ESPN Research Shows U.K. Fans Increasingly Reliant On Mobile Devices For Sport News

ESPN research has shined a spotlight on the role following sports plays in the lives of U.K. fans. The average U.K. sports fan spends 7 hours, 24 minutes following sports in a typical week compared to 5 hours, 24 minutes on social media. The figures come from ESPN's bi-annual survey of fans. The research also sheds light on how U.K. fans are choosing to follow their favorite sport, with 87% depending on their smartphone for sports news. ESPN has seen the same trend across their digital platforms in the U.K., with 71% of ESPN's audience coming exclusively from mobile in Dec. '15 according to comScore. British fans' increasing reliance on smartphones to follow sport is matched by a marked increase in consumption via tablet, with 77% of fans using tablets to consume sports, up 87% since '11. The rising importance of smartphones to sports fans is emphasized by the fact that 19% of fans use their phone to watch, listen to or check live sport everyday, while 36% use it to follow sports news every day (ESPN).