The Digital Sports Revolution: How Perform Overtook ESPN in Video Viewership
The sports industry is undergoing a seismic shift as fans increasingly turn to digital platforms for live games, highlights, and analysis. With mobile devices and multi-screen consumption on the rise, the battle for dominance in digital sports video is heating up—and a new leader has emerged.
The Changing Landscape of Sports Media
Recent years have seen major moves in the digital sports space:
- Turner’s acquisition of Bleacher Report for an estimated $200 million
- Yahoo and NBC’s partnership to challenge ESPN’s dominance
- ESPN and Yahoo! maintaining their stronghold as top sports websites
Yet, despite these household names, a lesser-known player has taken the crown in digital video viewership.
Perform Sports: The New Digital Video Champion
According to comScore’s November rankings:
- Perform Sports reached 24.5 million unique viewers
- ESPN followed closely with 24 million
- Yahoo Sports trailed at 9.9 million
This marks the first time Perform has claimed the top spot in U.S. digital sports video—a remarkable feat for a company founded in 2007 and headquartered in the UK.
How Perform Outperformed Industry Giants
Perform’s success stems from several strategic advantages:
Extensive Content Portfolio
- Owns one of the world’s largest digital rights collections
- Provides video highlights to 350+ U.S. publishers including major newspapers
- Uses its ePlayer syndication platform for widespread distribution
Diverse Sports Coverage
- Partners with MLB, NBA, PGA, MLS, WTA, NASCAR
- Covers major college conferences through Total College Sports
- Offers geo-targeted content alongside editorial coverage
Innovative Distribution Model
- Delivers content directly to third-party sites rather than requiring visits to branded platforms
- Shares ad revenue with publisher partners
- Recently secured an NFL distribution deal (accounting for an 8M viewer surge)
Original Programming
- Developing exclusive content like studio shows
- Launching new programs on platforms like Hulu
The Future of Digital Sports Video
The sports video landscape continues to evolve with:
- Growing demand from both fans and advertisers
- Increasing value of high-quality video content for publishers
- More competition from agile players like CineSport (ranked 4th in November)
As consumption patterns shift and distribution models innovate, Perform’s November victory may signal a broader transformation in how sports content reaches audiences worldwide.
Data source: comScore November 2012 rankings
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