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Sports Content Spend Hits $29B Across Platforms

A KPMG study of 13 leading media and platform companies finds sports content investment reached roughly $29B in 2025.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Media

Sports Content Spend Hits $29B Across Platforms

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KPMG reported that sports content investment across 13 leading media and platform companies reached roughly $29B in 2025, about 14% of the $207B total content spend the companies analyzed. Sports content investment is up 57% since 2021.

Why it matters

The growth points to sports taking market share from film, TV and streaming content budgets. Companies that build ecosystems around sports rights are expected to get the most out of their investment.

Sports content spend across the 13 companies reached roughly $29B in 2025, against $207B total content spend, with YouTube at around $28B, Comcast/NBCU at $25B and Disney/ESPN/Hulu at $23B on all content. User-generated content spend reached around $46B, up 75% from five years earlier, while the study does not address how sports spending will trend beyond the projections it cites.

The players

KPMG

KPMG is a global professional services network known for its audit, tax and advisory work, including media and entertainment industry research.

YouTube

YouTube is Google's video-sharing platform and one of the largest content spenders among the companies KPMG analyzed.

Comcast/NBCU

Comcast's NBCUniversal unit is a major broadcast, cable and streaming media company that ranked among the largest content spenders in the study.

Disney/ESPN/Hulu

Disney owns ESPN and Hulu, and its combined sports and streaming operations are among the largest sports content investors in the media industry.

The details

KPMG analyzed content spending across 13 media and platform companies in a study conducted between June and July 2026. The findings show sports taking a growing share of content budgets while user-generated content spend also rose sharply over the same period.

Timeline

  1. 2021: Baseline year for the 57% increase in sports content investment.

  2. 2025: Sports content spend reached roughly $29B across the analyzed platforms.

  3. June to July 2026: KPMG conducted its study of sports content spending.

  4. November 11, 2026: KPMG data on sports content spending was published.

Market Landscape

The 14% share of content spend going to sports, alongside a 57% rise since 2021, shows live sports rights competing directly with scripted film and TV budgets. Companies such as YouTube, Comcast/NBCU and Disney/ESPN/Hulu are positioning sports as a central part of their content strategy against rivals for the same audiences.

For consumers, the shift toward sports content means more live games may move behind subscription services and bundled platform tiers. The study points to ecosystems built around sports rights as the place where spending is expected to concentrate.

The takeaway

Sports is becoming a central pillar of media budgets, so audiences should expect live events to anchor the platforms they pay for. Watching which companies build sports ecosystems will show where content dollars are heading next.

Further reading

For broader context on how media companies are reshaping their budgets, explore our Media coverage.

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Are you planning to pay for more sports streaming subscriptions this year?