Sports Enthusiasts Turn to the Web

Sport consumers are no longer using TV and newspapers as the main source to get their sport content. According to a recent study from ad network Burst Media, the sport consumers are using the web as their primary source to get hold of the latest sport news and information.

36.1 % of the men that participated in the study are using the web for sport news, 23.7 % are watching local TV programs and only 15.1 % are watching national TV networks. Another interesting result is that among age segments of 18-24 years and 25-34 years, the Internet dominates clearly over local and national TV broadcastings as the largest source for sport news and information.

However, it is not a huge revelation that people over 55 years old still prefer to get their sport news on TV rather than on Internet. The study shows that men and women in all ages are indeed large sport consumers online and this gives sport marketers a very good opportunity to reach their target audiences by producing various marketing campaigns on the Internet. Almost half of the respondents go regularly online to check the latest sport scores and 41 % reads sport stories online on a regular basis.

A similar study done in Europe shows that digital advertising is the most effective way to reach out to sport fans in European countries. More than 35% of sport fans in Europe visit sport related sites on regular basis, according to the European Interactive Advertising Association. 57 % of sports site consumers thinks that online marketing is “brand enhancing” and 53% of sports consumers said they viewed online ads as “informative”. Online marketing was also rated high on the creativity scale by more sports enthusiasts.

The findings show that it is a good idea for marketers to combine Internet and TV in their marketing strategy so they can target a specific sport audience. An expanding, increasingly engaged audience bodes well for companies investing in online sports content. The Internet evolves all the time and it is today a crucial forum for sport content and I am sure that it will become even larger in the nearest future, since the technology is constantly developing. The studies also show that sport-driven online audiences are receptive to online marketing and this is something that brands must take advantage of.

Image by vramak

Communications