German handball TV demand: did it pay for the Handball-Bundesliga to move from free to pay TV?

Meier Henk Erik, Schreyer Dominik, Jetzke Malte

Abstract

Research question: In an increasingly segmented TV market, niche sports rights owners competing with giants such as professional football often face the question of whether it ultimately pays for them to move from a free to a pay TV distribution strategy–that is, behind a paywall. Interestingly, at present, sport management research has not provided a definitive answer to this critical question. Research methods In this short paper, we address this question by exploring German TV audience demand for all 404 handball games broadcast during the three most recent seasons: 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18. Results and findings: Our results suggest that, despite hopes to the contrary, moving from a primarily free TV-based distribution strategy to a largely pay TV-based approach has decreased rather than increased the audience reach of the Handball-Bundesliga. On a more general note, we observe a positive role of both game outcome uncertainty and the absence of simultaneousfixtures in shaping German TV demand for professional handball. As such, our empirical results complement the otherwise rich literature on the determinants for professional sports by providing afirst look at the potential determinants of niche sports TV demand, a previously neglected topic in sport management research. Implications: Niche sport federations have to reflect carefully on their TV marketing strategy under digital plenitude.