Macau is a late bloomer when it comes to live streaming of international sports and associated sports betting, but this looks set to change.
Macau residents traditionally rely on televised sports broadcasts from channels like TDM, Hong Kong’s TVB or ViuTV. However, these broadcasts are often limited by scheduling constraints, leaving many important matches unavailable.
A recent example of this limitation is the ongoing UEFA European Championship (Euro 24), which is not broadcast live on TDM. In such cases, online sports streaming platforms have become the primary way for Macau residents to follow such events.
Established in 2017, M Plus Sports Media primarily utilizes a subscription-based model to deliver live broadcasts of major global sporting events via its website and mobile app. This includes top football leagues like the Big Five, the Japan Professional Football League, the NBA, Korean basketball matches, Australian basketball matches and many more. M Plus Sports Media has even emerged as the sole streaming provider in Macau for Euro 24.
“Based on the population, M Plus currently has around 1% of the population as regular viewers,” said Alan Yung, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at M Plus Sports Media Company Limited.
“Macau’s population is relatively small, so 1% of regular viewers is considered reasonable, and the number of viewers for major events will be higher.”
With a population of only around 680,000, relying solely on regular paid subscribers would not be sustainable for the sports streaming industry in Macau. However, M Plus Sports has managed to carve a niche for itself in the market, mainly due to the partnership it established in its early days with Macau SLOT, providing sports streaming to Macau SLOT members.
“Sports streaming is closely linked to sports betting,” said Yung. “Sports streaming can provide real-time information on the match and data support for sports betting. Viewers can adjust their bets according to the live situation, allowing them to make more informed betting decisions.”
Leveraging its paid streaming services and collaboration with Macau SLOT, M Plus Sports has achieved relatively stable growth in Macau. However, regarding sports betting, Yung observes a distinct atmosphere surrounding watching sports and betting on sports in Macau compared to other countries, which is likely due to cultural differences.
“In Western societies, watching sports is very common and their sports betting options are much more varied,” he said. “In some countries, even F1 races, esports and darts matches can be bet on.
“The diversification of sports leisure and entertainment has also brought more attention to some niche sports, which has further fueled the development of sports streaming.”
But how are broadcasting rights for sports events acquired?
“Typically, sports league organizing bodies will hand over broadcasting rights to intermediary companies for resale. These intermediary companies will then produce the events, market them and sell the broadcasting rights,” Yung shared.
“However, the broadcasting rights for each event vary in price, and there’s a difference between online streaming and television broadcasting rights. For popular events like the Premier League or NBA, the broadcasting rights are very expensive and are also priced based on the population of the broadcasting region.
“The broadcasting rights for the Premier League in mainland China can reach RMB5 billion (US$689 million), but it is much cheaper in Macau.”
At the same time, Yung notes that the sports broadcast industry typically does not have many large competitors because “there will not be two channels in the same region broadcasting the same event, and intermediary companies rarely sell the broadcasting rights for the same event twice in the same region. Instead, the biggest competition is who gets the broadcasting rights for the event first.”
At present there is limited competition within Macau’s sports streaming industry, which is also related to Macau’s local culture. However, he believes that the city’s sports streaming culture is progressing.
“Technology is making the once impossible possible, and mobile algorithms are also driving positive change,” he said. “In 10 years, live streaming will be even more advanced.”
