Mobile consumption of sports content has doubled in the past three years, according to a new study conducted by Sporting News Media with the aid of European-based Kantar Sport and SportBusiness Group. The fourth version of its annual study of the U.S. sports media landscape, Sporting News Media's "Know the Fan" study found 42% of surveyed fans consume sports content on mobile devices, twice the '11 level and up sharply from the '13 figure of 35%. Similarly, consumption of sports content through social networking platforms has more than doubled in the same three-year timeframe. Despite the continued emergence of these new platforms, overall consumption of sports decreased for the first time in the history of the study, ebbing slightly to an average 7.7 hours per person per week. The figure is down from 8.3 hours last year but still up significantly from the '11 figure of 6.2 hours. "We don't feel this is a sign of falling engagement," said Sporting News Media CEO Juan Delgado. "Rather, we believe the accelerating growth we continue to see in the mobile space is additive, and as the platform continues to mature and more content becomes available, we'll see additional usage overall." The survey was conducted in February and polled more than 1,000 American adults. American City Business Journals, the parent company of SportsBusiness Journal and THE DAILY, is a minority partner in Sporting News Media.
