US sports: annual growth of 3.5% in 2020, thanks to the dynamism of media rights (PwC survey)

The US sports industry will experience an annual growth in turnover of 3.5%, reaching to $75.67bn (€68.6bn) in 2020, according to "Outlook for the sports market in North America through 2020", a study published by the US branch of the audit firm PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP), on 12/10/2016.

This is the fourth annual report in which the firm describes its projections for ticket revenue, audiovisual rights, sponsorship, and merchandising of the five major North American professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS).

According to the audit firm, media rights are the source of income that will experience the largest increase, with an annual growth rate of 5.5% between 2016 and 2020, to reach $21.23bn (€19.26bn) in 2020.

This sector will become the largest financial portion of the industry from 2018, according to projections of the firm. In the five years of the 2011-2015 period, the annual growth rate of the US sports industry was 4.2%, posting a cumulative turnover of $63.857bn (€58.8bn) in 2015.

The North American sports market through 2020: ticketing takes second place in…