Numbers of Gen Z and Gen Alpha watching sports live has been in decline over the past years, but is this the end of sports content for the next generation? No - tweens are still consuming sports content and forming fan communities around teams and players, they just consume and celebrate sport content differently. 

Our Global Kids Sports Report clearly showed that kids and tweens are still using sports fandom as a key building block of defining their social self and role in groups, celebrating both their teams and idols, but how they do it has changed. 

Particularly amongst younger Gen Z and older Gen Alpha sport content is consumed through multiple channels rather than the classic live broadcast or live event experience. They actively seek out a multi device and multichannel experience. 

From game highlights to sports news, social media channels are outpacing traditional broadcast channels. Particularly, older members of Gen Alpha are increasingly using TikTok, Instagram and co as social networks as well as news channels. 

Due to the nature of bite-sized content now being the preferred consumption method they prefer to consume sports content in 30sec-3min chunks rather than a full game broadcasted in one sitting. While this can be a challenge for broadcasters it also presents an opportunity - content becomes more evergreen! 

‘News’ on TikTok and Instagram Reels have a much longer lifespan. Our Global Kids Sports Report found that it is still important for tweens to see the team or player they support win, so goals and moments of celebration carry engagement on TikTok with this generation. While they might not catch the game live - goals scored might still be gaining traction on socials two months down the line. 

So while broadcast viewership and live attendance are decreasing, there is still a big opportunity for sports broadcasters and teams to engage with the younger generation online. The appetite for updates and content is still there, it just has to be packed differently and cater to the social content consumption habits of tweens. 

Would you like to know more? Why not download our Global Kids Sports report here. 

Want to discuss how you can engage kids and tweens through sports content online? Drop as a note hellouk@we-are-family.com.