Sports OTT Landscape in Mexico

Executive Summary

Pay TV has long dominated the sports landscape in Mexico, partly because the incumbent networks have offered free streaming to their cable and satellite subscribers. Despite this, streaming providers are starting to make inroads, buoyed by strong consumer interest in accessing sports content on all screens.

• Who are the major players competing to deliver sports content? The pay TV market is dominated by Televisa, followed by Dish and Megacable. Social platforms like Facebook and Twitter and mobile operators like AT&T and América Móvil are also beginning to compete for sports streaming rights. In February 2018, Fox launched its standalone OTT service, FOX+, as a way to offer consumers the network’s basic and premium content via its app.
• What sports are Mexico’s consumers watching? As elsewhere in Latin America, soccer is the most popular sport. But given the country’s close proximity to its neighbor to the north, other sports such as baseball, basketball, boxing and wrestling are becoming popular.
• Are Mexico’s consumers interested in esports? Unlike Brazil, esports are not recognized as an official sport in Mexico. This, coupled with a lack of official tournaments and interest among brands has hindered their growth. Even so, Newzoo found that 3.5 million of Mexico’s 9.5 million esports viewers consider themselves to be “esports enthusiasts.” By 2021, Newzoo expects this number to nearly double to 6.8 million, accounting for 44.4% of all esports viewers in the country at that point in time.

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

KEY STAT: Research from a July 2018 Interactive Advertising Bureau México (IAB México) report conducted by Kantar Millward Brown found that 64% of internet users ages 13 to 70 watched sports or sporting events online during Q2 2018. This is 13 percentage points higher from when this same study was conducted in December 2015.

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