With summer upon us, there is more to setting up your lounge room for the sport season than dusting off your favourite chair.

Generally, summer in Australia means beaches, holidays and family time at Christmas. But just as important for many Australians is the start of summer sport.

Summer in Australia often conjures up images of cricket, tennis and beach sports, all of which can be viewed from the comfort of home – and with a cool drink!

The changing face of sport

Pay TV and free to air channels used to be the best way to watch sport at home. While this was okay for the average punter, they were often at the mercy of the programmers and ratings, and would not always be able to see their favourite team or sport live in action.

There has been a shift in the past couple of years towards a digital solution for sports fans.

Global sport on demand

Today, it’s not only movies, music and entertainment that are streamed using the Internet.

Many TV networks and sporting codes have come to recognise the change in the way people are interacting with their favourite content.

A big reason for this viewing change has been due to an increase in internet speeds. Faster internet speeds have given broadcasters the ability to stream a match to anyone with a viable internet connection.

Stream your sport

Streaming has allowed fans to enjoy sports broadcasts across numerous devices from the comfort of their own home. 

More importantly, the fact that sport can be streamed to numerous devices at once enables households with more than one avid fan to watch their sport of choice without fighting over the remote.

Another major advantage is the ability to watch a match of choice on demand, allowing viewers to catch up on the game in their own time.

Many streaming services also offer the chance to watch all matches from a competition, allowing fans to enjoy every minute of their favourite team or player.

Related reading: OTT video giants eyeing live sports rights

Foxtel subscribers can catch up on their favourite sports on a computer or a mobile device and make use of the Foxtel play and ESPN3 streaming services.

Apps to help extend the sport experience

Many of the mainstream sports now offer phone and tablet apps, designed to help viewers get the most out of their experience. These apps allow a user to check real-time stats, replays and player information while watching their favourite sport to help enhance the sporting experience.

Seven Sport, Cricket Australia and Fox sports are just a few examples of apps that can keep a fan informed of the latest happenings in the world of sport. 

Smart TVs to keep up on sport

As well as the above options for mainstream sports, there are a host of free Smart TV apps that can keep fans up to date.

Cricket.com.au is also available on Apple TV. It offers many of the same features as the web version but available on the high definition big screen.

Billabong is an example of an app that is available for Sony Smart TV. It showcases videos, interviews and events and is perfect for any fans of board sports.

A new network for a new way to watch sport

The way in which Australians consume our sport is changing, allowing fans to watch, interact and even participate like never before. 

A fast Internet connection for more Australians will enable sports-crazy fans to stay up to date with all events in their own time and across multiple devices. Check your address to see if you can connect to the nbn™ network.