In the most recent Gauge Report issued by Nielsen Media Research, the rise of streaming was evident with a total attainment of 36.4% of television viewership among P2+. The metrics contain a methodology change altering where viewership of original series by streaming services are counted, augmenting the numbers for streamers. Free ad-supported television and video on-demand, both of which encompass over-the-top platforms, have steadily gained larger swaths of viewership and concatenate to eclipse broadcast and cable shares. The May report was the highest audience share attained by streaming platforms, largely dominated by YouTube and Netflix, and partially facilitated by professional sports.
One FAST provider, however, stands out when looking at the previous month because of its rapid increase in share – and now, it is breaking boundaries by the live sports space. Roku Channel, along with CBS Sports (Paramount Global), has entered into an agreement with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship to serve as a media partner for the motorsport series. Paramount Global had previously been affiliated with the tour and will now air five races on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
“We were partners with CBS already, so we’ve had that partnership for some time and it’s been a really successful partnership for us; we love working with them,” Formula E chief executive officer Jeff Dodds said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “They’re pretty disruptive thinkers and pretty creative thinkers, so they’re good fun to work with.”
Conversely, the deal represents Roku Channel’s inroad into live sports after streamers such as Peacock, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ have entered the business. The channel is expected to stream 11 races for the upcoming season on the Roku Channel; however, Roku users can watch all races no matter the broadcaster through its newly released sports experience. Consumers will not have to pay to watch the raises, as the network’s revenue primarily derives from the advertising sector, and could be a harbinger of things to come for the company. Roku Channel is the exclusive streaming home of The Rich Eisen Show weekdays from 12 to 3 p.m. EST.
“I think it does mark a big new step for us,” David Eilenberg, head of content for Roku, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve been finding our way toward having our own offering from a sports standpoint for a little while now. This just opportunistically was such a great sort of first step into actual live sports rights that we put a lot of energy behind getting the deal done.”
Formula One recently inked a new media rights deal with The Walt Disney Company reportedly worth $85 million annually. The agreement ensures a linear television audience remains for the series while also exclusively streaming select races on ESPN+. As streaming becomes part of the ordinary consumption experience, many networks are valuing the amalgamation of the novel technology with linear channels through broadcast and/or cable television. Formula E is optimistic that the combination of Roku Channel and CBS Sports (including Paramount+) will drive viewership and accentuate exposure as electric vehicles continue to evolve and become part of the everyday lifestyle.
“Whilst we still have racing enthusiasts that love our product, we also have what we will call more of the electric generation, skewing slightly younger [and] slightly more generalist, but also more interested in sustainability more generally,” Dodds said. “When we talked to the folks over at Roku, we understood that’s exactly where their demographic is, as well as the audience they’re aspiring to bring to their platform. So we have… kind of this beautiful meeting of minds when it came to figuring out who’s the audience that we’re trying to cultivate.”
