Reaching Younger Audiences in Europe: Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities for Sports Journalism in Media Targeting Gen Z and Alpha

This study explores how European digital media targeting Generations Z and Alpha integrate sports journalism to engage an audience disconnected from traditional news outlets. Through a qualitative content analysis of 10 digital outlets and a panel of nine experts, the research reveals that moving away from hyper-specialization, these platforms turn traditionally satellite topics, such as racism, feminism, and geopolitics, into their main focus, consolidating a new journalistic language based on liquid formats and memes, although the web platform remains a fundamental pillar for their identity. Furthermore, the commercial viability of free consumption, sustained through branded content partnerships, may reduce incentives for further technological innovation, while reinforcing sport’s potential as a valuable entry point for cultivating media literacy and encouraging civic engagement among younger audiences.