For sporting consumers, the Internet means research and information. According to a new survey from Burst Media, sports fans believe that the Internet has the best information they crave - from sports scores to team or athlete information. Television is very close to the Internet for information gathering.
graphic courtesy of www.maximumpc.com
Read online:
Sports fans score Internet higher than TV, by Kristina Knight on www.bizreport.com
Burst Media researchers surveyed more than 2,700 US adults over age 18 to come to their results.
The survey shows that nearly one third (31%) like the availability of sports information on the web, nearly another third (30.4%) turn to Television for their sports fix.
Why is this information important?
Because this same group of consumers are likely to buy products or services endorsed or seen as used by their teams/athletes of choice. Nearly 30% of consumers in the survey said they have been influenced in a purchase because of a sports franchise.
"Brands of all kinds have a significant opportunity to reach and engage a loyal and savvy audience in online sports content," said Mark Kaefer, Director of Marketing with Burst Media. "By rounding out broadcast and print media campaigns with an online component, advertisers can reach a targeted audience of educated and affluent consumers."
What information is particularly important to sports fans?
• 59% of sports fans turn to the web for scores and statistics
• 47% look for sports commentary online
• 35.6% turn to the web for highlights, videos and clips
These fans are most likely to be online in the evenings from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and are likely to follow their teams through social networks (24%) as well as traditional sports information hubs such as ESPN.com. Over half of these consumers have college degrees and 27% earn more than $75,000 per year or more.