A new analysis by Gracenote has shown that sports content has become the fastest-growing segment across major global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms, accounting for 5% of overall programming.
The Q2 2026 update of the Gracenote Data Hub has included HBO Max alongside Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+ for quarterly tracking.
The report has stated that sports content made up only 1.4% of programming catalogs across five major streamers in November 2024. Over the last 18 months, that share has increased to 3.3%. With HBO Max added to the analysis, sports programming has risen to 5% of total content across leading global SVOD services.
According to the analysis, there are now nearly 38,500 sports shows, episodes, games and events available across major streaming platforms.
HBO Max has emerged as the platform with the largest share of sports programming, accounting for 35% of available sports content among the services tracked. At the individual game and event level, HBO Max has accounted for 42% of sports content availability.
After HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video has accounted for 25% of sports programming, followed by Netflix at 16% and Disney+ at 14%.
The report has also highlighted growth in FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels. The number of FAST channels has increased by 19% year-over-year, while news channels have recorded the highest annual growth at 57%.
Entertainment, sports, news and reality have remained the dominant FAST channel genres. The report has further noted that 37% of content on sports-focused FAST channels consists of live sports events.
The Gracenote Data Hub, launched in November 2024, has tracked content trends across six leading global SVOD services and more than 2,120 FAST channels using Gracenote Global Video Data.
