IPL Dominates as APAC Sports Rights Growth Cools to Single Digits

The Indian Premier League continues to stand alone at the pinnacle of the Asia Pacific sports market, according to new findings from Media Partners Asia (MPA). The consultancy projects that growth in regional sports rights fees will decelerate significantly, rising just 1% to 2% annually through 2030, a sharp drop from the approximate 10% yearly increase observed since 2021.

Despite the broader slowdown, the cricket league commands valuations comparable to Europe’s Premier League, generating roughly $12.4 million per match. In stark contrast, South Korea’s KBO baseball league earns only about $100,000 per contest. Since 2021, India has been responsible for more than half of the region’s rights fee increases, with 64% of all fees now concentrated among the 12 most valuable rights packages.

These insights are drawn from MPA’s report, “APAC’s Sports Economy and Where Value Goes Next,” which analyzed 150-plus contracts across 14 markets. The data was released alongside a companion study by MPA’s analytics arm, ampd, which surveyed over 10,000 fans across six countries. The findings were presented during the second APOS Sports Edge forum in Singapore ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

MPA values the region’s commercial sports economy at $16.2 billion in 2026. Media rights remain the largest segment at $6.1 billion, followed by sponsorship ($4.7 billion), ticketing and hospitality ($3.9 billion), and merchandise ($1.5 billion). Rights fees have climbed 58% over five years to reach $5.7 billion. The wider economy is expected to grow by roughly 5% annually, potentially hitting $19.5 billion by 2030, driven primarily by sponsorship and ticket sales rather than broadcasting deals.

Streaming platforms now account for 50% of rights fees this year, up from 36% in 2021, and largely dictate pricing in most markets. However, MPA notes that streaming alone has done little to re-engage lapsed audiences; only 3% of fans who returned to a sport did so because it was available on a platform they already subscribed to.

“This is not the end of sport’s boom in Asia Pacific. It is the end of the easy part,” said Vivek Couto, CEO and executive director of MPA. He highlighted the massive revenue gap between the region and North America, noting that APAC generates about $4 per person compared to over $200 in the US. “That gap is not a ceiling. It is headroom,” Couto added, suggesting future growth will come from live attendance, sponsorships, local stars, and women’s competitions.

The report identifies sponsorship as a key growth area, estimating that data-priced sponsorship deals could expand 6% to 7% yearly. MPA calculated that if markets like China, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia closed half their sponsorship-to-GDP shortfall, the region could gain an additional $5.4 billion annually.

Japan, women’s sports, and homegrown talent were flagged as prime areas for competitive bidding. Japan’s streaming market is valued at $6.4 billion—six times its sports rights fees—while India’s 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup final attracted 185 million digital viewers. MPA anticipates contested bidding for women’s properties starting with the WPL’s 2028 rights cycle.

Local leagues are already demonstrating strong attendance records. The KBO reached a record 12.3 million fans in 2025, and over 25 million viewers watched the opening game of MLB’s 2025 Tokyo Series. Meanwhile, investment in APAC sports has totaled approximately $14 billion since 2021, though MPA argues this spending has primarily secured assets without yet generating substantial cash flow.

The ampd fan research, conducted in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia, found that personal connections drive most new fandom. Thirty-five percent of new fans were introduced to a sport by someone they know, compared to just 14% via major events. Additionally, 63% of fans who spent money on sports in the past year did so without purchasing any subscriptions.

Content creators also play a significant role, capturing 42% to 43% of sports viewing hours on YouTube in Korea and Thailand, versus only 10% to 19% for official league channels. Fans who follow players or creators are nearly twice as likely to spend on sports compared to those who do not.

The forum featured insights from industry leaders including Derek Chang of Liberty Media, Javier Tebas of LaLiga, Uday Shankar of JioStar, and executives from Prime Video, Tving, Netflix, and YouTube.