IBM Study: Sports Fans Want Streamlined Digital Experiences as Platform Choices Expand

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IBM's latest Sports Intelligence Report surveyed more than 20,000 sports fans across 12 countries and surfaces a nuanced picture of AI adoption in consumer sports. AI usage jumped from 52% to 69% year over year, yet trust in AI-generated content fell from 63% to 59%. At the individual level, familiarity builds trust — fans who already use AI trust AI content nearly 3× more than non-users (74% vs. 27%) — but widespread adoption has not lifted aggregate trust, possibly because more AI content means more exposure to errors. Accuracy beats speed as a priority: 44% want highly accurate information versus 23% who want fast delivery. Trust in sports apps (74%) ranks second only to traditional broadcasters (79%), a notable data point for platform competition. On consolidation, 47% say they would use a unified sports app but only 29% would pay for one — a significant willingness-to-pay gap. Digital streaming (30%) and linear broadcast (29%) are essentially tied as preferred live-sports viewing methods for the first time. The data are self-reported and commissioned by IBM, so treat the precise percentages with appropriate skepticism.