Is Pay-per-View Dead? Sports Streaming Shifts Dominate Industry Discussion
September 26,2025 – The sports broadcasting landscape is undergoing a seismic shift,and the latest episode of The SportBusiness Podcast dives deep into the key trends reshaping how fans consume live sports. Recorded fresh from the IMG x RedBird Summit 2025 at Soho Farmhouse,hosts Martin Ross and Jonathan Rest unpack the implications of recent deals and emerging platforms,questioning whether the era of pay-per-view (PPV) is coming to an end.
The podcast focuses on several pivotal developments:
* The UFC & Zuffa Boxing Rights: Paramount’s recent acquisition of UFC rights and the impending broadcast deal for Zuffa Boxing are prompting industry experts to re-evaluate the viability of the PPV model. Is the convenience and accessibility of streaming services finally rendering PPV obsolete?
* youtube as a Sports Destination: Rights holders are increasingly embracing YouTube as a platform for live sports, signaling a significant change in distribution strategies. This move offers wider reach and potentially new revenue streams,but also introduces new challenges in terms of monetization and control.
* Amazon‘s Golf Streaming Push: Amazon’s foray into golf streaming with the acquisition of a US Masters package demonstrates the growing appetite of tech giants for premium sports content. This trend is likely to intensify competition for broadcasting rights and further fragment the sports media landscape.
* The Future of Minimum Guarantees: The podcast also addresses the question of whether large minimum guarantees are still prevalent in sports rights deals, and explores IMG’s appetite for such arrangements given its ownership by TKO.
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Key Takeaways:
The SportBusiness Podcast provides valuable insights for industry professionals and sports fans alike. The discussion highlights a clear trend towards streaming and the potential disruption of conventional broadcasting models. The move by major players like Paramount and Amazon signals a willingness to invest heavily in sports content, but also raises questions about the long-term sustainability of various revenue models.
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About The SportBusiness Podcast:
Hosted by Catherine Davies, with contributions from Martin Ross and Jonathan Rest, The SportBusiness Podcast delivers frontline industry insight and heavyweight interviews from the global sports industry. Edited by Lumi Lehmuskallio.
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