Sport media has an audience measurement problem

Research QuestionWhile the commercial value of sport media remains intrinsically pegged to viewing behaviours, technological transformation and digitalisation of media are challenging the utility of established audience measurement techniques. With existing norms appearing increasingly outdated, the aim of this conceptual paper is to articulate the key strategic and commercial implications resulting from technological innovation within sport media, with a focus on audience measurement.Research MethodsWe use a cyclical innovation framework to conceptualise the changing structures, products and relationships within the sport media ecosystem to map the corresponding strategic implications for relevant stakeholders.Results and FindingsAs the efficacy of analogue audience measurement erodes, digital sport media platforms offer new opportunities to harness forms of user data that facilitate deeper and more accurate measurement. While this helps inform rights valuations and creates new commercialisation opportunities, it also creates new complexity. Such complexities surround the harmonisation of linear and digital audience data, establishment of nascent valuation norms and shifts in inter-organisational power dynamics.ImplicationsFive implications linked to interrelated themes of measurement, value and performance assessment are detailed. These include establishing a new paradigm of measurement, including individual-level consumer behaviours, consideration of new forms of value and new currency to inform rights markets, and implications for data and information sharing. Provocations to inform a future research agenda and future research opportunities are provided.