Sports reporting in transition: What fans really want!

Sports reporting in transition: What fans really want!

On March 26, 2025, the reports Austria Press Agency about the variety of multimedia content that journalists provide through various platforms. Among other things, live tickers and data centers for sporting events or elections are mentioned by both the Austria Press Agency and the German Press Agency (DPA).

These multimedia elements include widgets, videos and article links created by third parties, such as the Elfsight and Outbrain developments. Such innovative solutions are not only informative, but also crucial to the reader's user experience. The integration of social media, e.g. through Facebook or Instagram posts, enables interactive reporting.

Trend study on sports reporting

Another interesting aspect of the current media landscape is the b4p trend study “Sports reporting in transition”, which was published on April 26, 2023. According to this study, which was carried out by the Society for Integrated Communication Research (GIK), over 90% of Germans are sports fans. What is particularly striking is that 84% of those surveyed actively participate in sports, while 73% regularly follow sports reports GIK reported.

The study also shows gender-specific differences in sports behavior: women (85%) actively participate in sports slightly more often than men (83%). However, when it comes to media sports coverage, a larger number of men (82%) are informed than women (64%).

Popular sports and changing interests

The most popular sports in the media are diverse. Men's football leads with 61%, followed by women's football with 44%, and other sports such as ski jumping (43%) and biathlon (39%). Particularly noteworthy is the increase in interest in women's football, which has gained popularity as a result of the Women's European Championship. 15% of study participants report growing interest.

There is an uptick in eSports among younger age groups, with 32% of respondents saying they find eSports exciting. This is particularly pronounced among young men, 72% of whom say they are interested in eSports.

The study provides interesting findings about the usage behavior of older and younger generations. Older respondents (over 50) value live reporting (73%), while younger respondents (under 30) show more interest in entertainment (53%) and personalization (51%).

Overall, the study also offers perspectives on the influence of streaming services. 66% of 16-29 year olds use paid sports streaming services, while this proportion decreases with age. 43% of respondents watch sports via streaming platforms, and new services like those from the German Press Agency content provided becomes more important.

Combining these multimedia approaches and reporting on sports trends shows that sports reporting is constantly changing, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the future of the media landscape.