Fans are missing sports on TV more than going out to dinner or movie theaters, or socializing at bars and nightclubs, according to results from an ongoing study by Dentsu’s MKTG marketing and sponsorship agency, and its SRI analytics arm.
The longing to watch live sports on TV among fans has increased from 69% in the study’s initial wave in mid-March to 84% in early May. Receptivity to games without fans also increased from 33% to 42%, over the four waves of the study, an online survey of Americans 16 and older, representative of the U.S. population.
Accordingly, the study also sought to determine opportunities for sponsors, many of which have stayed on the sidelines, as far leveraging their sports IP. There seems to be an opportunity; 77% of fans agreed that “sponsors are more important than ever to help sports come back,’’ while 68% said they plan to participate in just as many sponsor activities and promotions as they did pre-pandemic. Purchase intent from sponsors among fans jumped from 36% in Wave 2 of the study to 49% in the most recent one. Fans’ top choices of activation by sponsors of fanless events were exclusive content (84%), behind-the-scenes tours (82%), and cause-related initiatives (78%).
“Consumers are giving brands permission to help them bridge the gap to games without live fans,” said Mike Reisman, MKTG’s president of sports and entertainment. “There’s real opportunity for any brand that can help fans transition to whatever that ‘new normal’ will be in sports.”
The desire to attend live games after the pandemic has also increased, going from 56% to 64%. Slightly less than a third (31%) of all fans said that they will “not hesitate to attend” live sports once they are opened. However, the percentage of female sports fans saying that declined from 38% to 28% over the last two waves of the study, while male sports fans choosing that option increased from 32% to 34%.
