77% of sports fans watch on tablets

ESPN has revealed research that shines a spotlight on the huge role following sport plays in the lives of UK fans. The average UK sports fan spends 7hr 24min following sport in a typical week compared to 5hr 24min on social media, 5hr 12min doing housework, or 4hr 30 min exercising. The figures come from ESPN’s bi-annual survey of fans, and offer an insight into the changing habits and preferences of UK sports fans.

The research also sheds light on how UK fans are choosing to follow their favourite sport, with 87 per cent depending on their smartphone for sports news. ESPN has seen the same trend across their digital platforms in the UK, with 71 per cent of ESPN’s audience coming exclusively from mobile in December 2015 according to comScore, up from 58 per cent in January 2015.

British fans’ increasing reliance on smartphones to follow sport is matched by a marked increase in consumption via tablet, with 77 per cent of fans using tablets to consume sports, up 87 per cent since 2011. The increase in use of mobile devices coincides with a decline in print newspapers as a regular source of sports news. The data indicates that only 23 per cent of sports fans read a newspaper on a daily basis – down from 47 per cent just four years ago.

… read on at advanced-television.com

Originally posted at Advanced Television
10th February 2016

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