Study: Young males rank live sport as what they miss most during Covid-19 pandemic

Source:China Sport ShowRelease time:06-Apr-2020Clicks:

Article From：SportsPro

New consumer research has revealed that watching live sports is what young males are missing most during the social disruption caused by coronavirus, with latent demand potentially creating a surge in interest post-shutdown.

The global survey carried out by IMI's NextWave consultancy shows that 38 per cent of males in the Gen Z and Millennial age groups have said that watching live sports with friends and family is what they are missing during the pandemic. That ranks ahead of simply feeling safe to go outside (31 per cent) or general social interaction with friends and family (32 per cent). Overall 19 per cent of those surveyed listed watching sport as an activity they miss.

The Consumer Perception of Covid-19 report suggests there is a ‘pent-up demand’ brewing among fans, and anticipates a surge in viewership when live competition finally resumes.

Half of the respondents in Italy and Australia claim their interest in live sport will increase when games finally resume. That also reflects a projected 40 per cent net increase in sports viewership in both countries.

Coronavirus: News, views and insights during the Covid-19 pandemic

At the lower end of the spectrum, fewer consumers in the UK and Spain (17 per cent) said that their interest in live sports will pique following the hiatus, representing seven per cent and nine per cent national net spikes respectively.

Elsewhere, 29 per cent of respondents in the US and 32 per cent in Canada said they will likely watch more sports in the future.

The data is pertinent with broadcasters seeing slumps in advertising revenues in the absence of live sports content, while rights holders are arming themselves for an anticipated financial fallout if postponed seasons cannot be completed.

However, results from the survey also indicate that direct-to-consumer (DTC) and digital platforms may provide stronger revenue streams for rights holders and brands than they were previously.

According to NextWave’s study, interest in streaming sports is also going to grow in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.

The UK is the nation listed as most favourable to streaming sports events when they return, with 38 per cent of respondents, an 18 per cent increase than when previously surveyed, saying that they were more likely to watch digitally. Twenty-nine per cent of consumers in the US and 32 per cent in Canada said that they felt the same, while 24 per cent of those surveyed in Australia concurred.