A new report by Nielsen has revealed that 11.2 million Australians visited online content related to the sports category via any device during the month of March 2017, up eight per cent compared to February 2017.
However, it should be said the report coincided with the launch of both the NRL and AFL seasons.
Time spent per person consuming sports content also reported an overall increase of 64 per cent. Access via desktop was the preferred screen used (6.9 million), followed by smartphones (5.4 million) and tablet (three million). However, growth was exceptionally strong for audiences accessing sports content online via the latter two mobile devices.
Gai Le Roy, IAB Australia director of research, said “It is important to note that although desktop has the largest audience numbers, people are spending over double the amount of time on sports content on their phones. This further puts to rest the idea that people only snack on content on their phones.”
Nielsen’s head of media, Monique Perry, said more screens mean more opportunities for Australians to access sporting content. “Our data shows that Australians are increasingly accessing content online via mobile and other connected devices, and sport is certainly no exception. The end result is that more Australians have an opportunity to access sports content, whether via a TV screen in their home or via a smartphone while out and about – there is no longer a risk of missing scores or not accessing the latest sporting news. This also means more opportunities for brands and advertisers to reach and engage the Australian sports enthusiast,” added Perry.
The top five sites and apps in the sports category ranked by unique audience all reported strong, double digit growth in March 2017 compared with the prior month. Telstra Media AFL reported 3.4 million (+68 per cent), ESPN Digital Network 3.3 million (+63 per cent), Telstra Media NRL 2.2 million (+69 per cent), Fox Sports 1.9 million (+36 per cent) and Cricket Australia 1.7 million (+14 per cent).
Nielsen data revealed that males account for over half (56 per cent) of all Australians who visit a sports-related content online, and are the key drivers of growth – up 13 per cent in March 2017 versus the prior month, compared to two per cent for females.
Sport was the most active genre on Nielsen Social Content Ratings for March 2017. One in every two social media interactions was about live Sport. Total Facebook and Twitter interactions for each code for the month of March were: NRL – two million (FoxLeague/Nine), AFL – 1.2 million (FoxFooty/Seven), Formula One – 418 thousand (Ten/FoxSports506).
The Essendon versus Hawthorn AFL game on teh 25th of March (Network Seven/Fox Footy simulcast) was the most social episode of the month of March across all genres. For AFL, males 25-34 were the most likely to author content via social media, however Females 25-34 were more likely to engage/interact with the content of other fans via Facebook and Twitter.
