The return of live sports to U.S. TV screens will set “record” ratings in the second half of 2020 and attract new pay TV subs according to Needham & Co. analyst Laura Martin. “Streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple+, etc. that benefited from live sports being dark have the most risk to their U.S. reported sub adds during the second half,” she writes.
In a report today, Needham & Co.’s Laura Martin suggested TV Everywhere distribution could bring an additional $5.6 billion into the ad market each year. Undergirding the bump would be the Nielsen “extended screen” ratings system that melds TV Everywhere viewing with the linear feed.
