Spectator Sports Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030

Major companies in the spectator sports market include Dallas Cowboys; Manchester United; FC Barcelona; Real Madrid and New York Yankees.

The global spectator sports market is expected to grow from $108.48 billion in 2020 to $132.6 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.2%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $183.45 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 8%.

The spectator sports market consists of sales of spectator sports services and related goods by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that provide live sporting events for a paying audience. Spectator sports include the presentation of sporting events by teams and clubs or independent athletes. Owners of teams, horses, and so on that enter participants into racing events or other spectator sports events and the sports trainers who provide specialized services to support participants in sports events or competitions are part of this industry. The establishments that operate race tracks are also included in this industry. The spectator sports market is segmented into sports team & clubs and racing & individual sports.

North America was the largest region in the global spectator sports market, accounting for 35% of the market in 2020. Asia Pacific was the second largest region accounting for 31% of the global spectator sports market. Africa was the smallest region in the global spectator sports market.

Sports organizers are implementing virtual reality (VR) technology to improve the spectators’ experience in sporting events. Virtual reality generates images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a physical presence in an imaginary environment. Clubs and teams are experimenting with simulated and 360-degree environments to enhance the match viewing experience of the spectators by allowing them to have a virtual walkthrough of the stadium or the race track and view the match at different angles. For instance, the NBA game between the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs was broadcasted in VR. NASCAR has created an interactive fan area at the race tracks with the implementation of virtual reality.

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has acted as a massive restraint on the spectator sports market in 2020 as governments globally imposed lockdowns and restricted domestic and international travel limiting the need for services offered by these establishments. COVID 19 is an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China and spread globally including Western Europe, North America and Asia. Steps by national governments to contain the transmission have resulted in closure of recreational facilities with countries entering a state of 'lock down' and the outbreak is expected to continue to have a negative impact on businesses throughout 2020 and into 2021. However, it is expected that the spectator sports market will recover from the shock across the forecast period as it is a 'black swan' event and not related to ongoing or fundamental weaknesses in the market or the global economy.

The market is expected to benefit from steady economic growth forecasted for many developed and developing countries. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the global real GDP growth will be 3.7% over 2019 and 2020, and 3.6% from 2021 to 2023. Recovering commodity prices, after a decline in 2014 and 2015, are further expected to be a significant factor driving economic growth. The US economy is expected to register stable growth during the forecast period. Additionally, emerging markets are expected to continue to grow slightly faster than the developed markets in the forecast period. For instance, India’s GDP is expected to grow at 7.3%, whereas China is forecasted to register GDP growth of 6.2% in 2019. This continued economic growth is expected to drive the demand for spectator sports.