a clear sign of sports’ popularity.
• What percentage of French internet users watch sports content on digital platforms? 32% watched sports on any device in Q3 2018, up from 25% a year earlier, according to GlobalWebIndex.
• How competitive is the sports market? With an estimated 54.0 million internet users in 2019, France looks set to remain a battleground for sports streaming through the foreseeable future. It will be vital for national broadcasters to maintain some grasp on the audiences and revenues associated with sports viewing. Yet the same pressures will also affect companies such as Eurosport, beIN Sports and Amazon.
• How many people in France engage with esports? As of Q2 2018, nearly 5.07 million had viewed at least one esports competition in the previous 12 months, according to France Esports and Médiamétrie, and 2.08 million had played at least once.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report surveys the sports streaming industries in France. We catalog streaming services in each region, analyze market trends and data, and provide takeaways for marketers.

KEY STAT: Nearly one-third of French internet users watched sports content on a desktop computer, phone or tablet in Q3 2018. France was second only to the UK in the percentage of internet users who streamed sports in major European markets.

This is part of a collection of 11 reports. To access each report, read the global overview "Sports OTT Landscape 2019."