Serious sports fans comprise 19% of overall online users in the US and represent one of the most lucrative audiences online, according to a new report from JuniperResearch.
The report, titled
Serious Sports Fans: Programming for a Lucrative Audience, found that 21% of serious sports fans, who tend to be younger males between the ages of 25-34, view streaming video monthly.
Serious sports fans also value local media, with local TV, radio, and newspapers ranking among sports fans’ top six news sources. Local websites should not only focus on implementing social media and video features, said JuniperResearch, but should also explore opportunities such as networks of local bloggers, spin-off sites, and local promotion.
Bobby Tulsiani, analyst and lead author of the report for JupiterResearch, said: “To fully tap into this lucrative audience, local sites must make a commitment to search engine optimization and search engine marketing.”
The European Interactive Advertising Association published a report which claimed that digital media is fast becoming the medium of choice for sports fans and pushing the boundaries of media convergence across TV, internet and mobile.
The Sport and the Shift to Interactive Media report indicated that twice as many sports fans use the internet whilst watching TV compared with the average user (32% vs. 16%) (see Sports Fans Turning To Digital Media).
Last month, the Deloitte Digital Index revealed that 19% of UK households consume online video on a regular basis, up 8% from August 2007 (see 19% Of UK Households Watch Online Video).
It also forecast that in five years’ time this figure could realistically grow to more than 50%.
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