Streaming services now pay half of all fees to broadcast sports across the Asia Pacific region, reaching an estimated $5.7 billion this year.
Digital platforms have tightened their grip on live sports across the Asia Pacific. Streaming services from Netflix Inc. to Tencent Holdings Ltd. now pay half of all fees to broadcast sports across the region, according to industry projections. That share has climbed sharply from roughly 36% in 2021.
Media Partners Asia Reports $16.2 Billion Commercial Sports Economy
The region’s commercial sports economy stands at $16.2 billion in 2026, driven primarily by media rights contracts. At $6.1 billion, media rights form the biggest segment, with sponsorship coming next at $4.7 billion, ticketing and hospitality contributing $3.9 billion, and merchandise accounting for $1.5 billion. Rights fees rose 58% over five years to $5.7 billion, according to the Media Partners Asia report covering 14 markets.
Despite the rise in broadcast fees, growth in the region’s sports rights fees is projected to slow to 1%–2% a year through 2030, down from about 10% a year since 2021. Vivek Couto, CEO and executive director of Media Partners Asia, described the shift at the APOS Sports Edge forum in Singapore. This is not the end of sport’s boom in Asia Pacific. It is the end of the easy part,
Couto noted.
Indian Premier League Dominates Top-Tier Market Value
While rights growth moderates, certain properties continue to command global attention. Bringing in approximately $12.4 million per match—matching the Premier League—the Indian Premier League stands alone as the solitary Asia Pacific sports asset valued at the pinnacle of the world market. By contrast, Korea’s KBO baseball league earns about $100,000.
India accounted for more than half of the increase in the region’s rights fees since 2021. Market concentration remains heavy, with 64% of all fees concentrated in the 12 most valuable rights packages. Meanwhile, Media Partners Asia said streamers now determine pricing in most markets.
Sponsorship and Audience Growth Opportunities Through 2030
North America pulls in more than $200 per person in commercial sports revenue, whereas the Asia Pacific region generates roughly $4 per individual. Couto emphasized that the disparity indicates substantial room for expansion. That gap is not a ceiling.
It is headroom.
The next dollar will come from the seat, the sponsor, the local star and the women’s game, and it will go to the rights-holders who know their fans by name,
he said.
Propelled primarily by ticket sales and sponsorships, the broader sports ecosystem is forecast to grow at an annual rate of near 5% to hit approximately $19.5 billion by 2030. Furthermore, a survey of 10,249 fans across six territories conducted by ampd—the data and analytics division of Media Partners Asia—revealed that personal relationships fuel participation, noting that 35% of newcomers started a sport through an acquaintance, compared with 14% who were drawn in by a premier tournament.
