Sport is not just a game, it is a business. Professional sports leagues and clubs are starting to tip the balance of power away from broadcasters and media companies as they increasingly recognise the value of their rights and the strength of their business brands.

The popularity of sports has created significant opportunities to generate revenue from advertising, live event sponsorship and sports-related commerce. While the online sports market is new and rapidly evolving, traditional media sports-related revenues indicate the opportunities available online in the future.

Sport is an area of intense competition on the Internet with an unquantifiable number of sites offering news and live coverage spanning time zones and cultures. The Internet is considered the perfect medium for the average sports fan, who is usually passionate about one team and sport, as well as interested in big events and other sports to a lesser degree. Sports websites can attract mass audiences and therefore have the potential to generate substantial advertising and sponsorship revenues.

This report examines the main issues surrounding sport on the Internet, including the role of technology and how media companies are getting in on the act. It provides case studies of major sports websites and companies involved in website production and analyses them to determine how they are making money and who the winners and losers will be.

The report includes forecasts and projections of potential revenue streams for sports websites, including advertising, ticketing and merchandising revenue streams, for 1999 to 2005. These are broken down by region and by sport, including soccer, golf, cricket, wrestling and basketball. Throughout the report are tables and charts of the latest data in this fast-moving sector.