Table of Contents
LaLiga, Nielsen Study Finds Younger Fans Consume Broader Range of Sports
By
Nielsen and LaLiga Tech, the technology subsidiary of Spain’s top soccer league, collaborated on a new study that found sports fans aged 34 and younger claimed to follow an average of 6.3 sports, a marginal increase compared to older generations. The survey is based on responses from 20,000 fans across the Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X and Baby boomer age groups.
The surveyed fans came from 15 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Fans 34 and under listed a total of 65 different sports as being of interest. Nearly half (46%) of the younger fans (Gen Z and Millennial) prefer to watch sports on smartphones or tablets. The same group is 41% more likely than older fans to engage with fantasy sports while watching a game broadcast while 55% of Gen Z fans expect to see and interact with live statistics during a broadcast, according to the report.
Of the 20,000 fans surveyed, 41% watch some sporting events via a streaming platform. Roughly half of that audience (47%) say they also watch traditional television simultaneously while streaming sports. According to Nielsen, multi-screen consumption for Gen Z increased 10% globally over the past year compared to a 5% increase for all demographics.
“This report underlines trends that we have been monitoring for some time; digital audiences are being attracted to sport through gaming, streaming content or mobile apps, but their level of fandom has not changed, in fact it may even be increasing,” LaLiga Tech product lead Fabio Gallo said in a statement. “Now is the time for sports organizations to prepare for the change by creating owned digital platforms that allow their content to be discovered by a new generation, using data analytics to create stronger fan links than we have ever seen before.”