Until the latter half of the 20th century, it meant being at your set time, usually on TV, or in the cubby hole of your front room checking the morning newspaper to see the outcome! That’s a world that’s gone. by 2026, the sport ritual is everywhere through screens, apps and feeds, with fans demanding that info will be available anywhere near them.
The change is no easy one. It’s changed the way it’s defined to be a supporter and made a show one that will be ongoing, personalised, and more and more participatory.
From Traditional Broadcasts to Digital Platforms
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There has been the most obvious shift in delivery of live sport. The streaming services, mobile applications and connected TVs have freed the audience from pre-scheduled schedules and given them the freedom of when, where and how they consume their viewing content.
Following Sport Anytime, Anywhere
Based on recent data, streaming is closing in on linear broadcasts as TV’s preferred way of watching live sport: almost a quarter (24%) of viewers said they had higher expectations than they did 1-2 years ago, whilst digital viewing is virtually equal to linear broadcast with a majority of 30% saying that they preferred subscription streaming over 29% who preferred linear TV.
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What’s the reason? Practical. The 2026 IBM Sports Intelligence Report reveals that convenience (43%) and being able to watch exclusive content (27%) are the most important reasons why sports fans prefer to watch sport digitally over linear. The smartphone in particular has been the convergence device that places sport in the life of the user rather than the user in sport, not only in terms of design, but also because it is now second nature to instantly call up your mobile phone whenever you need to hear the latest score, the time of the match, or the weather forecast.
Live Scores and the Changing Fan Experience
Not all fans are able to watch 90 minutes. If you can’t, it’s the main source of contact with a competition that you can get feedback on scores, Alerts and statistics in real-time.
Real-Time Information at Your Fingertips
Sports apps have emerged from the fringes and are now in the heart and soul of fandom with 72% of fans using the apps for at least half of their sports consumption and 74% saying they trust the apps for accurate information. So the features fans have desired most either represents the transparency they feel they have for the marketing while providing instant updates:
- Live scores that follow a match minute by minute
- Push notifications for goals, lineups and key moments
- In-app statistics and live analytics
- Player updates and team news between events
That behaviour can be quantified! In-app users who value having information in one place is 40%, who depend on real-time information is 35% and who have seen an increase in live stats and analytics is 30%. The consequence is something that is a continual consumption, without respite, engaging the fan to the very competition – whether or not they’re in the vicinity of the screen. This comes as a sub-theme in our coverage of how fans watch sport online and it will be explored in more depth.
The Rise of the Second Screen
Fans also don’t turn a blind eye to the whole show; even if they do, they don’t do it for long. The phone on their hand is now a “second screen”, which is placed over the Feed.
Watching, Checking and Discussing Simultaneously
While in the game of the day, fans now look up stats, listen to the game live, know about fantasy and chat with each other without significantly losing focus of the action. This is not “marginal behaviour. Close to a quarter of multi-use (29%) on sports set up occurred in one year from 2024 to 2025.
This trend is applicable to the audience as a whole. According to Nielsen‘s sports fan research, 78 percent of college sports fans watch games directly (where they are) vs. 31 percent who use a second screen to connect with social media. It’s not a broadcast replacement – the second screen is a good add-on.
A More Personalised Way to Follow Sport
With the volume of content rising, sorting and filtering is becoming the actual challenge and that is being alleviated by algorithms. Now programmes such as personalised notifications, recommendation algorithms and AI tools can be used to recommend to fans what it is they are interested in, without them having to look for all of the scores. The spread of technology is rapid: Usage of AI has grown by seven points since last year involving 69% of all respondents; on the other hand, 59% believe in the trustworthiness of AI-generated sports content, a drop from last year’s 63%.
The falling trust number is a good reminder. Personalisation is best when it reinforces a fan’s preferences and it doesn’t limit their experiences of various sports and viewpoints.
Social Media Turns Fans Into Participants
In addition to the match, social media like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X have spread fandom beyond the game and into a discussion of highlights, reactions, memes and post-game discussion. The people who are initiating it have a here-to-stay influence. Almost a half (49%) of Sports fans surveyed follow sports creators, which increases to around six in ten among the Generation Z and Millennial Sports fans. The fans are not just onlookers anymore, but contributors, who can choose what aspects are important.
Where Technology Takes Sports Fandom Next
The next step brings AI-generated insights and analytics, interactive statistics, customised broadcasts and, ultimately, immersive AR and VR viewing. All these tools share this common thought, a more saturated ecology, where fans can descend from live-action to data, and from data to social interactions and customization of content.
The end result is all about the nature of sport out of which we want to replace nothing. Other than being more accessible, immediate and personal through technology, there is a great sense of emotion and feeling part of a community when attending a live match.
