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Fans willing to pay for football over the Internet
Germany - 07 February, 2007
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A research poll of 12,600 fans of seven German Bundesliga clubs reveals that football fans are willing to pay an average EUR 3.73 for highlight reports and matches over the Internet.
The poll was headed by Sven Theysohn of Frankfurt`s Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University and questioned fans on their attitudes towards Internet football services.
The International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship published the survey result, which show that Internet reports could have a dramatic effect on the television industry in the near future.
Currently, pay-TV operators have relied on football as the main subscription attraction resulting in hefty rights fees for prime European football content.
Theysohn thinks the Internet could be a threat, especially since customers would be able to watch their football match of choice, no matter what time or location.
"The quick distribution of broadband as well as the growing popularity of paid content, and particularly video streaming services, could turn soccer reports on the internet into a viable alternative to traditional media channels," said Theysohn.
There were several other findings from the survey.
The eagerness to pay for football highlights on the Internet German Bundesliga is high.
Respondents with fewer or no alternatives to watch a match report have a higher willingness to pay than others, while fans that are based overseas are willing to pay an average of EUR 6 for a video report of their favourite club.
Fans of the best-ranked club show the highest willingness to pay among all clubs, but there is little connection between the willingness to pay and the club's success.
Different demographic segments show different levels of willingness to pay and preference of different report packages.
"Old bachelors" prefer to watch the whole game, but are willing to pay less, whereas "family men" prefer shorter reports but are more willing to pay. "Young enthusiasts" rate the length of the report a key motivating factor and have the highest willingness to pay out of all segments.
There is an insistence for a full-game report and a 10-minute highlight version in the overall market.
The rapid availability of football reports on the Internet is only somewhat important to one segment in the sample while being unimportant to the others.
The survey suggests that football clubs could be in a strong position to either stream its own content, or profit from it, rather than rely on the distribution infrastructure of the television operators. This potential remains regardless of whether the Internet replaces existing distribution channels.
"The yet undeveloped market of soccer reports via the internet can be viewed as a promising instrument for professional soccer clubs to reach both potential and existing consumers worldwide, to enhance their marketing strategies and to generate new income sources," said Theysohn.
The poll was headed by Sven Theysohn of Frankfurt`s Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University and questioned fans on their attitudes towards Internet football services.
The International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship published the survey result, which show that Internet reports could have a dramatic effect on the television industry in the near future.
Currently, pay-TV operators have relied on football as the main subscription attraction resulting in hefty rights fees for prime European football content.
Theysohn thinks the Internet could be a threat, especially since customers would be able to watch their football match of choice, no matter what time or location.
"The quick distribution of broadband as well as the growing popularity of paid content, and particularly video streaming services, could turn soccer reports on the internet into a viable alternative to traditional media channels," said Theysohn.
There were several other findings from the survey.
The eagerness to pay for football highlights on the Internet German Bundesliga is high.
Respondents with fewer or no alternatives to watch a match report have a higher willingness to pay than others, while fans that are based overseas are willing to pay an average of EUR 6 for a video report of their favourite club.
Fans of the best-ranked club show the highest willingness to pay among all clubs, but there is little connection between the willingness to pay and the club's success.
Different demographic segments show different levels of willingness to pay and preference of different report packages.
"Old bachelors" prefer to watch the whole game, but are willing to pay less, whereas "family men" prefer shorter reports but are more willing to pay. "Young enthusiasts" rate the length of the report a key motivating factor and have the highest willingness to pay out of all segments.
There is an insistence for a full-game report and a 10-minute highlight version in the overall market.
The rapid availability of football reports on the Internet is only somewhat important to one segment in the sample while being unimportant to the others.
The survey suggests that football clubs could be in a strong position to either stream its own content, or profit from it, rather than rely on the distribution infrastructure of the television operators. This potential remains regardless of whether the Internet replaces existing distribution channels.
"The yet undeveloped market of soccer reports via the internet can be viewed as a promising instrument for professional soccer clubs to reach both potential and existing consumers worldwide, to enhance their marketing strategies and to generate new income sources," said Theysohn.
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