Despite the abridged seasons and lack of crowds, live sport has never been so valuable, according to new data from Nielsen.
Nielsen’s year-to-date analysis shows positive year-on-year value gains for both the AFL and NRL, despite the COVID-19 outbreak.
At the end of round 3 of the AFL Premiership season, total game inventory value had increased five per cent in 2020 (vs. 2019), despite a nine per cent deficit at the completion of round one.
The NRL has seen its asset value increase 15 per cent over the first six rounds of the season year-on-year.
The relaunch of the competition in May saw round three of the 2020 NRL season deliver a 39 per cent value increase on the corresponding round last year.
“While the industry pines for the days when the stadiums were packed with fans, the empty venues have made leagues and broadcasters think differently about how they deliver commercial value to partners via new assets and inventory that have been rolled out with the absence of crowds,” Nielsen said.
Such assets include virtual or banner signage covering empty seats, or fan- driven graphic integrations within the broadcast.
This is combined with increased viewership.
The study also highlights the distribution of live broadcast value by primary platform source.
The differing broadcast structures across AFL and NRL lend to contrasting shares.
Close to 80 per cent of total NRL asset value is delivered via subscription services (56 per cent STV, 22 per cent Kayo), while free-to-air TV accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the total value (38 per cent STV, 13 per cent Kayo) across AFL.
