https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5403-508X
Abstract
This research delves into the evolving landscape of sport media broadcasting in the MENA region, emphasizing the dynamics of sports program consumption in Algeria. It highlights the rising influence of Over-The-Top (OTT) technologies, particularly focusing on cost-effective IPTV services. The study aims to unravel the shifts in sports event consumption, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) alongside a mixed-methods approach surveying both technophile and technophobic individuals. This investigation seeks to uncover distinct consumption trends and underlying motivations driving media choices in these divergent groups. Key findings indicate a widening disparity in consumption patterns and preferred technological mediums between tech-savvy and tech-averse individuals. Moreover, it underscores the critical impact of socio-economic factors in escalating the adoption of affordable or free sports program mediation, whether through legitimate or illicit means. Additionally, the study sheds light on emerging sports program mediation forms, predicting future broadcaster adaptations to cater to the needs of the digitally connected new generation.
Introduction
For almost two decades, the broadcasting of major sporting events has been undergoing a major transformation all around the worldFootnote1. The overbidding of broadcasting rights had led to the disappearance of many major actors and the appearance of many new other players. It had also induced the scarcity of offers in terms of free broadcasting of sporting events, which had become almost exclusively the prerogative of encrypted or cabled subscription channels. These changes have resulted in a galloping inflation in subscription fees. For a large part of the citizens of countries with weak currencies and/or low salaries, this increase considerably reduces their purchasing power. Consequently, and at a global scale, we observe the appearance of new receivers’ adaptation strategies as well as new broadcasters and mediators’ adapting strategiesFootnote2, emanating not only from institutional broadcasters but also from new individual or small group actors, who are instilling new broadcast streaming practices.
In the recent years, the widespread usage of the Internet has led to the increasing popularity of streaming services Netflix, Viu, Viki and YoutubeFootnote3. These platforms offer a wide range of content, including both licensed and pirated material. 2023). We indeed observe the emergence of new usage patterns among receivers, such as the use of live streaming, connected TVs (CTV), and over-the-top services (OTT) along with their cohort of subscription-based live TV services, as well as video on demand (SVOD), and more. The growth of these platforms can be attributed to the increasing demand for entertainment and the convenience they offer to consumersFootnote4. Moreover, specialists anticipate an amplification of these practices in the coming years worldwide, particularly in the MENA Region. According to the recent Mason reportFootnote5, the pay-TV and OTT video services market in the Middle East and North Africa region are expected to grow during the period from 2020 to 2025, generating USD 4.3 billion in retail revenue by 2025, up from USD 3.7 billion in 2020. OTT platforms have gained a substantial audience globally, with services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and are rapidly gaining popularity around the world. The emergence of these platforms has presented challenges for traditional cable operators, leading them to develop IPTV solutions and services delivery architectureFootnote6. However, these technological developments do not occur without discrimination between generations, on one hand, and between those who are well-off and those with low incomes, on the other hand. Those who can afford to pay the rising fees are more inclined to subscribe to the new paid services and to adopt the new features. Meanwhile, those who cannot afford it often resort to illegal sharing or piracy or content themselves with free-live streaming sport commentaries on YouTube, which has emerged as a phenomenon in popular sporting events consumption.
This explains the recent strategy of the Italian Football league (Serie A) to launch their own Arabic-language channel on Google-owned YouTube to live-stream some matches. What initially started in 2020, in the midst of piracy (i.e. BQouT) scandal, as a temporary solution to replace its broadcasting contract with beIN Sports finally declining to renew its regional right deal, has become the alternative. Serie A expanded its deal with Youtube for 2021/2022 season for all matches including pre and post –match Arabic studio show at the stadium.Footnote7
The above-mentioned factors coincided with another major factor that is considerably contributing to the transformation of the sports audiovisual landscape over the world; namely, the change of scale in the mental structures of the Z generationFootnote8, caused by the new communication technologies on the digital nativesFootnote9. This mental shift consequently induces the displacement of consumption from traditional TV receivers to interactive and mobile receivers/platforms, such as smartphones, tablets and computersFootnote10. Hence, this shift is reflected in the appearance of new forms of consumption among receivers, just as it pushes broadcasters to be more ingenious in multiplying offers, both in terms of forms and contents. The example of Amazon prime, learning from the experience of other media networks such HBO and Showtime, invested 10 billion USD to improving its broadcasting and streaming capabilities of sport content. Linking its video live and on demand streaming through subscription based platform Prime video with Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker and the streaming source Twitch, popular amongst the young generation. Sensing the fast growing market of streaming and importance of being one of the first movers, Amazon purchased Twitch, which first started as video game live streaming, for 735 million Euros. Amazon Prime expansion in the broadcasting of sport content has continued as illustrated in .
Table 1. The rise of Amazon in sports broadcasting (source Tifosy.com).Footnote26
Indeed, the new audiovisual landscape is more and more characterized by the proliferation of new forms of online access which favors the emergence of new increasingly personalized types of consumption. Consequently, this trend induces a gap in the uses between people of different generations within the so called “liquid society”Footnote11. The offline or relatively connected generation being more attached to the traditional forms of broadcasting because more comfortable to them and more easy to use. Meanwhile, the new generation turn more easily to new communication tools, platforms and modes of consumption because they offer greater flexibility, as they can watch programs whenever they want, either on live streaming, or on time shifting basisFootnote12. The multiplication of platforms and advance of mobile technology changed the experience of viewers who are more likely to spend lesser time watching the full live sport event on TV. Hence, switching between social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to name but a few, for behind the scenes pre and post event warm up, analysis, interviews, expert opinions, as well as fan interactions through polls and comments. Fecebook (Meta) has already position itself in full live streaming of sport competition coupled with live interaction of fans. Interestingly traditional stakeholders of sport broadcasting such as ESPN, Fox, Canal+, thanks to the advance connectivity of TVs, want also piece of the cake of over-the-top (OTT) content, tailored to subscribers’ requirements.
This research study is centered on the paradigm shift occurring within the global broadcasting of major sporting events, with a specific focus on the transformations unfolding within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The investigation delves into the repercussions of these evolutions on the sports audiovisual domain, scrutinizing changes in consumer behavior and dissecting the strategic adaptations employed by diverse stakeholders within the broadcasting sector. Furthermore, the study reinforces its assertions with empirical data sourced from the Mason report, substantiating the substantial growth projected for Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), the pay-TV and Over-The-Top (OTT) markets in the MENA region.
Sport Broadcasting in the MENA Region
Sport broadcasting in the MENA region has gone through a number of phases, the most important of which after the independence with the state driven National Televisions and Radio channels to strengthen sovereignty, nation-state formation and unity (around the nation’s father and the ruling party), and the promotion of Pan-Arab sentiment (in opposition to neo-imperialism and Zionism). This coincided in sport with the participation of Arab nations in international sport competitionsFootnote13 and the emergence of regional competitionsFootnote14, such as the Mediterranean Games, Pan-African Games, the Arab Games, and The Gulf Cooperation Council GamesFootnote15. State TV channels, which first started with few hours of sport broadcasting, to gradually increase to integrate sport programs and live broadcasting of domestic and international sport competitions, dominated first by male sport and football in particular. It was also an era of free access to sport competitions thanks to a network and alliance of broadcasting unions (e.g. The European Broadcasting Union, The Arab States Broadcasting Union) in collaboration with international and continental sport federations as well as the International Olympic Committee in need for bigger exposure and viewership.
The professionalization of major sport, change of international sport organizations strategies for marketing and revenue regenerations, has gradually decreased free access to premium sport competitions. The next phase was that of satellite broadcasting and the emergence of Media cities such as in Egypt, Jordan and the UAE. Thanks to Saudi owned Arabsat and the Egyptian Nilesat, which still even today dominate the market of satellite broadcasting, the number of public and private channels has mushroomed. This also true for the number of sport channels. As for other channels and TV networks around the world sport programs cost less than other genres to produce, with the potential to attracting more viewers and sport (football) fans.
Key moments in the commodification of sport broadcasting in the Arab world, following the Gulf Wars, as Arab viewers wanted more entertainments on TV, is first the launch of the privately owned Arab Radio and Television (ART) TV network by Saudi Sheikh Kamel Salah. He had the ambition to turn the network to Fox or Sky of the Arab World, with entertainment channels (music, drama and cinema), and of course sport. ART, through its ART sport packages, became the main sponsor of the Football Arab Champions League Competition and right holder of major European sport leagues. Sensing the potential of this new market of sport broadcasting another key player, Qatari state owned Aljazeera Sport, appeared, with a bigger ambition of simply controlling the market for the Middle East and North Africa. This was facilitated in 2009 by the acquisition of ART and with it the exclusive right to premium sport TV content. Arab viewers had to subscribe to Aljazeera Sports to be able to access to watch their favorite clubs in Europe, as well as their national teams competing in continental and world championships. This triggered the first attempts of Arab viewers to seek other alternatives for free access to major football tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup which Al-Jazeera Sport (rebranded in 2014 to beINSport, managed by beIN Media group) had the exclusive right for the Middle East and North Africa. For countries in the Maghreb (Algeria, Tunisia and Algeria) the other alternative included first the use of aerial rather than satellite signal to receive European channels from Italy and Spain; or turning the satellite dish to European providers such Hotbird, Astra and Eutelsat. For countries close to the horn of Africa such as Egypt, Sudan and Somalia the alternative was to turn the dish to get channels from Ethiopia which offered free access to football matches (combined with Arabic commentaries in internet radios first, and YouTube later on)Footnote16. With the development of internet broadband and satellite boxes with IPTV, the informal market became more sophisticated using different means by passing different security systems of TV platforms and content protectionFootnote17. The most sophisticated piracy program of illegal streaming of beIN Sport content is that of beoutQFootnote18. This has seriously affected beIN Media business modelFootnote19, which depended on acquisition of sport TV rights and subscription to beIN Sport packagesFootnote20. To counter this and to enlarge its viewership base, particularly among female, BeIN Media Group had to follow other models of TV networks and platforms to incorporate more entertainment content with diverse offerings in cinema, drama, music, documentary and food programsFootnote21. Further propelled by the COVID-19 lockdown digital sports broadcasting is booming in the MENA region, thanks to the rise of platforms such as the Qatari beIN Sport Connect, Shahid owned by Saudi MBC Group, and the UAE based Starzplay. These platforms offer a wide range of content, from live and on-demand matches to original shows and exclusive partnerships. The Saudi Pro League, with its Intrenational superstars, is a major draw for viewers. As competition intensifies, the MENA region is cementing its place as a powerhouse in global sports broadcasting.
Problem Statement & Research Questions
In this paper, the authors examine how the transformations in sports events’ broadcasting and consumption trends in Algeria are taking place. Especially after the appearance of new types of mediation as well as new trends in the way people are consuming sports events nowadays. The purpose here is to make an inventory of the transformations the Algerian’s sports audiovisual landscape has undergone in terms of tools of mediation/consumption of sport programs. Furthermore, to understand the reasons behind the new tendencies observed, and thus, to make a prospective reading of future developments. For this purpose, the following questions are formulated
RQ1: What are the changes that are taking place in terms of the means and tools used to watch sporting events among viewers?
RQ2: What are the motivations that lead viewers to adopt one type or another of mediation tools?
RQ3: Does the level of mastery of technology have a role in the extent the means of consumption of Broadcasting of sports events is adopted?
RQ4: What effect do the new online consumption modes have on the broadcasting and streaming of major sporting events?
Research Hypotheses
To answer the four research questions, the following four hypotheses are formulated:
H1: High Connection to Internet (HCI) positively affects the degree of access and use of alternative online tools (DUAOT) in watching sporting events.
H2: The Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) negatively influences the Effective Use (EFU) of new connected communication technologies among unconnected or relatively connected individuals.
H3: The Ease of Use (EU) positively influences the Effective Use (EFU) of new connected communication technologies among highly connected individuals.
H4: The new modes of digital dissemination induce in turn to the appearance of new types of coverage and new offers sports events mediation.
Operationalization of Variables
For hypothesis H1, we assume the existence of a positive relationship between the degree of adoption of online communication technologies among highly connected individuals (HCI) and the degree of effective use of online sources to watch sports events. Highly connected individuals are identified following four indicators, these are:
The "daily time spent on Internet” (8 hours +);
The “degree of use of the Internet” (in terms of scale and intensity of use of virtual world for a major part of events taking place in online individuals’ daily life);
The “degree and nature” of online interactivity (interacting with others, dissemination of own elaborated contents, searching or proposing problem solving);
The use of “e-government/e-services platforms”.
For the second hypothesis H2, we assume the existence of a positive relationship between the perceived difficulty of use and the effective use of connected communication technologies among unconnected or relatively connected participants (UNCI). The perceived ease of use is identified according to the following three indicators:
The “apprehension of the difficulties of use”,
The “fear of the consequences of handling errors”,
The “fear of the gaze of people’s entourage in the event of misuse”.
In relation to the third hypothesis H3, we assume the existence of a positive relationship between the degree of ease of use of connected communication technologies among highly connected individuals (HCI) and the effective use of those technologies. The ease of use refers (EFU) here to the degree of comfort in understanding online browsing, understanding of application use, hypermedia logic assimilation and the understanding of basics of Internet ergonomics.
As for the fourth hypothesis H4, we assume that digital culture is setting new milestones in the audiovisual landscape because of the transformations it induces both in terms of audience strategies of reception and mediation strategies developed by broadcasters, as well. This hypothesis is verified by making an inventory of the new consumption trends that the new generation resorts to using, and by making an inventory of the new broadcasting trends that different channels or broadcasting providers/companies resort to using. This in order to adapt to the new tendencies imposed by the masses or customers of those channels and companies/providers.
As we can notice H1, H2 and H3 have been formulated with a causal relationship tested statistically, while H4 was not, given that it is categorical and correlational in its nature. Therefore, the validity of H4 has been tested qualitatively through a multitude of indicators such as:
the “variety of new OTT broadcasting offers”,
the “new types of mediation of sporting events”,
and the “types of emerging new sporting events coverage”.
To ensure that the indicators are homogeneous (internal validity), the quantitative hypothesis was subjected to Cronbach’s Alpha validity. In the first hypothesis test, the result was 0.70, in the second hypothesis the test result was 0.76, while the test conducted for the third hypothesis revealed a result of 0.73. Cronbach’s standards of reliability requires that the result must be above 0.7 to be validatedFootnote22.
Method and Procedures
For the quantitative part, the present study is based on technology acceptance model (TAM), initially developed by DavisFootnote23 and modified, later on by many other researchers. We use the TAM as a mean to understand the factors involved in adopting or rejecting some new communication tools or applications used in sporting events mediation and consuming. The use of the TAM model is dictated here by the fact it has demonstrated the effectiveness of its approach in understanding the relationships between the subjective and/or objective independent variables. The behavioral dependent variables, such as the relationship between the perceived ease of use and the effective use of new technologies and tools on the one hand, or the relationship between the ease of use and the effective use of new technology tools, on the other hand.
The present study is exploratory in its nature aimed at developing an initial understanding of the transformations taking place in sporting events’ consumption on a small under-researched population, without the ambition of generalizing its results to the whole Algerian population. Therefore, a mixed method was deployed combining both a quantitative approach (on a sample of 120 individuals, selected following a stratified sample method) with a qualitative approach (on a sample of 24 individuals selected on a stratified basis from the 100 individuals who responded to the quantitative questionnaire). The researchers deliberately used sequential mixed-methods data collection because of the advantage they present of allowing data collection in an iterative process; that is to say that the data collected in the second phase contribute to explaining the data collected in the first one.Footnote24
The mixed approach is highly recommended by specialists who find it to be more suitable to specific subject matter, where it is crucial to understand more deeply the role of some non-numerical factorsFootnote25. We used non-probability sampling by choosing a sample of people based on people’s attitude towards technology adoption. 60 individuals were selected and identified as technology oriented, and 60 others as reluctant to adopt the new communication technologies, tools and applications, or identified as having only limited use/access to them. In addition to the attitude towards the technology adoption, four other strata have been used to define four other sub-categories (). These are:
The gender strata (Male-Female);
The population age strata (14-29, 30-50 and 50+);
The standard of living strata (social level with three categories: Upper class, middle class and lower class) and;
The education level strata with four categories (No school education, Less than high school level education, high school level and higher education level.
The questionnaire was administrated in March 2022, while the in-depth interviews were conducted in April 2022.
Table 2. Demographic profiles and socioeconomic characteristics of the participants.
Findings
A Real Crack in Participants’ Attitudes towards Alternative Media for Sports Programs
Our survey reveals a large variance in the use of the different types of mediation of sporting events between connected people and unconnected/or relatively connected people. As we can see in the below, 88.8% of unconnected/relatively connected individuals use the traditional unconnected TV screens to watch sporting events, 8.3% uses connected smart Tablets, while only 3.3% participants of this category use connected mobile smart screens. In the meantime, we notice that the percentage of participants who watch sporting events through traditional unconnected TV screens drops down to 2% among highly connected category, while 96.7% of them use smart devices. 46.7% among them use connected smart TV screens and 50% use connected mobile smart tablets.
Table 3. Preferred mediums in watching sporting events.
reveals that there is a tangible tendency among highly connected people to migrate from traditional modes of consumption of sports programs to mobile modes via applications on telephones, tablets, laptops or via connected smart TVs. This trend is more marked among connected individuals in the 14-29 age category with a percentage of 60% who uses intensively connected smart devices to watch sports programs. This percentage drops down to 35% among participants in the age category (30-55) and drops down to 15% among participants who belong to the third age category (55+). This tendency is also expressed more among men (46%) than women (26.6%), more so among those with a level of education ranging from higher level (45%), to secondary level (33.3%), to less than high school (9.1%) to (0%) in “no school education” category. It is also expressed more among participants belonging to the upper class and the middle class (63.6%), and more among people belonging to the middle class (35.5%) than those who belong to the lower class (11.1%). The number of hours spent in watching TV programs on connected and unconnected media varies depending on demographic and socio-economic variables (see below).
Table 4. Average of hours spent daily per type of media and per demographic profiles and socioeconomic characteristics.
The table number 4 below reveals that participant in the youngest age category spend more time on connected mobile and smart screens with an average of 8 hours per day compared to 6.5 hours on average for the 30-55 age category, dropping at only 1 hour and half in the over 55 age category. Moreover, participants from the over 55s age category are those who stay more loyal to the traditional unconnected TV screens, with an average of 7.5 hours per day, compared to 5.5 hours for participants from the intermediate age category (30-55), and 2.5 hours per day for the participants of the 14-29 age category. The Connected smart TV screens for their part show only relative uses, with a greater popularity among participants of the youngest age category (4.5 hours daily on average), reduced to 3 hours daily in the intermediate age category, and to (0) hours among the over 55 age category. However, males remain more inclined to watch connected mobile smart screens with a daily average of 9 hours compared to seven hours for females. This is also true for the connected smart TV screens with an average of 4 hours for male and 3.5 for females, a trend that is reversed with regard to traditional unconnected screens, since the average increases among female participants with an average of 8.5 hours daily hours. Whereas this average is only 7 hours among male participants.
It appears also that the education level has an incidence on the type of tools’ uses since we notice that the more the level of education increases among participants; the more they are inclined to use the connected media. Just as we find that the lower the level of education, the more the participants turn more towards traditional, non-connected screens. This can be explained by the impact of the level of education in terms of the knowledge necessary to grasp, at least in a basic way, the technical logic of functioning of the new communication tools. This is true in particular with regard to programs and applications that require a minimum of literacy and mastery of languages, especially foreign languages such as English and French languages, in which most of the tools sold in Algeria are formatted. This observation is also valid for the variable of the social level, since we find that the lower the social level among the participants, the more they turn to traditional non-connected broadcast screens. The higher the social level is, the more the individuals point to connected and mobile mediation tools.
A Disparate Adoption of Alternative Sports Media between Technophiles and Technophobes
The TAM analysis reveals a clear divide in the adoption of new mediums between individuals who are connected-technology oriented and people who are unconnected-technology oriented. The more participants are technophiles and intensively connected the more they use alternative connected mediums to watch sporting events. The incidence of the degree of use and mastery of the technology on effectiveness of use has been tested positively. The regression measures of our first hypothesis reveal the existence of a positive relationship between the intensity of connection and the use of alternative online tools participants choose in watching sporting events. This relationship has been supported by a Bravais-Pearson squared correlation coefficient of 0.556, with a betta value of .753, a standard of error of B of 0.062, a t ratio of 12.201 and a probability of value p inferior to 0.003 (see below).
Table 5. Regression measures for H1.
When we go in depth on participants’ behaviors towards the new connected communication tools, the numbers show that the range of daily connection to the Internet among highly connected individuals is between 8 to 9 hours. The virtual world constitutes for the participants of this category the “place where they have to be” include the following:
“Getting information about the major events taking place in the world”;
“Elaborating and disseminating contents”;
“Online interacting with others in their neighborhoods or throughout the world”,
“Searching or proposing problem solving”;
“Managing e-governments and/or administrative e-services platforms”.
Meanwhile, these indicators drop considerably among the unconnected or relatively connected participants, for whom the average of daily connection to the Internet drops down to a range from 1/2 to 2 hours. The majority of the participant in this category have expressed a negative opinion on the virtual space, considered as an “unsafe space”; as “perverse” or as a “source of trouble” that “must be used “sparingly and usefully”.
But the behaviors of participants towards the Internet and the new connected communication tools are not dictated only by peoples’ morale assessment of the virtual space. It is also dictated by the perceived ease of use of the new connected communication tools among individuals belonging to the unconnected or relatively connected individuals. This causal relationship formulated in our second hypothesis has been confirmed by the regression measures. The Bravais-Pearson squared correlation coefficient between the two variables reveled a result of 0.557, with a betta value of .754, a standard of error of B of 0.063, a t ratio of 12.291 and a probability of value p inferior to 0.002 (see below).
Table 6. Regression measures for H2.
The collected qualitative indicators reveal also that the ease of use is very low among the participants belonging to the unconnected/relatively connected category. The difficulty of use among participants of this category refers essentially to the following reasons:
“Discomfort they face” in dealing with the new connected communication technologies,
“Misunderstanding of the basics of Internet ergonomics” and the “hypermedia logic”,
“Non-assimilation of online browsing”,
“Misunderstanding of application use”,
“Illiteracy and languages insufficiencies”
“Fear from the bad use of the so expensive new tools that may make them out of service”.
These results related to participants belonging to the unconnected/relatively connected category contrast fundamentally with the results obtained for the test of the causal relationship between the ease of use (EU) and the effective use (EFU) of new connected communication technologies operated among participants belonging to the category of highly connected individuals. The supposed relationship was positive, supported by a Bravais-Pearson squared correlation coefficient of 0.554, with a betta value of .752, a standard of error of B of 0.061, a t ratio of 12.281 and a probability of value p inferior to 0.003 (See below).
Table 7. Regression measures for H3.
The collected qualitative indicators reveal that the ease of use is very high among the participants belonging to the highly connected category. The most frequently stimulants mentioned by the participants to justify their avidity for the mobile and connected communications media are the “comfort that these media offer to them” both in terms of “technical ease of use” and in terms of “freedom these means grant them to connect when they want, where they want and to see the content they want”. Respondent have also mentioned the “mastery of the fundamentals of Internet ergonomics” the “mastery of hypermedia logic”. In addition to “languages’ proficiency”, the “perfect assimilation of online browsing” and the “ease they feel in applications’ use”. When these results were examined into details the types of new connected media/services used by the participants there are five types of dominant alternative OTT consumptions of major sporting events. We mention them in the order of frequencies given by the interviewees as follows:
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) consumption with an average of 31%,
Broadcast consumption trough sharing with an average 27%,
Broadcast consumption through social network streaming with an average 23%,
Broadcast consumption through illegal live streaming with an average of 26%,
Broadcast consumption through LIFE commenting of sporting events with an average of 19%.
The IPTV subscription is an access to video streaming packages from a compatible demodulator or directly from a smart TV (without demodulator). Sharing is a cheapest subscription to a satellite channel-decoding server provided illegally by a person or small start-ups. It consists of a code, a link as well as a certain amount of information to be inserted on its demodulator in order to be able to access the encrypted channels. Apart from a compatible demodulator, connected to a parabolic dish, sharing subscriptions require a low internet speed (only Wi-Fi or 4 G) to operate. But unlike Sharing, an IPTV subscription does not need a satellite dish. Nevertheless, it requires an internet speed of at least 4Mbps. Through IPTV offers subscribers may benefit from various services such as:
“Live television services”;
“Time shifting” services: recorded programs of TV channels or radio channels in a storage medium to be viewed by the subscribers after the initial broadcasting;
“Start-over TV services (SOTV): possibility of replaying the live TV shows from their beginning;
The “video on demand” (VOD) which consists of browsing and viewing video chosen a media catalogue.
Peer to peer consumption through illegal streaming consists of the use of social networks to share illegally live sporting events transmission by an individual through YouTube, most of the time. Broadcast consumption through live commenting of sporting events is used at as the last alternative for those who cannot benefit from the previous options, either because of technical or for financial reasons. It is mainly used to follow up live development of major sports events, particularly football matches. Besides, our study reveals the existence of two types of suppliers to whom interviewed people in our sample turn to access the different OTT platforms and services in Algeria (See below).
Table 8. Real OTT media consumption as mentioned by participants.Footnote27
We have on the one hand the formal and legal market represented by few major international providers who are well established in the market and available in the Middle East and North Africa, dominated by big companies such Starz Play, BeIN Connect, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Shahid. However, the offers of these well-established global companies are on average inaccessible to the majority of Algerian population because of the prohibitive annual subscription fees, which - except for Shahid- remain in general almost equal to a monthly entire average salary of low-wage individuals and almost up to half of the monthly average salary in Algeria. We have on the other hand the informal market dominated either by individual actors or by small start-up companies, who most of the time offer cheap services that often, remain short lived with unstable packages. We can mention among them: King365 IPTV FHD OTT, Shooters OTT, IPTV Crystal OTT, OTT Platinium, Chaînes IPTV Algérie, Iron IPTV, IPTV Smarters APK-BX, Smart+, IPTV VOLKA, IPTV GOGO, IPTV PROSAT, Atlas Pro IPTV. Furthermore, our interviews reveal that sharing services dominate the OTT consumption among participants with 59 frequencies, the majority of them belong to the highly connected individuals (54 frequencies) with only a limited percentage among people belonging to the unconnected or relatively connected category (5 frequencies). In the second place we find the informal cheapest IPTV services with a total of 49 frequencies; 47 of them among the highly connected category and only 2 belong to the second category. In the last position the services provided by the global OTT providers with a total of 30 frequencies, 21of them belong to the highly connected category and only 1 belongs to the category of unconnected or relatively connected participants.
A Tangible Gap in Gratifications Sought between Generations
To understand peoples’ motivations in choosing their preferred mediums in the two categories incorporated in the qualitative part of the study a number of open-ended questions that dealt with sporting events’ consumption from a UGT perspective (Usage & Gratification Theory). Participants’ responses reveal the existence of a huge chasm separating the two groups in terms of gratification sought towards the use of the different types of media (See below).
Table 9. Gratifications sought for the three types of mediation of sporting events as mentioned by participants in the two categories.
Two major observations emerge from the table above regarding participants’ gratifications from the use of new connected media tools to watch sports programs. The first observation is that highly connected individuals mention more gratifications that are process-oriented in their nature and is valid specifically with regard to peoples’ choice of using Connected Mobiles & Tablets. Meanwhile, unconnected or relatively connected participants mention more gratifications that are social-oriented in their nature. This is valid specifically in participants’ choice of using traditional unconnected TV screens. The gratifications mentioned by highly connected participants in their choice to opt for connected mobiles or tablets in consuming sports programs revolve around technical arguments relating to the advantages that new technologies allow them to acquire. These gratifications were formulated by the participants in the following classification, going from the most mentioned to the least:
“Possibility of watching sports programs anywhere” with 32 frequencies, all of them mentioned by participants from the highly connected category (HCC),
“Possibility of following sports programs while doing something else” with 30 frequencies, all of them by participants from the HCC category,
“Circumvention of access’ restrictions to major sporting events” with 29 frequencies, 28 of from the (HCC) and 1 participant from the unconnected/relatively connected category (ULCC),
“Setting bypass technology challenges in sports entertainment” with 27 frequencies, all of them by participants from the HCC,
“Keeping update with new technologies” with 24 frequencies, all of them from the HCC category.
We found relatively the same trend with regard to the use of connected smart TV screens, but with more psychological and/or social gratifications. The highest frequencies of “process-technical” gratifications are given by participants of the HCC (26 frequencies vs. 1 in ULCC) in the following items:
“Experiencing online sport programs watching on smart TV screens”,
“Keeping update with new Screens’ trends” (21 frequencies all of them from HCC,
“Getting more sport programs Vs. traditional TVs” with 19 frequencies for HCC vs. 1 for ULCC.
The rest of gratifications are more psychological or social in their nature such as “caving to family pressures” (16 frequencies in HCC vs. 3 in ULCC), “imitate others in the surroundings” (13 frequencies in HCC vs. 3 in ULCC), and “showing families keeping pace with new trends in sport programs consuming” (9 frequencies in HCC vs. 2 in ULCC). However, this trend is reversed when it comes to the use of traditional unconnected TV screens, where we note two variants. These are the dominance of gratifications of a social nature exclusively; and the constituency of frequencies almost exclusively among unconnected or only relatively connected participants. The classification of these gratifications are as follows:
“Sharing the same sports information and sports entertainment with the whole national community” (53 frequencies in ULCC vs. 2 in HCC),
“Keeping a shared family life in entertainment and information related to sport programs” (49 frequencies in ULCC vs. 2 in HCC),
“Possibility of controlling family members’ usages” (37 frequencies in ULCC vs. 2 in HCC).
The second observation is that the economic factor plays a key role in peoples’ gratifications from the use of alternative connected media to watch sports programs. This observation is valid specifically in OTT consumption both in sharing services and in cheapest IPTV services too (See below).
Table 10. Gratifications sought from OTT services as mentioned by participants in the two categories.
When we analyze the qualitative data regarding the gratifications sought in sharing services precisely, we can notice that the major reason expressed by participants in both categories is “getting access to global major sports events for reasonable prices”. Therefore, the economic imperative appears to be a preponderant element in the motivations that push participants to strive to find lower cost sharing sources to get access to major sports programs, or even for free sharing sources. Indeed, the mentioned motivations related to the item “getting access to global major sports events for reasonable prices” as a gratification sought has been repeated by 56 participants, with 51 frequencies among HCC participants and 5 among ULCC participants. These frequencies have to be added to a total of 19 participants who have declared that they seek to “getting access to global major sports events for free”, with 17 frequencies among HCC participants and 5 among ULCC participants. The economic concern appears also among the gratifications mentioned to justify participants’ choice to opt for the cheapest OPTV services. “Getting access to global major sports events for reasonable prices” has been repeated by 22 participants, 17 among HCC participants and 5 among ULCC participants. This item is also tangible in peoples’ choices regarding the use of the cheapest informal IPTV. Responses that turn around the desire of “getting access to global major sports events for reasonable prices” has been repeated 41 time among participants from the HCC and twice among participants from the ULCC.
The second gratification expressed by participants in terms of frequencies regarding OTT consumption refers to peoples’ circumvention desire, both in “sharing” consumption and in “cheapest informal IPTV” consumption. 36 persons among HCC participants mentioned responses turning around “Circumventing sports programs’ restrictions” as a second gratification versus 3 persons among ULCC participants. People who prefer to consume the paid services of “global OTT operators” perceive three gratifications;
The desire to “benefit from legal consumption of sports programs through legal channels” with 25 frequencies among participants from UCC and 1 from ULCC,
The “guaranteed quality and stability of services” with the same previous number of frequencies for participants in both categories,
The “ease of installation and use” with 11 frequencies, all of them among participants from the UCC.
Our qualitative study also reveals the rise of a new genre that would be worthy of further study; that is the free live commenting of major sports events. This genre, which can be called "the poor persons’ alternative", is exclusively mentioned by participants belonging to the unconnected or relatively connected people who “do not have sufficient incomes to subscribe to payed services”. The gratifications for this type of consumption of sports programs revolve around two needs: “watching sporting events when no other source of transmission is available” with 7 frequencies, exclusively among ULCC participants, and “superimposition of live comments on live open-transmission”, with 5 frequencies among HCC participants. The recourse to the first option takes place when no transmission is available through legal or illegal channels. The recourse to the second one takes place generally, when the desired sport program is transmitted openly via satellite, but in an incomprehensible foreign language. In this case, the original commentary voice is cut, replaced by the commentary of a YouTuber commentator, knowing that both options use YouTube channels.
Conclusion
The paper embarked on an exploration of the transformative shifts occurring in the Algerian sport TV broadcasting landscape, driven by the evolution of new technologies and mediation tools for major sporting events. Through a comprehensive study, it became evident that these changes have brought about significant alterations in viewers’ relationships with sports TV program consumption. The analysis, grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), sheds light on several crucial dynamics in the evolving landscape.
Firstly, it is apparent that technophile viewers and consumers of sports content, particularly football enthusiasts, are increasingly gravitating towards alternative media sources, both in the formal and informal markets. The prevalence of high internet connectivity plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to and utilization of these alternative online tools for sports event consumption. Concurrently, the ease of use emerges as a decisive factor, positively influencing the effective adoption of new connected communication technologies among highly connected individuals, while technophobes face challenges in this regard. Moreover, the study underscores the prominent role of the economic factor in individuals’ choices—whether opting for paid services from the formal market or turning to free or cost-effective alternatives within the informal market. The economic imperative becomes especially relevant when considering the socio-economic diversity in Algeria. This factor not only shapes consumption choices but also highlights issues of accessibility and affordability in the evolving landscape.
The research uncovers a novel form of sports event mediation, tentatively referred to as "the poor connected persons’ genre." This emerging genre, exemplified by YouTube live commentary without accompanying images of sports events, warrants further in-depth investigation. It sheds light on the creative ways in which individuals with limited financial means seek to engage with sports content, even in the absence of traditional broadcasting resources.
The integration of the internet with television sets has empowered connected individuals to access applications and Over-The-Top (OTT) media and entertainment solutions conveniently, across various devices, and at a reduced cost. Thus, it is evident that Algerian society, mirroring trends observed in the wider Middle East and North Africa region, is not immune to the global shift in sports event consumption patterns. Despite the resistance of state-owned TV channels to relinquish control over sports content, and the dominance of premium sport content providers like beIN Sports, the study solidifies the notion that connected individuals are progressively transitioning from traditional unconnected devices for sports program mediation to embrace new connected devices and tools. This paradigm shift has prompted broadcasters to adapt, setting the stage for a potential future revolution in the sports broadcasting realm. Anticipated outcomes may include the emergence of new types of sports event coverage and mediation, along with tailored consumption offerings. While several socio-economic factors drive this trend, it is likely also influenced by psychological and cognitive factors unique to Generation Z. These factors represent fertile ground for future research and in-depth analysis.
In essence, this study illuminates the multifaceted nature of the evolving sports media landscape in Algeria, offering insights that resonate with broader global trends. It underscores the need for adaptability among broadcasters and the potential for innovation in sports event mediation and consumption, all underpinned by an intricate interplay of technological, economic, and socio-psychological factors. Future exploration into these dynamics promises to enrich our understanding of the evolving relationship between sports, media, and society and provide a basis for policy considerations in the rapidly evolving sports broadcasting landscape.
Funding
Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Kamal Hamidou
Dr. Kamal HAMIDOU holds a PhD in Mass Communication from Paris 2 Sorbonne – Assas University. He led the Mass Communication Department at Qatar University as its Head from 2019-2022 and served as its Coordinator in 2018-2019. His expertise extends to journalism, PR and broadcasting, enriched by roles at the European TV Channel, “Euro-News,” and two Algerian daily newspapers. A distinguished member of international communication bodies, Dr. Hamidou has affiliations with the SFSIC and AEJMC. Beginning his academic journey at the University of Metz, France, he then worked at the United Arab Emirates University before joining Qatar University in 2014. Dr. Hamidou boasts publications across Arab, French, British, and Malaysian journals, alongside contributions to renowned international conferences. His research delves into inter-corporate communication, television sociology, and New Information and Communication Technologies. Specifically, he explores the impact of communication content, processes, and systems on societal and cultural shifts, emphasizing perceptions and cognitive processes through TVs and smart media devices.
Mahfoud Amara
Dr. Mahfoud AMARA is an Associate Professor specializing in sport, social sciences, and management at Qatar University. His research delves into sports, business, culture, and politics in the MENA region, and sports in Muslim communities. He has contributed to various organizations and has been invited to numerous international conferences. A member of academic editorial boards of several key academic journals in sport and social sciences. Dr. Amara is author of several peer-reviewed academic papers, chapters, and books. His notable works include Sport Politics and Society in the Arab World (Palgrave & Macmillan, 2012) and Sport in Islam and in Muslim Communities (Routledge, 2015), co-edited with Alberto Testa, Sport in the African World (Routledge, 2018), co-edited with John Nauright, and The Olympic Movement and the Middle East and North Africa (Routledge, 2018).
Notes
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13 Ian Henry, Mahfoud Amara, and Mansour Al-Tauqi, ‘Arab Nationalism and the Pan-Arab Games’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport 38, no 3 (2003): 295–310.
14 Mahfoud Amara, Sport, Politics and Society in the Arab World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).
15 Mahfoud Amara and Kamal Hamidou, ‘Sport Communication and the Politics of Identity in the MENA Region’, in Communication and Sport, ed. Michael L. Butterworth (De Gruyter, 2021).
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18 BeoutQ is a 10-channel piracy entity that began broadcasting on the Arabsat satellite operator after a diplomatic dispute prompted Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt to impose a land, sea, and air blockade on Qatar in the summer of 2017. ‘The piracy case against Saudi’s beoutQ channel’, Aljazeera 16 Jun 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/6/16/explainer-the-piracy-case-against-saudis-beoutq-channel); Mahfoud Amara, ‘When the Arab world was mobilised around the FIFA 2006 World Cup’, Journal of North African Studies 12, no. 4 (2007).
19 Mahfoud Amara, ‘Football, the new battlefield of business in Algeria’, Journal of North African Studies 16, no 3, (2011): 343–60.
20 Mahfoud Amara, ‘The Political Economy of Sport Broadcasting in the Arab World’, in Sport, Public Broadcasting, and Cultural Citizenship, ed. Jay Scherer and D. David (London: Routledge, 2013).
21 Ibid.
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23 Fred Davis, ‘Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and User Acceptance of Information Technology’, MIS Quarterly 13, no. 3 (1989): 319–39.
24 David L Driscoll, Afua Appiah-Yeboah, Philip Salib, and Douglas J. Rupert, ‘Merging Qualitative and Quantitative Data in Mixed Methods Research: How To and Why Not’, Ecological and Environmental Anthropology 3, no. 1 (2007): 19–28. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmeea/18/ (accessed April, 30, 2022).
25 John Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (Chicago, IL: SAGE, 2013). Chromeextension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ucg.ac.me/skladiste/blog_609332/objava_105202/fajlovi/Creswell.pdf (accessed April, 20, 2022).
26 Tifosy Capital & Advisory, ‘The Rise of the Amazon in Sports Broadcasting’, https://www.tifosy.com/en/insights/the-rise-of-amazon-in-sports-broadcasting-3483, (accessed May 31, 2022).
27 N.B. Some participants have mentioned multiple connected services in each sub-category but researchers deliberately took only the first mentioned.