Live streaming technology has changed the entertainment industry in many ways. With the likes of movies, TV shows and music concerts all available in this way.

Yet, you might not have realised that it has also had a huge impact on the world of sports.

We Can Now Watch Sports from Around the World

Watching a sporting event has always been something special for millions of sports fans around the world. However, the arrival of live streaming has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us. In this way, we can now join in and watch all manner of games and events from anywhere on the planet. Some of the most popular sports streaming sites include names like CrackStreams, SportSurge and VPRow Sports, while Amazon Prime enjoyed an upsurge in new viewers after paying £90 million for the rights to be selected EPL games.

Big names like Fox Sports, ESPN and Red Bull TV are all worth checking out too. So, how big is this market and how much could it grow in the next few years? The 2021 Sports Video Trends Report by Graybo suggests the 80% of sports fans are ready to start using only streaming services to watch games. This compares to the 45% of sports followers who are currently paying to watch sport on streaming services.  

Live Betting Is On the Increase

The increase in live sports betting is one of the biggest changes in our habits that have been produced by the introduction of live streaming. This technology allows people to watch sporting events as they take place, meaning that they can bet on things like who will score the next goal, as well as react to changing circumstances by placing new bets or cashing out early.

Some bookmakers give their members free access to live-streamed events, allowing them to watch the action while placing their bets on the same site. We can also see the latest sports betting news and odds on a site like bet365. Here, we can get up to date with the latest stories for football, boxing and other sports. A link to the latest odds lets you place a bet smoothly while you watch the game or wait for it to start.

What Can We Expect in the Future?

The introduction of more sports live streaming services and channels should help to make this method of viewing even more popular. Amazon’s deal earlier in 2021 to secure the rights to Thursday night NFL games is a sign that the biggest names in the business see this as being a possible area of growth they can benefit from. They paid about $1.2 billion for each year of the deal, which is expected to open the door to more sports moving onto a streaming platform.

Fans are now used to watching games in this way, whether it is on a desktop computer or a mobile device. As new technology is introduced, we can maybe look forward to things like virtual reality and augmented being added to the experience.

Live streaming has moved sports viewing onto a new level and it seems as though this will be the most popular way of watching big events before too long.