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SBJ/March 19-25, 2012/In Depth
Consumers sound off on ticketing
Published March 19, 2012, Page 26
Exclusive research from Turnkey Sports & Entertainment revealed some striking results about how consumers and sports fans view tickets. The online survey covered 1,056 consumers overall, with some of the questions answered only by those who identified themselves as sports fans.
Among the findings:
■ The perceived value of live sporting events among U.S. consumers trails that of theme parks, concerts and Broadway shows.
■ In general, sports fans prefer to watch at home. In fact, even if tickets were offered to them for free, nearly a quarter of fans said they still would prefer to watch on television.
■ Ticket prices remain the most important factor for whether sports fans decide to attend an event.
Note: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, through its Turnkey Intelligence Operation, conducted the survey Feb. 12-14 using the Greenfield Online Omnibus panel. Respondents were at least 18 years old.
Source: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, Greenfield Online
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Among the findings:
■ The perceived value of live sporting events among U.S. consumers trails that of theme parks, concerts and Broadway shows.
■ In general, sports fans prefer to watch at home. In fact, even if tickets were offered to them for free, nearly a quarter of fans said they still would prefer to watch on television.
■ Ticket prices remain the most important factor for whether sports fans decide to attend an event.
| Which type of live entertainment provides the best value for the cost of tickets? |
 |
| Respondents: 1,056 U.S. consumers |
| Which major sports league provides the best value for the cost of tickets? |
|
| MLB | 19% |
| NFL | 13% |
| NASCAR | 10% |
| NBA | 9% |
| NHL | 5% |
| MLS | 3% |
| Not sure | 40% |
| Respondents: 1,056 U.S. consumers | |
| In which league are tickets most overpriced? | |
| NFL | 34% |
| NBA | 10% |
| NASCAR | 7% |
| MLB | 6% |
| MLS | 2% |
| NHL | 2% |
| Not sure | 39% |
| Respondents: 1,056 U.S. consumers | |
| Assume a sporting event of interest to you is taking place in the coming days. Generally speaking, would you prefer to ...? | |
| Attend this sporting event in person | 41% |
| Watch this sporting event on TV | 59% |
| Respondents: 800 sports fans | |
| Now, assume that you were given free tickets for this sporting event, would you prefer to ...? | |
| Attend this sporting event in person | 77% |
| Watch this sporting event on TV | 23% |
| Respondents: 800 sports fans | |
| What is the single biggest deterrent preventing you from attending sporting events in person? | |
| Ticket prices | 45% |
| Additional costs on top of ticket price (parking, concessions, etc.) | 19% |
| Prefer to watch live sporting events at home | 12% |
| Time commitment (it takes too long to attend live sporting events) | 8% |
| Quality of seating | 6% |
| Better options for my entertainment dollars | 6% |
| Fan behavior | 5% |
| Respondents: 833 sports fans | |
| Which incentive would most entice you to purchase a ticket to a live sporting event? | |
| 25% ticket discount | 62% |
| Pregame, halftime or postgame concert | 5% |
| T-shirt giveaway | 5% |
| Merchandise discount/credit | 4% |
| 10% concessions discount | 3% |
| None of these | 21% |
| Respondents: 840 sports fans | |
| How many live sporting events did you attend in 2011? | |
| None | 53% |
| One | 12% |
| Two | 11% |
| Three | 6% |
| 4-5 events | 7% |
| 6-10 events | 7% |
| 11+ events | 4% |
| Respondents: 1,056 U.S. consumers | |
| Would you say five years ago you annually attended …? | |
| Fewer live sporting events | 23% |
| The same number of live sporting events | 56% |
| More live sporting events | 21% |
| Respondents: 1,056 U.S. consumers | |
Note: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, through its Turnkey Intelligence Operation, conducted the survey Feb. 12-14 using the Greenfield Online Omnibus panel. Respondents were at least 18 years old.
Source: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, Greenfield Online
