30% of Sports Viewing Time Was Streamed in Q2

A Q2 analysis from Inscape reveals that live, linear content is increasingly being consumed via streaming, enabled by various smart TV apps that give access to what’s currently airing on broadcast and cable networks. Even sports and news — two of the only genres that still command large shares of live, linear viewing — are increasingly being streamed. 

• In Q2 2024, over a quarter of live, linear viewing time was streamed, a jump of ten percentage points in the last two years. 
• Over 30% of sports viewing time was streamed during the quarter, an increase of seven percentage points from Q2 2023. 
• Streaming captured about 20% of news viewing time, up 5.5 percentage points year-over-year. 

For sports in particular, this shift to streaming has created a fragmentation headache for viewers: With games now spread across traditional linear TV as well as various streaming platforms, figuring out where to watch a specific event is no easy feat. Vizio (Inscape’s parent company) recently addressed this with the launch of Sports Zone, a centralized hub on the smart TV home screen that organizes live and upcoming games by streaming options across apps. It’s a win-win: consumers now have a clearer way to find their favorite sports content and publishers, leagues and brands have an engaging way to drive tune-in.  

For more smart TV insights, download Inscape’s Q2 report here.