"Sports still bring Canadians together, but not in the same ways, or on equal footing. These shifts are reshaping fan engagement, sports tourism and how brands reach increasingly fragmented audiences."
Scott Stewart, Associate Principal, Lifestyles & Retail
The NHL may be the most popular league in a hockey nation, but there are signs that its lead is slipping. Gen Zs are just as likely to watch the Super Bowl every year as they are to watch the Stanley Cup Final. The fragmentation of sports fandom is illustrative of a broader trend in this industry: consumers have more choice about what sports and leagues to follow and how to follow them. Demand for sports remains as high as ever, but fan engagement is getting increasingly complex.
External pressures are reshaping the fan experience in more uneven ways. As ticket prices climb and travel costs rise, attending live sports is becoming out of reach for a growing share of fans. While it’s never been easier to follow teams and leagues from anywhere, it’s getting harder for many fans to be there in person.
This fragmentation and decentralization creates both opportunities and threats. While they open up new ways for stakeholders to gain share and connect with sports fans beyond the traditional approaches, they also make scale harder to achieve. As a result, brands looking to leverage the popularity of sports must be increasingly deliberate about who they target and which channels they use to reach them.
Sports tourism: overnight travel where a live sports event is the primary motivator.
Fan engagement: ways in which fans connect with professional sports teams, including watching the live game/match as well as other channels outside the game itself.
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