Alternative Sports Viewership Climbs as Fans Flock to WWE and Other Niche Competitions

The UK sports market size was some £25 billion in 2024 according to recent market analysis. Some projections suggest it could be worth up to £50 billion by 2035. Of course the ever-popular football is the national sport – even if it hasn’t come home in a long while – so football makes up a significant chunk of that. However, alternative sports like esports, combat sports, women’s sports and others are growing in popularity. Why is this, and what are the key drivers?

Well, the globally interconnected social and streaming media boom has certainly changed the way people interact with sports. For example, World Wrestling Entertainment, celebrity boxing and UFC have all grown hugely in audience in the UK in recent years – largely thanks to deals with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. The internet has enabled these more niche fanbases to share their passion in forums, in Discord servers and on social media, enabling deeper engagement with few barriers to entry.

WWE is Surging in Popularity in the UK Right Now 
WWE’s two flagship brands – Smackdown and RAW – have both seen huge viewership rises in the UK since landing on Netflix in 2024. British viewers of RAW were up 30% on 2023 and Smackdown was up 40%. In fact, despite broadcasting first at 1am, Monday Night RAW was a top ten show in the UK for nine weeks in a row after its first broadcast.

This all shows WWE is very popular amongst Brits, and betting on it is increasingly of interest too. Interestingly, American bettors using state-licensed sportsbooks can’t even bet on WWE but British punters can.

Some 25 million people apparently tuned in to WrestleMania 41 in the UK, which is its biggest British audience of all time. Friday Night Smackdown is also coming live to London in January 2026, with tickets already on the third tier of release before selling out.

The Driving Forces Behind the Trend 
Although football is still by far the most dominant sport, the huge growth of traditionally more niche sports for Brits is emblematic of the shift to a global media landscape.

Many more viewers are now streaming or watching on demand, rather than through traditional TV channels. In fact, 2024 research suggested only 25% of British sports viewers solely follow sports through TV.

As well as giving more choice, online video platforms have so much data on their audiences they know what works and what doesn’t and can tailor productions or broadcasts to smaller niche markets that they know have value.

Younger audiences especially are less tied to traditionally popular British sports like rugby, tennis or golf and instead search online for other global sports that pique their interest. Once found, YouTube clips, Reddit forums and Discord servers can really cement a new fans place in a community – which is what leads to sustained long term interest in most cases.

Interestingly, even long-term fans of existing traditional sports are increasingly branching out. The average UK sports viewer followed at least five different sports in 2024, up from three in 2018. 74% of sports fans make efforts to watch their sports live, even if time zones are difficult.

Sports betting is also a big reason behind the driver. People who like to bet on sports increasingly look for new sports to learn, often so they have things to bet on the offseason. Many bettors also see more niche sports as being more open to errors and mispricing from bookmakers, representing opportunities for a profit.

Football Still Dominates, Other Sports Growing Fast 
Football is still by far the most watched and played sport in the UK, and across the world. Given the country’s passionate and long history with the beautiful game – invented it, mate – that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

There’s also the fact that women’s football is hugely growing too. That is a technically new sport, but it also comes under the umbrella of football giving it a substantial boost while under increased competition from other sports. The Lionesses’ tournament winning successes of recent years has also helped boost the profile of the women’s game considerably.

Interestingly though, the Olympics does usually (briefly) dethrone football as the most watched sports for a couple of weeks every four years. Rugby, tennis, cricket and golf are the top traditional sports (all at least partly British inventions, don’t you know) remain the regularly top watched sports outside of football.

Opportunities and Stumbling Blocks 
On the other hand, combat sports and basketball were two of the fastest rising alternatives for British viewers in 2024.

The rise of traditionally niche sports in the UK, like WWE wrestling, also opens up opportunities for more local talent and rising leagues. In 2016 WWE even created its first British offshoot roster and show in the UK, called NXT UK.

It has been on hiatus since 2022, since WWE merged with the UFC, but while it was active it saw a significant boost in UK WWE viewership and rumors still abound around a possible rebirth of the brand.

Other sports have also been fostering more relationships with UK brands including the UFC and global esports leagues.