Mobile Hits a Home Run with World Series Viewers

Transitioning from summer into fall means one thing for American sports lovers — the Major League Baseball season will soon come to an end with the World Series crowning one team champion. And with millions of fans coming together to watch the games, either in-person, live on TV, or on connected devices or smartphones, brands and advertisers have a massive opportunity to reach these consumers on the devices they prioritize and spend the most time on — mobile.Mobile carriers are some of the top brands to realize the potential of engaging with consumers during these sporting events; T-Mobile announced earlier this year that with their partnership with MLB, their users will receive a year free of streaming for MLB.tv in addition to free access to the MLB app. What’s more, T-Mobile is also using 5G technology to make the viewing experience more immersive for mobile viewers. Mobile carriers are aware of consumers' desire to engage with sports content on their smartphones and are capitalizing on these tentpole events to increase interaction with consumers on mobile. While consumers are watching the World Series this year, what else will they do on their mobile devices and which apps will receive priority? Sports viewers were surveyed about how they watch, how they will use mobile devices while watching, app preference related to watching sports, and their interest and preferences for ads during the game time. Read on for highlights from the Sports Survey!

Highlights

Viewers will watch the World Series live and keep up with content from the games on multiple devices. — While 69% of respondents plan on watching the World Series on Broadcast TV or cable, almost 20% will watch on a smartphone, and 65% believe it’s important to keep up with sports content on multiple devices.

Sports and food delivery apps will be installed on World Series viewers’ smartphones before game time. — Over half (52%) of viewers will consider downloading sports apps (ESPN, Fox Sports, Bleacher Report) before game time, 34% will consider food delivery apps, 25% gaming apps, and 25% sports betting apps. World Series viewers will buy food and drinks before sports events and 58% will use apps to order when watching at home. — Viewers are likely to purchase snack foods, alcoholic beverages, and pre-made food before watching sports at home, and 66% will spend between $10-$50 when watching. In addition, 58% of respondents will use apps (delivery, QSR, or alcohol delivery apps) to get what they need before watching a game at home. While watching sports, World Series viewers will spend time on smartphones and in apps. — The most popular activities on mobile for World Series viewers include texting (62%), browsing social media (52%), browsing in sports apps (37%), and playing mobile games (35%).

World Series viewers will look to smartphones to keep up with content/stats from sports events. — 50% of World Series watchers will use a smartphone to keep up with sports content, followed by connected TV (25%), desktop or laptop (17%), or a tablet (8%).Almost half of viewers have made a purchase from an ad aired during a sports event. — 44% of World Series viewers have made a purchase after seeing an ad aired during a sports event. Viewers who have made a purchase from such an ad in the last year have purchased food (40%), electronics (19%), mobile apps (18%), and automotives (15%).

About the Study

The Sports Survey 2022 was distributed throughout the U.S. and garnered over 400 responses. It asked consumers ranging from 18 years old to over 65 about their behaviors, viewership frequency, and device usage related to sports events.