Assessment Of The Global Streaming Rights Market 2026-2031: Expected To Reach $60.01 Billion By 2031 As Sports, Live Events And Ad-Supported Content Drive Growth
Dublin, Sept. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Streaming Rights - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The global streaming rights market was valued at USD 39.36 billion in 2025 and is expected to increase from USD 42.24 billion in 2026 to USD 60.01 billion by 2031. The market is projected to register a compound annual growth rate of 7.28% from 2026 to 2031, supported by rising competition for exclusive programming, growing demand for premium sports rights and the expansion of ad-supported streaming services.
Exclusive Sports and Live Event Rights Gain Strategic Value
Premium live programming remains a major competitive force in the streaming rights market. Exclusive sports and event coverage can help streaming platforms attract subscribers, strengthen engagement and reduce customer cancellations. Amazon Prime Video's 11-year NBA media rights agreement demonstrates the willingness of global digital platforms to make long-term investments in major sports properties. Paramount+ also secured exclusive U.S. UFC rights beginning in 2026, bringing another high-profile live property into a streaming-led distribution model.
Rights packages increasingly extend beyond primary event feeds. Streaming services can negotiate access to alternate camera angles, multilingual commentary, real-time statistics, data overlays and supplementary programming. These assets create additional licensing opportunities while increasing the need for coordinated production, rights clearance and reliable live delivery. As competition intensifies, exclusivity, flexible packaging and scalable distribution capabilities are becoming central to streaming rights negotiations.
FAST and Ad-Supported Streaming Expand Content Windows
Free ad-supported streaming television and advertising-based video services are changing how content moves through licensing windows. Movies and episodic programming can initially launch on subscription platforms before moving to ad-supported services and wider distribution channels. This approach enables content owners to preserve early-release value while generating additional advertising and licensing revenue throughout a title's commercial lifecycle.
Titan OS expanded its European FAST distribution through an agreement with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution in July 2026. Covering the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, the agreement illustrates how studios, connected-device platforms and ad-supported channel operators are becoming more closely integrated. It also highlights the growing commercial value of established content libraries.
Territorial Licensing Creates Operational Challenges
Fragmented rights ownership continues to complicate international streaming releases. Co-production and distribution agreements may grant a global platform rights across several markets while reserving domestic rights for local broadcasters. These arrangements can create availability gaps and limit the effectiveness of coordinated marketing campaigns.
Each territorial exception may require separate legal reviews, delivery processes, payment structures, compliance procedures and distributor communications. As a result, streaming companies and content owners are investing in cloud-based rights operations, automated availability management and localization capabilities. However, rising content licensing costs and margin pressure remain significant constraints on market growth.
Exclusive Rights Lead as Windowed Licensing Accelerates
Exclusive streaming rights accounted for 46.33% of the streaming rights market in 2025, making them the leading rights category. Their strong position reflects the commercial value of differentiated programming that audiences cannot access through competing services. Exclusivity is particularly important for sports and live events, where time-sensitive viewing can support premium licensing fees and subscriber acquisition.
Windowed streaming rights are forecast to record the strongest growth within the rights category, advancing at a CAGR of 7.76% through 2031. These agreements allow content owners to distribute programming sequentially through subscription, ad-supported and broader licensing channels. Platforms gain access to attractive programming without committing to extended exclusivity, while owners retain greater control over future availability and monetization.
North America Maintains Market Leadership
North America held 42.62% of the global streaming rights market in 2025, supported by a large streaming subscriber base, major platform and studio groups, and frequent renewals of premium sports agreements. Competition across sports, scripted entertainment and live programming continues to sustain rights bidding throughout the region. Amazon's NBA agreement and Paramount+'s UFC deal reinforce the strategic importance of exclusive sports content in the United States.
Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing regional market, registering a CAGR of 8.24% through 2031. India is a major source of demand due to valuable domestic sports rights, a large consumer base and telecom-streaming bundles. Jio's 2026 OTT bundle demonstrated how connectivity providers can combine mobile and entertainment access within a single offering. Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and Southeast Asian markets also present growth opportunities, although language requirements, localization policies and differing regulatory environments add complexity to multi-territory agreements.
Europe remains the second-largest regional market by revenue. Regulatory reviews, local content obligations and investment requirements continue to influence licensing strategies for services operating across multiple European countries. South America is gaining momentum through streaming-first sports distribution, while investment in sports and entertainment supports growth in the Middle East. Africa is developing from a smaller base, with ad-supported streaming services providing an increasingly accessible route to digital content distribution.
Key Topics Covered
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition
1.2 Scope of the Study
2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4 MARKET LANDSCAPE
4.1 Market Overview
4.2 Market Drivers
4.2.1 Exclusive Sports and Live Event Rights Premiumization
4.2.2 FAST, AVOD, and Ad-Supported Window Expansion
4.2.3 Cross-Border Localization and Multi-Territory Release Demand
4.2.4 Cloud-Native Rights Operations and Automated Avails Management
4.2.5 AI-Powered Metadata, Fingerprinting, and Rights Matching
4.2.6 Bundled Distribution Deals Across Telco and Streaming Ecosystems
4.3 Market Restraints
4.3.1 Fragmented Rights Ownership and Territorial Clearing Complexity
4.3.2 Escalating Content Licensing Costs and Margin Compression
4.3.3 Persistent Piracy, Leakage, and Unauthorized Restreaming
4.3.4 Data Privacy, Localization, and Compliance Burden
4.4 Industry Value Chain Analysis
4.5 Regulatory Landscape
4.6 Technological Outlook
4.7 Impact of Macroeconomic Factors on the Market
4.8 Porter's Five Forces Analysis
4.8.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers
4.8.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers
4.8.3 Threat of New Entrants
4.8.4 Threat of Substitutes
4.8.5 Competitive Rivalry
5 MARKET SIZE AND GROWTH FORECASTS (VALUE)
5.1 By Rights
5.1.1 Exclusive Streaming Rights
5.1.2 Non-Exclusive Streaming Rights
5.1.3 Windowed Streaming Rights
5.1.4 Other Rights
5.2 By Content Type
5.2.1 Movies and Films
5.2.2 TV Shows and Episodic Content
5.2.3 Documentaries
5.2.4 Other Content Types
5.3 By End User
5.3.1 OTT Streaming Platforms
5.3.2 Broadcasters
5.3.3 Telecom and Pay-TV Operators
5.3.4 Media and Entertainment Companies
5.3.5 Other End Users
5.4 By Geography
5.4.1 North America
5.4.1.1 United States
5.4.1.2 Canada
5.4.1.3 Mexico
5.4.2 South America
5.4.2.1 Brazil
5.4.2.2 Argentina
5.4.2.3 Chile
5.4.2.4 Rest of South America
5.4.3 Europe
5.4.3.1 Germany
5.4.3.2 United Kingdom
5.4.3.3 France
5.4.3.4 Italy
5.4.3.5 Spain
5.4.3.6 Rest of Europe
5.4.4 Asia-Pacific
5.4.4.1 China
5.4.4.2 Japan
5.4.4.3 India
5.4.4.4 South Korea
5.4.4.5 Australia
5.4.4.6 Rest of Asia-Pacific
5.4.5 Middle East
5.4.5.1 Saudi Arabia
5.4.5.2 United Arab Emirates
5.4.5.3 Qatar
5.4.5.4 Rest of Middle East
5.4.6 Africa
5.4.6.1 South Africa
5.4.6.2 Egypt
5.4.6.3 Nigeria
5.4.6.4 Rest of Africa
6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
6.1 Market Concentration
6.2 Strategic Moves
6.3 Vendor Positioning Analysis
6.4 Company Profiles (includes Global Level Overview, Market Level Overview, Core Segments, Financials as available, Strategic Information, Products and Services, Recent Developments)
6.4.1 Netflix, Inc.
6.4.2 The Walt Disney Company
6.4.3 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
6.4.4 Amazon.com, Inc.
6.4.5 Apple Inc.
6.4.6 Alphabet Inc.
6.4.7 Paramount Global
6.4.8 Comcast Corporation
6.4.9 Fox Corporation
6.4.10 Spotify Technology S.A.
6.4.11 Sony Group Corporation
6.4.12 TelevisaUnivision, Inc.
6.4.13 Viaplay Group AB
6.4.14 DAZN Group Limited
6.4.15 beIN MEDIA GROUP
6.4.16 Vubiquity, Inc.
6.4.17 Rightsline, Inc.
6.4.18 Whip Media Group, Inc.
6.4.19 FADEL, Inc.
6.4.20 Vistex, Inc.
7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
7.1 White-Space and Unmet-Need Assessment
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