With Sports Sidelined, Viewers Flock to Entertainment Networks

With more Americans working from home and hunkered down they39re turning on their TVs for information and entertainment Beginning the week of March 9 households using TV started rising and by March 15 reached levels that nearly matched this year39s Super Bowl according to a new analysis by Ampersand an audiencebased multiscreen TV ad sales and tech firmAlthough they can39t watch their favorite teams or leagues in action sports fans are still tuning in and marketers need help to find them By identifying wouldbe sports audiences brands can make smart decisions on where to redirect their ad dollarsConventional wisdom might suggest that all sports attract similar audiences and therefore sports fans will watch the same replacement content but the data revealed a different story In fact displaced sports fans are not created equal Ampersand39s analysis revealed that sports fans are finding refuge in a diverse collection of networks By drilling down into sports fans39 preferences and depending on the sport they would have watched advertisers can target their ads for particular audiencesUsing national Nielsen data for adults 25 to 54yearsold Ampersand39s report found that broadbased cable networks were the big winners amp8212 likely because these channels offer viewers a buffet of original dramas popular reruns and movies However among sports audiences there are some subtle distinctions in viewing choices Based on the percent of the sport39s demo viewers who also watched a given networkMarch Madness viewers were most likely to watch TBS 592 percent followed by TNT 528 percent and FX 304 percentMLB fans flocked to TNT 699 percent TBS 474 percent and USA 452 percentMajor League Soccer fans overwhelmingly opted for TNT 581 percent followed by USA 388 percent and FX 383 percentNASCAR fans tuned into TNT 66 percent USA 557 percent and TBS 517 percentNBA fans who would have watched the playoffs are spreading their time out among more networks including TBS 372 percent FX 364 percent USA 352 percent AMC 306 percent and AampampE 283 percentNHL playoff devotees have been watching TNT 566 TBS 41 and USA 398Digging deeper the data reveals that lifestyle networks offer brands an unexpected avenue to sports fans HGTV for instance scored well with March Madness NBA playoff and NHL playoff fans and Food Network attracted strong viewership across the sports groupsWhile not a leader among any individual group AMC was a strong performer across all six sports ranking among the top five channels in each set AE Network39s AampampE and HISTORY Channel were also popular alternativesAs the selfconfinement drags on Americans will continue to seek out video alternatives Brands are quickly adjusting their messages to align with the current climate as well as selecting new channels As Ampersand noted they can still find the same loyal engaged and affluent viewers who watch sports amp8212 they39re now just scattered across the dial When sports resume these fans will be back to their favorite channels and advertisers will follow their leadDon39t stop now Stay in the know on viewership trends with more from AmpersandClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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With Sports Sidelined, Viewers Flock to Entertainment Networks

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Alli Romano

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