A New Type of Fan
The world is becoming increasingly digital and COVID-19 only accelerated that trend. MId-2021 marked a reprieve for many in the sports industry with the return of fans at live events. The return to normal was cheered by all, but it is important to note that certain behavioral changes from consumers have become entrenched. In the “new normal” the sports industry cannot simply snap back to a mirror image of its pre-COVID self.
Activities such as second screen engagement, OTT streaming, non-live content related to live sports, and video based social media have become increasingly prevalent — particularly among the GenZ population.
GenZ is an important demographic to the sports industry, and one that it has to build new strategies around. According to ESPN’s internal data, some 96% of 12- to 17-year-olds still identify as sports fans, a consistent figure over the past decade. But the share of fans who call themselves “avid” has dropped, from 42% a decade ago to 34% last year.
The NBA provides a strong example of a league that has been able to capture a younger audience and engage them across various new forms of media. It is estimated that 40% of the league’s core fan base is under 35, and the league has found success engaging young fans online, where it has 148 million followers across the major social media platforms — more than the other U.S. leagues combined. The league has seen 43% growth in social media views over the past three years.
Nielsen’s Global Sports Report
Nielsen recently released their Global Sports Report which outlines some key behavioral changes that firm has seen in its consumers. The report covers changes in fan behavior related to various new digital trends and ways in which a younger generation of fans are consuming content. Some takeaways include:
- 44% of fans 16-29 who watch non-live sports content that’s related to live matches do so via digital platforms
- OTT media rights value have grown from 4% to 23% at the local level for the top five European football leagues for rights deals negotiated in the last two years
- GenZ is reported to actively use social media 43% of time while watching live sporting events compared to 32% for “other” demographics
- In the U.S. 98% of the top 50 sports programs for 2021 were viewed on broadcast or paid cable
Check out the full Heat Check here.
ICYMI: Last month, we published a new Heat Check on the Sports and Tech in Africa . You can access that report and our other of research at Insights HQ.
