Location data technology company, Blis, predicts Queenslanders will be more likely to dual screen during State of Origin Game Three on Wednesday night. The prediction follows exclusive research that threw up unique insights into rugby league fans’ media habits.

The research, conducted over State of Origin games one and two, found that Queenslanders were 32.5 per cent more likely to use mobile or tablets devices whilst watching the games at home, compared to their NSW counterparts.

Blis deployed mobile display advertising during both games targeted at devices connected to residential WIFI IPs, asking users in Sydney and Brisbane if they were watching the match and which team they were supporting. Around 50 percent of respondents said they were watching the match at the same time as being on their phone.

The results from Blis support OzTam figures, showing a higher level of engagement in the Origin series from Brisbane residents, proportional to population size. Game two drew 3.4 million metro viewers in total, with around 800,000 Brisbane residents tuning in.

Asking users ‘are you watching State of Origin’ during the broadcasts generated a significant lift in user engagement above normal levels. Blis recorded click-through rates three times higher than IAB mobile benchmarks during the survey bursts. 

Blis Australia group head Tom Gregory said the research findings underscore the shift in behaviour mobile has generated in a very short time. “To have 50 percent of the audience we found through our methodology report viewing a major sports broadcast while dual screening with their mobile offers great example of how mobile is a behaviour, not a channel.” 

“More importantly, it points to the huge opportunity marketers have to leverage live, keystone TV broadcasts and talking to consumers in their homes in right moments for heightened contextual and location relevance in their mobile campaigns. Our research supports the assumption that their attention is split, but that well-targeted creative breaks through for strong results.”

“The creative used during the broadcast to recruit research respondents scored 3 times above the benchmark CTR for mobile. That’s a major win for mobile location, and a great use case for tactical moment marketing” he said.