RANT SPORTS – Welcome to the “Golden Age of Sports Streaming.” Streaming services have increased their spending on rights worldwide, and fans have more ways than ever to catch the action, from traditional broadcasts to streaming platforms launched by the professional leagues themselves.

Peacock was the big winner in 2024 with their Paris Olympic coverage

NBC and Peacock are coming off the 2024 Paris Olympics, setting new benchmarks in streaming. according to Nielsen data, NBCUniversal viewers watched an astounding23.5 billion minutes the games across its platforms, with Peacock achieving significant success.

The Olympics was expected to see a boost in streaming as compared to the numbers in Tokyo 2020. The games in 2020 logged 4.8 billion minutes of streamed content which was impressive. However, no one anticipated numbers four times larger than those of 2020.

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Amazon Prime Video keeps scoring big numbers on Thursday Night Football

Amazon Prime Video has achieved significant viewing numbers with Thursday Night Football. The 2023 season averaged 11.86 million viewers per game, marking a 24% increase year over year. The 2024 season is averaging 13.61 million viewers, maintaining a record pace for streaming service.

The latest edition of NFL Thursday Night on Prime Video averaged a 5.3 rating and11.22 million viewers. The season debut Thursday Night Football set a Video record as the most-streamed game ever. Week one of Thursday Night on Prime Video averaged13.3 million viewers

College Football saw a massive boost

It was an exceptional year for Peacock, Paramount+ and ESPN+ as college football significantly boosted their streaming success. NBC with the Big Ten and Notre Dame contributed greatly to the success of Peacock while the conference was good to Paramount+, thanks to CBS.

ABC/ESPN+ coverage of the ACC, Big 12 and SEC saw their best year yet in streaming. Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Miami, and Alabama helped score big numbers. Having big time match-up’s in the noon, 3:30 p.m. and the 7:30 p.m. primetime windows helped run the numbers up.

Don’t forget the MLS on Apple TV+

The innovative 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple has brought clear improvements, including broadcast quality across all games and accessibility worldwide without blackout restrictions. The MLS Cup won by the Galaxy over Red Bull 2-1 was covered with the broadcast quality of a Super Bowl as the production was flawless.

Look for Apple and the MLS to do what the streamer did with Major League Baseball and have a showcase game of the week. It is the next logical move by Apple and the league to help showcase the young stars in the league.

Conclusion

In 2025 more sports will be available than ever before. Netflix’s entry the arena WWE will be noteworthy. They previously hosted Tyson vs. Paul fight and next week will start a new tradition with NFL Christmas doubleheader as they expand. Prime Video will showcase their NBA package for the 2025-2026 season

Paramount+ and Peacock and ESPN+ to continue to showcase international soccer. More women’s sports on all the major platforms.

ESPN, FOX, and Warner Brothers Discovery Sports will launch their service joint service. Additionally, it is expected that ESPN will introduce their own service, and Prime Video will collaborate with FanDuel on regional networks.

The future looks promising for sports streaming services.