More Sports Fans Watching March Madness Games on the Internet, CEA Study Finds

Tournament Drives Sales of One Million New HDTVs

Sports fans are using the Internet at greater rates than ever before to watch games and follow their favorite sports teams, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. The Third Annual Sports and Technology Study: Future of Sports Content Consumption, conducted by CEA and the Sports Video Group (SVG), shows that nearly four in ten (38%) sports fans will download and watch a game at no cost over the next two years, an increase of 10 percent from 2007. Networks are offering fans the ability to watch games online – including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – in response to fans’ increased appetite for online sports.

“CBS and the NCAA, with their March Madness on Demand package, recognize the importance of providing consumers with sports content when and where they want it,” says Jason Oxman, senior vice president, industry affairs, CEA. “As both broadband and cell phone penetration steadily increase, we saw at the International CES that consumers continue to migrate their entertainment viewing to new platforms, and CEA believes the sports consumption landscape will continue to evolve in these new and exciting ways.”

The CEA study also found that sports fans are going online for information, statistics and highlights when they are geographically separated from their favorite team. Four out of ten (41%) basketball fans say their favorite team is located in a different city compared with just one in four (26%) who say they live in the same city as their favorite team.

A majority of U.S. households (55%) also have broadband Internet access, making it easier to access their teams’ information and watch game highlights. The study found that more than half of HDTV-owning sports fans, or those sports fans intending to buy an HDTV, will watch highlight clips online, from sources such as YouTube or espn.com.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is also helping drive sales of HDTVs. This year’s tournament will help inspire the purchase of nearly 1 million HDTVs (934,000), which represents slightly more than $1 billion in retail sales.

Methodology

CEA’s “Third Annual Sports and Technology” survey was fielded to an online national sample of 2,278 U.S. adults during the period January 14 – 21, 2008. Results are weighted to reflect national online demographics. The margin of sampling error at 95% confidence for aggregate results is +/- 2.1%. It was designed and formulated by CEA and SVG. The complete study is available free to CEA and SVG member companies. Non-members will be able to purchase the study at www.eBrain.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $161 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS —
Digital Patriots Dinner
April 2, 2008, Washington, DC

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CEA Washington Forum
April 2-4, 2008, Washington, DC

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International CES/hometech
May 25-27, 2008, Dubai, UAE

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DIGITAL DOWNTOWN (D2)
June 12-14, 2008, New York, NY

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Connections(TM): The Digital Living Conference and Showcase
June 24-26, 2008, Santa Clara, CA

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SINOCES 2008
July 10-13, 2008, Qingdao, China

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CEA Industry Forum
October 19-22, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

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Digital Hollywood
October 27-30, 2008, Hollywood, CA

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EHX Fall 2008
November 4-7, 2008, Long Beach, CA

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2009 International CES
January 8-11, 2009, Las Vegas, NV

Contacts

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Megan Pollock, 703-907-7668
mpollock {at} CE(.)org
http://www.CE.org
or
Steve Kidera, 703-907-4358
skidera {at} CE(.)org