Sports Fans Love Streaming: 37% Watch on Devices Other Than TVs
Sports fans are driving the move to live video streaming, and a study created by Adobe Primetime and The Diffusion Group documents just how popular it is. Among all live sports viewers, 37 percent watch live games on something other than a TV. Desktop computers and laptops were the most popular alternatives (used by 27 percent). Drilling into that data, the study finds NFL football the sport most likely to be watched on a desktop during the regular season—66 percent of desktop sports viewers watch the NFL.
The next most popular sports to stream to a desktop are Olympic games and NBA basketball. Often, sports fans just like having the video playing in the background, as 49 percent of desktop-using live sports viewers say they at least occasionally watch with the sound off.
While sports fans are turning to devices to get their fix, they're often unaware of TV Everywhere options. The study found only 50 percent of live sports viewers are aware of the free apps they're entitled to use as part of their pay TV package. Younger fans (25- to 44-years-old) have a 60 percent awareness.
Sports is a key driver for streaming services, the study found: 49 percent of those surveyed say access to live pro or college sports is strongly important when they decide to use a free streaming service.
The results came from a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers conducted in July.
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