Sports rights spend to top $78bn by 2030

Ampere said the growth is driven by a combination of factors, including major renewals in the US and rising competition from global streamers drawn to premium live sports rights auctions.

The US will continue to drive global growth, Ampere reported. The new NBA rights cycle starting in the 2025–26 season, alongside new MLB deals from 2029, will push the market to more than $36bn in 2030.

Further expansion could come if the NFL renegotiates its current agreements. Although many existing deals run until 2034, the league believes its rights are undervalued and Ampere expects initial discussions to start as early as 2026. These could have a significant impact on global rights spend.

According to the research, Europe will see steadier growth, up 17% from $18.3bn in 2025 to $21.3bn in 2030. While major sports properties in the region have faced downward pressure in recent rights auctions, Ampere has stated that it expects the growing appeal of live sport to global streamers to ignite market competition in upcoming tenders. Major competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics will also reportedly drive value growth in 2030.

Rightsholders are already actively seeking to attract major streaming platforms to rights auctions. For example, UEFA, in partnership with rights agency Relevent, has secured deals with Paramount as part of its latest Champions League tender.

Additionally, Ampere has highlighted that it expects Asian rights spend to grow from $7.2bn in 2025 to $9.9bn in 2030. Indian cricket will be a key driver, with new deals from 2027 – including for the Indian Premier League and ICC tournaments such as the T20 World Cup – driving strong value growth.

Dan Harraghy, Senior Research Manager of Sports at Ampere Analysis, said: “Sports rights remain a reliable driver of value in media. Major US renegotiations will shape the next rights cycle – including the MLB and potentially the NFL – and these could push global spend even higher. At the same time, the growing involvement of global streaming platforms has the potential to reshape competition in European tenders, while new cricket rights deals in Asia will also increase in value. Together, these dynamics will lift worldwide spend to more than $78bn by 2030.”

Spending on US sports rights has surged 122% over the past decade, rising from $13.8bn in 2015 to $30.5bn in 2025, according to recent research from Ampere Analysis. Discover more here.