Sport is losing the battle. We're building the fix.
The data is clear. Sport is, at best, in a dangerous position. At worst, it's hurtling towards irrelevance for the next generation of fans who will have to sustain it.
I'm seeing it play out first hand — as a parent.
Growing up, we had cable TV at the moment Sky launched their Premier League coverage. It was essential. Me and my brother would replay every match in the playground the next morning.
Now, as a parent of three, it couldn't be more different. If I manage to get us all sat down to watch a match together, the kids are on a second screen within minutes. Fortnite. Roblox. Clash Royale. EA FC. Their mates ready and waiting online.
When you have all of that calling you, is watching Monday Night Football with your dad that appealing? Sadly, no. The hook of sport is not catching them.
This isn't just football — it's every sport. In its traditional passive broadcast form, sport simply cannot win the attention battle anymore.
The data is unambiguous
This generation is being raised inside a hyper-competitive attention economy. A 90-minute passive viewing experience with long stretches of low action simply cannot compete. Rising costs block in-person entry. Broadcast subs feel expensive and largely irrelevant. Sport needs younger eyes — and the next generation of fans need a different door in.
That's why we built RIVAL.
A platform that gamifies live sport — turning passive viewers into active players. These are the insights at the heart of everything we're building.
