Two Circles: $174bn (€148.7bn) generated by sports rights holders in 2025, including $58bn in TV rights

Revenues collected by the sports IP owner ecosystem reached a record $174bn (€148.7bn) in 2025, equating to an average annual incrase of 6% since 2015 ($116bn/€99.1bn) and a growth rate "almost twice as fast as that of global GDP," according to the Sports IP Revenue League report published by the British agency Two Circles on 27/04/2026. The sports market is expected to exceed $260bn (€222.2bn) in revenue by 2033.

"This growth is underpinned by increases in the global number of sports fans, the amount of content these fans are consuming, and the importance of sports to fans’ overall media consumption and lifestyle. These trends in turn are driven by growth in population and global affluence, as well as greater professionalization of the sports sector. Sports continues to win in the internet economy, and the macro-opportunity for sports IP has never been greater," according to Two Circles.

Of this $174bn, one-third ($58bn, or 33.3%) came from TV rights sales. "This part of the market has experienced well documented headwinds in recent years, with the fragmentation of media and the…