IBM has officially published the results from its latest research, which reveals that sports fans are turning to more dynamic digital content experiences, as a great chunk of them now use AI, personalization and real-time features to engage with sports.
Going by the available details, this particular study took into account the opinion of more than 20,000 sports fans from across 12 countries, eventually showcasing that a large majority increasingly view technology, particularly AI, as a positive force in sports.
This translates to how 85% of respondents see value in integrating the technology into their sports experience, whereas on the other hand, 63% express trust in AI-generated sports content. The surveyed respondents also identified real-time game/match updates (35%) and personalized content (30%) as their top priorities for AI-enhanced sports engagement
Next up, we must dig into how various respondents are turning to video highlights (51%), post-event recaps (37%) and player interviews (32%) to stay connected to their favorite sports.Â
Another detail worth a mention relates to how an estimated 73% of fans are also tapping into dedicated mobile sports apps.Â
As for the objective of accessing more content, social media was found to be the biggest medium. We say so because more than 59% of all surveyed followers said they engage with social media influencers for analysis and predictions.
Moving on, a nominal 27% of surveyed fans expect their sports consumption habits to stay unchanged over the next two years. From that lot, 80% believe technology, specifically AI, will have the greatest influence on how they follow sports by 2027. More than half (56%) of surveyed fans, almost like an extension of the previous pointer, want AI-powered insights and commentary for past, current and future sporting events.
On top of that, 33% of respondents also believe real-time translation technology will have the most significant impact on their international sports experience in the next 2-3 years. It is especially probable in markets where English is not the dominant language.
IBM’s survey even discovered that, markedly enough, a staggering 90% of fans consume sports content beyond watching events, with younger fans leading the trend. You see, around 1 in 5 F1, golf, and tennis fans use apps tailored to their favorite sports.
In fact, mobile sports app usage is even greater when it comes to in-person event attendees, as 82% of surveyed fans reported to use apps during events. Out of those, 91% engage with apps during live events, mostly for real-time commentary (44%), stats or analytics (41%) and enhanced in-stadium experiences (35%).
Hold on, we still have a few bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched upon how, among fans surveyed in both 2024 and 2025, multi-device usage to follow sporting events increased from 27% to 29%, indicating an upward trend in second-screen behavior.
We also haven’t touched upon a piece of detail claiming that 74% of respondents following sports influencers say storytelling is important to how they experience or connect with sports, especially among fans ages 18-44.
IBM’s study further got to know about those 35% respondents who plan to watch more live content over the next two years, while 29% expect to attend more events in person.
Alongside that, it discovered that more and more fans want enhancements like faster recaps (67%), personalization capabilities (65%), as well as greater access to players and teams (65%).
Not just that, more fans also rank community engagement as their first or second priority when consuming sports content. For better context, the share of respondents ranking it as their top priority (1st) rose from 9% in 2024 to 11% in 2025.Â
Rounding up highlights would be how 21% respondents now identify community-building and fan interaction as important areas for AI-driven improvements in sports engagement, compared to 20% in 2024.
“The sports media landscape is more complex than ever, and fans are comfortable consuming digital content around the clock,” said Kameryn Stanhouse, Vice President for Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM. “With fans signaling their readiness to embrace AI, we will continue working with our tournament, league, and media partners to meet fans where they are, whether they’re watching the action in person or enhancing their second-screen experience.”
