Serious Sports Fans tend to be avid consumers of Online Video.
June 28, 2008
JupiterResearch has found that serious sports fans comprise 19 percent of overall online users and represent one of the most lucrative audiences online. With a tendency to spend more time online, watch more video online, and shop more online, sports sites must integrate the right mix of video and social experiences into their destinations.
According to a new JupiterResearch report titled,”Serious Sports Fans: Programming for a Lucrative Audience,” 21 percent of serious sports fans, who tend to be younger males between the ages of 25-34, view streaming video monthly. With young men leading the pack in video activity, and with sports content translating well into the short-clip, “snacking” environment of Web video, sports sites have a perfect opportunity to emerge as leaders in online video.
A testament to the power of sports video, ESPN has emerged among the top 10 servers of video streams on the Web, and the NHL’s revamped video section attracted 12.4 million unique visitors in April 2008, up 43 percent over traffic in April 2007, according to information released by comScore, Inc.
Serious sports fans also value local media, with local TV, radio, and newspapers ranking among sports fans’ top six news sources. Local Web sites should not only focus on implementing social media and video features, but should also explore opportunities such as networks of local bloggers, spin-off sites, and local promotion.
“To fully tap into this lucrative audience, local sites must make a commitment to search engine optimization and search engine marketing,” explained Bobby Tulsiani, Analyst and lead author of the report for JupiterResearch. “During the 2008 NBA Finals, none of the local TV or radio stations ranked among Hitwise’s top 10 sites for traffic from the search term ‘Lakers’ or ‘Celtics’.”
According to David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch, “Serious sports fans’ heavy involvement with shopping and fantasy sports presents an opportunity for revenue streams outside of advertising, such as paid video, ticketing, and merchandising.”
For more information ay http://www.jupiterresearch.com
