A new report by Ampere Analysis indicates global investment will surpass US$78bn by 2030, an increase of 20% from 2025.
Ampere Analysis’ latest forecast for global sports rights media spend predicts that global investment will surpass US$78bn by 2030, an increase of 20% from 2025.
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, with the new NBA rights cycle starting in the 2025–26 season, alongside new MLB deals from 2029, pushing the US market alone to more than US$36bn in 2030.
Further upside 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. Given the scale of the NFL deal, any renegotiation could have a significant impact on global sports rights spend.
Europe will see steadier growth, up 17% from US$18.3bn in 2025 to US$21.3bn in 2030. While major sports properties in the region have faced downward pressure in recent rights auctions, Ampere expects the growing appeal of live sport to global streamers to ignite market competition. Major competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics will also drive value growth in 2030.
The growing involvement of global streaming platforms has the potential to reshape competition in European tenders, with rights holders already active in seeking to attract major streaming platforms to rights auctions. In one example, UEFA, working with rights agency Relevent, has secured deals with Paramount as part of its latest Champions League tender.
Ampere also expects Asian rights spend to grow from US$7.2bn in 2025 to US$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.
