Ooh là là

The GIST: Prominent U.S. agency Horizon Media is digging into what drives consumers through a series of data-driven reports focused on major cultural trends. Its first one, “Sport-Curious,” dropped on Friday and confirmed what sports biz folks already know: Gen Z viewers aren’t tuning in to sports the same way as other generations, creating a real conundrum for the industry.

• But that doesn’t mean they’re not tuning in at all. In fact, it seems Gen Zers have the potential to be just as avid fans, they just want sports content to be filtered through pop culture icons and featured on social media. Who doesn’t love a good crossover?

The methodology: Horizon Media’s Why Group surveyed 1.1K U.S. adults (including 254 Gen Zers) about their perspectives and behaviors. It then identified themes around the sport-curious trend, like engaging with sports through cultural moments on social media, utilizing streaming services for live sports, and engaging in sports betting. Let’s dive into the numbers.

📱 Eighty-six percent of Gen Zers interact with sports-related content on social, and 49% have discovered a new sport that way.

⚖️ Among Gen Z and Millennials, 40% find women's sports more exciting to watch than men's, compared to about 25% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.

🎮 Six in 10 Zoomers are very interested in content creators on Twitch or YouTube chatting about sports on live streams, and 70% discovered or deepened an interest in sports through fan communities on social.

🎭 Fifty-seven percent of Gen Zers say they are more interested in the cultural moments of sports events than who actually wins or loses. Here for the plot.

The examples: We’ve already seen the power of sport-curious Gen Z fans through tenniscore, the tennis-inspired fashion trend launched by Gen Z icon Zendaya during her Challengers press tour. Another example is Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, the WNBA’s top Instagram influencer who’s notched fan-fueled activations with Hershey’s, Mattel, and even Wicked.

Key takeaways: The sport-curious trend is changing the landscape of traditional sports fandom, allowing those who haven’t engaged in the historically male-dominated space to find new pathways to the game. This shift also allows brands to reach younger fans in exciting ways and build deeper connections, like through their Taylor Swift fandom or TikTok. Oh so popular.

The GIST: The Paralympics are in the spotlight like never before, with the increased exposure and investment resulting in serious global viewership. The U.S., Canada, the U.K., and France all reported historic numbers after expansive media commitments. Ooh là là.

🇺🇸 U.S.: Before the Games, NBC confirmed that ad sales were up more than 60% from Tokyo as the media brand bagged a record number of partners. As of September 5th, the Paralympics rights holder was averaging 1.32M viewers during two weeks of competition, up 49% from 2021.

🇨🇦 Canada: On the podium, Canadian athletes experienced a bounceback at this year’s Paralympic Games with 29 total medals (including 10 golds), but the wins weren’t limited to the competition: CBC experienced a 188% jump in viewership for the Paralympics Opening Ceremony compared to Tokyo.

🇬🇧 U.K.: Like NBC, Channel 4 doubled down on investing in Paralympic coverage this year by offering its “most accessible Games to date,” featuring improved British Sign Language and audio offerings. A more accessible viewership experience seemed to pay off because heading into the final weekend, Channel 4’s coverage reached 18.5M individuals, or 30.4% of the British TV population.

🇫🇷 France: The home nation boasted immense viewership during the 2024 Opening Ceremony, averaging more than 22M fans and peaking at 10.2M on domestic broadcaster France Télévisions for an audience share of 52%, more than double what Japan notched in 2021 (24%). Throughout the competition, France Télévisions averaged around 20M viewers per day.

Looking forward: Companies are really only beginning to lean into the marketing power of the Paralympics to harness its potential, but they should have LA28 in their sights. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is encouraging brands to activate around both the Olympics and Paralympics, which big players like Nike, Toyota, Citi, and Reese’s did this year.

• Plus, those wanting to cash in on the Olympic halo effect are realizing the glow is even bigger when they can promote Olympians and Paralympians together. Ten rings are better than five.