Gracenote study: 85% of sports fans want TV home screens to show when and where to watch favorite teams

Six-country survey finds 26% of sports fans frequently unable to determine where to watch specific games amid fragmentation across channels and services

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, today released its 2026 global sports fan report, "Home Screen Advantage." The study highlights a stark paradox in sports viewing: Fans benefit from more programming choices, yet fragmentation across channels and services has made the live events they care about harder to find. Twenty-six percent of respondents say they are always or often unable to identify which channel or service carries a specific event. The TV home screen could be part of the solution: 85% want it to display upcoming games and competitions for their favorite teams and leagues, along with where-to-watch information.

The discovery gap is even greater for younger audiences: 36% of respondents ages 18-34 frequently cannot determine where to watch the sports they want. Internet search can also fall short. More than two-thirds use it to locate coverage, yet 32% of U.S. respondents say results always or often lack accurate information about locally televised games.

The research also signals a commercial opportunity for media providers: 68% subscribe to at least one service for its sports offering, and half would likely add another to access their preferred sports programming.

To gauge interest in a more unified viewing experience, respondents were given access to a custom web demo powered by Gracenote On Sports. The interface brought together real-time linear and streaming program schedules, viewing options across channels and apps, dynamic statistics and deep links to content available on multiple platforms. Survey responses highlighted three clear benefits of bringing these capabilities together:

• Easier discovery: 91% said centralizing sports information, including where to watch specific games, would make it easier to find the games and events they want.
• More personalized experiences: 67% expressed interest in schedules and statistics tailored to the teams and leagues they follow.
• Less time spent searching: More than 45% said centralized sports schedules would save them at least five minutes when trying to find a game or event.

"Sports content has a strong, passionate fan base. Teams and leagues are creating more ways than ever for fans to engage, but viewers still struggle to find live games and other sports programming across today's many apps and services," said Trent Wheeler, head of product innovation at Gracenote. "By bringing game schedules, where-to-watch information, highlights and more into one experience, platforms can simplify sports discovery, differentiate their offerings and give their customers a true home for the sports they love."

Sports fandom extends well beyond live competition. Among respondents, 77% watch sports-related programming in addition to live events, while 38% prefer highlights to full games. That appetite gives platforms more ways to keep fans connected before, during and after the game.

Through a single API, Gracenote On Sports brings together sports data, video metadata, schedules, viewing links and imagery for more than 75 sports and 340 leagues in over 50 countries. Durable, portable Gracenote IDs help create continuity by linking teams, leagues and events to broadcasts, viewing options and related programming. Together, these capabilities power unified sports hubs that guide fans to live coverage or recordings and surface related highlights, analysis, documentaries and more.

Download the full report, "Home Screen Advantage," for detailed findings by country and age group on how fans find sports, what drives subscription decisions and which home-screen features matter most.

Methodology

The 2026 Gracenote Global Sports Fan Survey was conducted online June 29-July 8, 2026, among 3,000 adults in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S., with approximately 500 respondents in each country. Participants were required to be 18 or older and to watch sports on television.

About Gracenote

Gracenote is the content intelligence business unit of Nielsen. We standardize the way the global media and entertainment ecosystem indexes content and associated metadata, allowing it to flow between creators, distributors, platforms and advertisers. By providing unmatched depth across 55M+ titles and 80K+ channels and catalogs, we power the modern search, discovery and navigation experiences that connect people to the TV, movies, music and sports they love — in 70+ languages across 80+ countries. For more information, visit gracenote.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Gracenote