Fans are the heart of any sports club or brand, and you must ensure fan engagement is done right. Discover how to increase fan engagement in sports with these best practices and fan engagement strategies.

Fan engagement should be a top priority for sports clubs and brands, given that it can improve ticket sales and brand reputation. Learn what fan engagement in sports is, why it’s beneficial, and eight fan engagement strategies you can use.

From Fans to Family: How to Increase Fan Engagement in Sports

We've explored the main recent reports dedicated to the sports industry and found the most relevant insights, figures, and trends on viewership, communication, and fandom formation.

Discover the main digital trends in sports viewership, coverage and fandom engagement 2025 based on the most significant industrial reports. 

Main Trends in Sports Coverage, Viewership, and Fandoms 2025

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#rise-of-digital-sports">Rise of digital sports streaming and personalised fan engagement</a>&nbsp;<a href="#new-economics">New economics of streaming services</a>&nbsp;<a href="#fandom-evolution">Fandom evolution: athlete-driven engagement</a>&nbsp;<a href="#fan-ownership-models">Fan Ownership Models and Blockchain in Sports</a>&nbsp;<a href="#role-of-ai-in-sports-coverage">The role of AI and data analytics in sports coverage</a>&nbsp;<a href="#get-in-touch">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:0.8vw;">If we avoid naming trends like “using AI, datafication, women sports growth” but find the particular changes and numbers, what we see:<h2 id="rise-of-digital-sports">Rise of digital sports streaming and personalised fan engagement</h2><ol><li data-list="bullet">27% of sports fans watch TV sports channels weekly, while 23% stream online</li><li data-list="bullet">Millennials (57%) are the most likely to pay for a sports subscription service, followed by Gen Zers (53%) and Xers (40%).</li><li data-list="bullet">Sports streaming on Amazon Prime has increased by 59% since 2021, signalling the growing importance of digital-first sports experiences.</li></ol><h2 id="new-economics">New economics of streaming services</h2>While the shift to sports streaming services opens new revenue streams, sports media faces challenges, including subscription fatigue and a fragmented landscape. Churn rates among sports subscribers are high, prompting companies to explore bundling streaming services (e.g., Disney+ and Hulu Sports). Moreover, younger fans increasingly rely on algorithm-driven sports content for their sports news updates, raising questions about whether they will commit to paid sports streaming subscriptions.To counteract these challenges, sports leagues and sports teams are prioritising data-driven fan engagement and personalised marketing to drive loyalty:<ol><li data-list="bullet">The NFL fan database has centralised over 20 million sports fans to streamline outreach.</li><li data-list="bullet">Major League Baseball (MLB fan engagement) uses fan data to enhance the stadium experience, offering personalised promotions and real-time notifications.</li><li data-list="bullet">68% of consumers say sports personalisation significantly increases their brand satisfaction.</li></ol><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1098/744;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/89c7480c-144e-4769-ae05-14a7a6d165e2.png" width="1098" height="744"></figure><a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/hospitality-leisure/documents/global-sports-survey-2024.pdf">PWC</a> formed the key insights from Women Super League fans and England women’s football fans:&nbsp;<ol><li data-list="bullet">The most popular sports are football, boxing and cricket.</li><li data-list="bullet">14% of the audience are gamers.</li><li data-list="bullet">Greater affinity for premium brands such as John Lewis.</li><li data-list="bullet">Betting and gambling are of high interest to both audiences.</li><li data-list="bullet">Sizeable opportunity for rights holders, fans and brands.</li><li data-list="bullet">65% of WSL club fans are male.</li><li data-list="bullet">10% of the audience is interested in sustainability, human rights and climate.</li></ol><h2 id="fandom-evolution">Fandom evolution: athlete-driven engagement</h2>Sports fandom is evolving beyond team loyalty, with younger audiences increasingly drawn to individual athletes and their personal brands. This is particularly pronounced in women’s sports, which continues to gain momentum:<ol><li data-list="bullet">The 2025 Women’s Euros and the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 are expected to drive record-breaking engagement.</li><li data-list="bullet">Rising stars like Caitlin Clark and Leah Williamson are spearheading a surge in women’s sports viewership, attracting new fans.</li><li data-list="bullet">Industry leaders identify women’s sports growth as the top sports investment opportunity.</li></ol><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1870/1290;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/39f3153b-9c73-4028-90fa-3dafb649891f.png" width="1870" height="1290"></figure><a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sporsora.com/etudes/1451-2024-global-sports-survey/file">In Europe, only around two-thirds of followers</a> of top football leagues regularly watch live games, which presents both a threat and an opportunity to grow viewership and provides other ways to interact with favourite sports and teams.A fifth of fans,&nbsp;studied by Media Culture, are fans because of the communities they want to be part of, but just because they support the team. The social aspect and necessary feeling of belonging is bonding fans and their passion, giving them more joy. That’s why when fans are gathering from different countries to support the same team, they crucially need to have a way to communicate with each other and perform their communicativeness. One of the best examples of this is La Liga, which gathers fans worldwide through its League community-building app.<h2 id="fan-ownership-models">Fan Ownership Models and Blockchain in Sports</h2>Another emerging trend is the rise of fan-owned sports clubs, which give supporters a stake in their favourite teams. Actually, this highlights the importance of fan communities because nowadays they literally rule sports.This movement is part of a more significant sports decentralisation trend:<ol><li data-list="bullet">The German Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule ensures fan-majority ownership, fostering strong community-driven sports organisations.</li><li data-list="bullet">Clubs like AFC Wimbledon and Real Oviedo allow fans to influence sports team decisions, from jersey designs to charity partnerships.</li><li data-list="bullet">Blockchain-based fan tokens (e.g., Socios.com fan tokens) enable interactive fan engagement, provide financial support for clubs, and increase fan loyalty.</li></ol><h2 id="role-of-ai-in-sports-coverage">The role of AI and data analytics in sports coverage</h2>Generative AI in sports and sports analytics are set to revolutionise sports media, impacting everything from sports content creation to fan engagement:<ol><li data-list="bullet">AI-driven sports personalisation is helping sports leagues tailor sports recommendations, making sports coverage more immersive.</li><li data-list="bullet">Predictive sports analytics enhance sports betting, player performance analysis, and fan behaviour insights.</li><li data-list="bullet">AI-generated sports commentary and automated sports highlights make real-time sports coverage more dynamic and cost-effective.</li></ol>Looking ahead, the sports industry trends in 2025 will need to balance innovation with accessibility. As sports streaming services and digital-first sports content dominate, sports leagues must ensure that sports fans across generations can affordably engage with sports media. Meanwhile, emerging sports technologies and fan-driven sports innovations will continue to shape the future of sports consumption, making 2025 a defining year for watching sports online, interacting with, and supporting people's favourite teams and athletes.<hr><h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in Touch</h2>If you want to grow engagement, build strong fan communities, or provide live streaming in your sports app with influencers and athletes as hosts, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">book a call</a> with Watchers team. We will help you find the best strategy to grow fan engagement.&nbsp;Sources:<ol><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sporsora.com/etudes/1451-2024-global-sports-survey/file">sporsora.com</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-telecom-outlooks.html">deloitte.com</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gwi.com/blog/sports-viewership-trends">gwi.com</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/sporting-goods-industry-trends">mckinsey.com</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mediaculture.com/insights/the-psychology-of-fandom-what-drives-sports-fans">mediaculture.com</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/hospitality-leisure/documents/global-sports-survey-2024.pdf">pwc.co.uk</a></li><li data-list="bullet"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/tech-innovation/comment-five-trends-that-will-drive-sport-content-in-2025/5200232.article">broadcastnow.co.uk</a></li></ol></div>

Here we explore various studies about women athletes and women spectators.

Here, we explore various studies about female athletes and spectators.

Do women watch sports?

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#where-to-watch">Where can we watch female sports?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#not-as-new-audience">A completely new audience, or not as new?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#how-to-watch">How do women watch sports?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#what-sports-watchers-watch">What sports do women in the Watchers' team watch?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#get-in-touch">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;">In 2021 and 2022, many information agencies researched how viewing attitudes had changed during the pandemic. How do people watch sports now, and how will they watch it in the future?These studies revealed quite a few exciting things. For example, according to the survey provided by Meta, three out of four sports fans use social media exclusively to follow sports events and their favourite teams. One in five spectators who watch sports regularly don’t identify as sports fans. Also, it turns out that the popularity of women’s sports has risen significantly and that women themselves have become more active viewers. Likewise, they form a more significant percentage of the total TV and online broadcast audiences. Press enter or click to view image in full size<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/1168;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/0af51774-5cfb-4578-b4e7-5b5078735ad3.webp" width="1600" height="1168"><figcaption>By Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Meta study shows that Latin America boasts the most gender-balanced sports spectators. In Latin America, almost as many women as men watch sports (49% vs. 51%).The most significant difference in watching patterns between the sexes can be seen in the Middle East and Africa. 61% of men watch sports, and only 39% of women do.<blockquote>“Growing up, I didn’t see Muslim women on billboards or TV. I felt like my dreams and goals were limited, because how do you dream bigger without seeing someone who looks like you accomplish those things?”</blockquote>—Asma Elbadawi, the Sudanese athlete, basketball trainer, and poetess, who convinced the International Basketball Federation to remove the ban on hijab-wearing.<h2 id="where-to-watch">Where can we watch female sports?</h2>Despite the growing popularity of women’s sports, finding an online broadcast isn’t easy, and this is even more true on TV.At the end of last year, the Altman Solon company conducted a study in which they surveyed 18 thousand respondents from 16 countries in Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe. Here are their insights.They found that more than half of women living in the United Kingdom watch sporting events at least once a month. Every fifth woman in the UK says she watches the FA Women’s Super League as her favourite championship.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1426/1398;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/b98fe7d8-9e99-4744-8db9-1104053322d4.webp" width="1426" height="1398"><figcaption>Photo: @asmaelbadawi on Instagram</figcaption></figure>Why do these results refer much more to the UK if the poll was international? The answer concerns the partnership which has been active between SkySport, the Women’s Sport Collective, and BBC since 2021. SkySports managers claim audience size and engagement growth were extraordinary due to the integration.According to SkySport, the number of female sports viewers has increased by 49% since 2017. At the same time, in 2017, the International Women’s Cricket Championship final was viewed by more than a million viewers on SkySport platforms—more than the average Premier League match.“The final vs. a regular match?” We might be sceptical of the significance of this statistic, but remember that men’s football is the most popular sport around—and beyond all reach in terms of the overall level of interest. But now women’s cricket can compete with it!<blockquote>Respondents from 33 out of 40 countries indicate that football is the most popular sport. In the USA it is outstripped by American football, in India—cricket, in Canada—hockey, and by basketball in the Philippines.</blockquote><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/900;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/e3af40dd-38f2-4cb6-b6a8-399a8f19befd.webp" width="1600" height="900"><figcaption>©&nbsp;<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ld25.tv/">https://www.ld25.tv</a></figcaption></figure>The Women’s Super League (WSL) broadcasts show the highest ratings. Nielsen estimates that with the rise in WSL fans, the season’s total British audience was 14.5 million, becoming the country’s fourth most popular national League.However, the most crucial part of this picture is a partnership. No league can become famous if sports fans don’t have access to watch its matches.<h2 id="not-as-new-audience">A completely new audience, or not as new?</h2>25% of those who watched women’s cricket had never watched men’s cricket in the past, and six million WSL viewers had never watched Premier League games. The conclusion is simple — if you don’t provide access to women’s sports, you are losing a potential audience.According to research by Travis Schaedler and Audrey Wagstaff in 2020, respondents who described women’s sports as “slower” and “less exciting” didn’t have any experience watching women’s competitions; their knowledge was built on prejudice. In addition, less than 10% of sports media covers women’s sports regularly.<blockquote>The Olympics have become gender balanced. 48.8% of the Olympic athletes in Tokyo were women. At the Olympics in Beijing, this figure dropped a bit — to 45%. According to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese Olympic games were the first gender-balanced in history.</blockquote><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2318/1544;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/71788633-475f-4dfc-9535-46f773bd987a.png" width="2318" height="1544"><figcaption>©Getty Images</figcaption></figure>As the female viewer base grows, so do the top women’s sports leagues. However, according to research, women are more event-oriented and prefer to watch flagship matches and top competitions. These results give rise to great potential for audience growth and the ability to transform female viewers from occasional viewers into more frequent viewers.Let’s look at competitions that women manage to watch not only in the UK but around the world. Compared to men, women are more likely to watch the Olympics, Women’s and Men’s World Cup, including FIFA games and World Tennis Association events. But women rarely watch regular championships, and this only leaves room for growth.<h2 id="how-to-watch">How do women watch sports?</h2>We also surveyed women to learn how they would prefer to watch games: whether alone or together, online or at the stadium—and what they need to make viewing more pleasant.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1036/1300;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/9a9a87de-487f-4aa9-83d5-b44ec1c66311.webp" width="1036" height="1300"></figure>We also asked an open question — what do you need to get pleasure from viewing sports online? Most women reiterated the importance of friends and good company, followed by snacks/food and a lack of advertisement while watching. One of the respondents shared that a bottle of beer comes in handy, “maybe two, if the game is bollocks”.<h2 id="what-sports-watchers-watch">What sports do women in the Watchers' team watch?</h2>"Unfortunately, not all sports close to me can be seen on TV or a video platform, as their broadcasting would be hard to organise, and their entertainment value is low. I would like to see more Open-Water Swimming Championships, triathlon races, and General Aviation Sports (air rally racing, precision flying, and air navigation races).&nbsp;From what the media offers, I watch football and Red Bull competitions. I have never missed a single Red Bull Air Race before, but now, after cancellation, I am following Cliff Diving. These are the guilty pleasures that I watch alone. As for football… Who cheers at the stadium alone? You need company; if we can’t come together with friends, we exchange impressions online”. —&nbsp;Yana Barden, CEO“Different women watch sports differently, just as is true of men. Some like to discuss and be in a crowd, whether real or virtual, because that brings joy. Others follow a game attentively, analysing tactics. I watch football and always react very emotionally. After all, football is like a film — the same strong emotions, editing, and close-ups are all present without any prepared script, and seasons are like series and have plot twists”. —&nbsp;Alina Kuzo, Editor-in-Chief<h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in touch</h2>If you want to build communities on your platform with a trusted and healthy space, and allow your users to discuss sports while watching,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">connect with us</a>. We will help you&nbsp;find the most suitable solution.<hr style="&gt;
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 &lt;a style=;margin-bottom:1vw;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-changing-profile-of-sports-fans-around-the-world">Sources:The changing profile of sports fans around the world | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-changing-profile-of-sports-fans-around-the-world">Facebook IQ</a>Analysis: 2021 Sports Survey | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.altmansolon.com">Altman Solon</a>Exposure to Women’s Sports: Changing Attitudes Toward Female Athletes | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thesportjournal.org/article/exposure-to-womens-sports-changing-attitudes-toward-female-athletes/">The Sport Journal</a>Women's Sport: Record viewing in 2021 according to Women's Sports Trust research | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/other-sports/news/29877/12535281/womens-sport-record-viewing-in-2021-according-to-womens-sports-trust-research">Sky Sports</a></div>

Blog with tag: fan engagement