Burlington, U.S.A. — Burst Media, a leading online media company and wholly owned subsidiary of blinkx, recently released the results of a survey about preferences and behaviors of sports fans as they relate to sports media. The online study, conducted in September among self-identified sports fans aged 18 or older, revealed that content websites are chipping away at television’s lead as the best source of sports-related information: more than one-third (35.4%) overall say sports sites are best; slightly more (41.3%) say TV is best. And among self-identified devoted sports fans (i.e., those who “love to stay updated as frequently as possible”), sports content sites beat TV as the best source by a notable margin: 45.1% vs. 35.5%.

“Whether it’s consuming original sports content online, sharing likes and tweets with friends, or using a tablet to follow the score, sports enthusiasts have many options to access content,” said Mark Kaefer, marketing director, Burst Media. “And with digital media becoming an increasingly significant part of the total sports fan experience, online publishers and advertisers now have access to a much wider set of platforms and tactics to use to engage audiences.”

Overall, 35.1% of all sports fans—including two-in-three (66.8%) devoted fans—go online at least once per day for sports-related reasons such as to check scores, read sports news, watch sports videos or play fantasy sports games. Nearly one-third (30.4%) of all sports fans say most of their time online is spent reading content versus watching online video. However, among 18-34 year-old respondents, 22.0% say their time is split between reading content and watching online video—a figure that is double the number of sports fans aged 35 years or older who engage in both activities (10.1%).

Tablets and smartphones are emerging as sports content consumption platforms. Among all sports fans, 45.7% use smartphones (such as a Samsung Galaxy) and 31.6% use tablets (such as an iPad) to access online sports content and video at least occasionally. Nearly one-quarter (23.8%) use smartphones and 17.1% use tablets to watch live sporting events.

Sports enthusiasts enjoy multitasking on mobile devices—among devoted and casual fans, 52.6% and 25.1% respectively use a tablet or smartphone to access online sports content while watching sports on television. Two-fifths (39.1%) of devoted fans and 28.4% of casual fans use mobile devices while watching non-sports programming on television—and 12.1% vs. 4.5% of devoted and casual fans respectively go mobile for online sports content while attending a game or sporting event. Interestingly, more than three-in-five (63.6%) men aged 35-44 report accessing sports content on their tablet or smartphone while watching sports on television—beating all other gender and age segments.

Download the full “Sports Fans and Digital Media” Burst Media Online Insights report (PDF) online here.

Image Courtesy of  San Diego Shooter

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