TNS, ESPN Debut Sports Poll Europe Survey

HORSHAM, Pa., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- TNS today released topline findings from the baseline wave of the new ESPN Sports Poll Europe.  This comprehensive tracking study will measure Europeans' interest and engagement with sports.  Based on the US study that has been the preeminent source of American sports intelligence since 1994, the European version will provide sponsors, leagues, and the media with valuable insights about the impact that sports has on consumers and the role it plays in their lives. Initial results are based on 500 online interviews conducted in January in each of the following countries:  France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Monthly surveys will continue throughout the year, with detailed findings and trends reported on a quarterly basis.

Robert Fox is Senior Vice President of Sport & Sponsorship research at TNS North America.  He states, "Companies have tools to measure specific aspects of their sports business, like television ratings and media exposure programs.  These are important, but they do not tell the whole story.  By tracking more than two dozen sports, this study offers brands a 10,000-meter vantage point to assess their target markets across the entire sports landscape.  Continuous tracking makes this particularly unique because it negates the seasonal bias associated with comparing sports at a given point in time."

Artie Bulgrin, Senior Vice President at ESPN said, "The Sports Poll is unique in that it provides in-depth intelligence about the impact that sports has on the population with respect to involvement, media usage, and consumer behavior.  The monthly Sports Poll tracking in the US helps us identify trends that ultimately affect media and advertising performance.  We are enthusiastic about what we can all learn in Europe now."

The study is designed to help answer questions such as:

• Which sports offer the best opportunities to reach a specific target market?  
• What is the true consumer profile of a sports fan? How intense is their fandom? To what extent does an emerging sport have potential to grow?  Should my company be an early adopter?
• How does our property stack up against other sports?  Who is paying most attention?  Is my company in the right countries?  What opportunities are we missing?

Some of the findings from the baseline wave that surprised the researchers were:  

1. Overall, sports interests were higher in Spain and Italy compared to France, Germany, and the UK.  While cultural differences can account for how people respond to scaled questions in surveys, both behavioral and attitudinal questions showed greater avidity and activity in Spain and Italy.    
2. The Olympics are thought of differently in Europe compared to the United States.  Americans tend not to think of the Olympics as a "spectator sport."  When asked, "What is your favorite spectator sport?" the majority of Americans mention the largest professional and college sports like the National Football League, (NCAA) College Football, and Major League Baseball.  
3. As expected, Football (soccer) and Formula One were the top two mentions as favorite spectator sport.  Number three was the Olympics followed by Men's Tennis.  

As with a beauty or talent contest, you can like more than one contestant, but only one can be selected as the favorite.  An implication is that if two sports are on the television simultaneously, the viewer is most likely to select the favorite for real-time viewing.  See table below:

What is your favorite spectator sport?  (One mention allowed.)

    
    
    U.K.           France        Germany          Italy        Spain
    ----           ------        -------          -----        -----
    
    Football       Football      Football         Football      Football
    (soccer)   27% (soccer)  18% (soccer)     28% (soccer)  38% (soccer)  40%
    
    Formula One    Rugby         Formula One      Formula One
     Racing     9%  Union     9%  Racing      10%  Racing    8% Olympics   8%
                                                                   
                                                                Formula One
    Men's          Olympics   9%  Olympics    10% Olympics   6%  Racing    7%
     Tennis     8% 
                   Formula One                    Motorcycle
    Olympics    6%  Racing    7% Winter Sports 8%  Racing    5% Basketball 6%
    
                                                                Men's
    Cricket     4% Gymnastics 6% Boxing        4% Gymnastics 5%  Tennis    6%

To measure activity levels in individual sports, the US version of the study has demonstrated that a person's self-described interest level in a given sport highly correlates with their actual behavior, including television viewing, event attendance and purchasing of licensed products.  The question was asked, "How interested would you say you are right now in X sport?"  The choices were "Very Interested, Somewhat Interested, A Little Bit Interested, and Not at All Interested."  Sports were asked in a random order to avoid biasing the results.

The following chart reflects the percentage of people in each country who were "Very Interested" in each sport, which the Sports Poll defines as "Avid Fans."  Selected sports from the survey are displayed.

Avid Fan Levels of Select Sports

    
    
    U.K.          France        Germany       Italy           Spain
    ----          ------        -------       -----           -----
    
    Football  29% Football  22% Football  31% Football    36% Football    43%
     (soccer)      (soccer)      (soccer)      (soccer)        (soccer)
    
    Formula   20% Rugby     20% Formula   19% Formula     28% Formula     34%
     One                         One           One             One
     Racing                      Racing        Racing          Racing
    
    Men's     13% Formula   15% Skiing    11% Motorcycle  24% Men's       31%
     Tennis        One                         Racing          Tennis
                   Racing
    
    Rugby     11% Men's     13% Handball  11% Volleyball  14% Basketball  28%
                   Tennis
    
    Cricket   11% Skiing    10% Boxing    10% Basketball  14% Motorcycle  17%
                                                               Racing
    

To place these results in perspective of what is already known, some of the European data were compared to the US version of the ESPN Sports Poll.  While data collection methods are different, the questions are the same.  The consistency in overall sports interest and specifically for the top

sports in each region provides confidence in the EU findings.  For example, comparing December data from the US to the total EU sample from the January baseline:

    
    
                                            US:  Dec 09        EU: Jan 10
                                            -----------        ----------
    Sports Fans                                 87%               86%
    Avid Sports Fans                            30%               24%
    Named as Top Favorite Spectator       NFL Football:     Soccer /Football:
     Sport                                      25%               27%
                                          NFL Football:     Soccer /Football:
    Avid Football Fans                          24%               32%
    

In a separate question, the study asked about interest levels in this year's two major global events.  As with all questions, the value to subscribers will be in their ability to filter results for their specific target markets and track the changes throughout the year.  Taking a weighted average to proportionally represent the populations of the online population in all five countries in the study, January results of total and avid interest for the Winter Olympics and World Cup are shown below, While overall interest in both events are comparable, the intensity of interest is greater for World Cup as indicated by the larger avid fan level.

Interest in Major Global Events

    
    
    
                            Total        Avid
    Event                Interested      Fans
    -----                ----------      ----
    Winter Olympics             81%       22%
    World Cup                   77%       36%
    

Companies interested in building fans in US sports leagues have opportunities and challenges.  The data collection methods in the European and US studies are different, but we can draw a high-level comparison.  With the exception of the NFL and MLB which have much larger fan bases in the US, the total fan bases for the other leagues are similar to what is seen in the US.  The results below are a weighted average to reflect the online population of the five countries.  

Interest in US Sports League

    
    
    
                     Total        Avid
    League        Interested      Fans
    ------        ----------      ----
    NBA                 43%        9%
    NFL                 41%        9%
    NASCAR              34%        4%
    NHL                 26%        3%
    UFC                 26%        4%
    MLB                 25%        2%

The study also measured media habits of the respondents.  Among people with online access, usage of the digital space for sport information is high, but varies somewhat by country.  The survey asked, "Do you ever use the Internet to access sports information?"

    
    
    
    Sport                    UK      France      Germany      Italy     Spain
    -----                    ---     ------      -------      -----     -----
    Uses the Net for
     Sports                  52%        47%          59%         58%      63%
    

Diving deeper into online activity, the study showed that 10% of the respondents in Italy spend three or more hours a day on social networking sites such as. Facebook, compared with only 2% in Germany, However Germans are the most physically active, which may account for less screen-time.

To inquire how to access detailed results for this and future waves, contact Robert Fox at TNS at the telephone number or email address provided.

About TNS

TNS, who recently merged with Research International, is the world's largest custom research agency delivering actionable insights and research-based business advice to its clients so they can make more effective business decisions.  TNS offers comprehensive industry knowledge within the Consumer, Technology, Finance, Automotive and Political & Social sectors, supported by a unique product offering that stretches across the entire range of marketing and business issues, specializing in product development & innovation, brand & communication, stakeholder management, retail & shopper, and qualitative research. Delivering best-in-class service across more than 75 countries, TNS is part of Kantar, the world's largest research, insight and consultancy network. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.

About The ESPN Sports Poll:

Since 1994, dozens of Fortune 500 companies have used the ESPN Sports Poll to make informed decisions in the areas of sports, events and sponsorships on a national, regional and local level. Additionally, the major leagues utilize the ESPN Sports Poll to promote their leagues and grow their fan-bases.

The Kantar Group

The Kantar Group is one of the world's largest research, insight and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more than 20 specialist companies – including the recently-acquired TNS – the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and actionable insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.  The Kantar Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP Group plc. For further information, please visit www.kantargrouptns.com.

About ESPN

ESPN, Inc. is the world's leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of six US television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU), multiple HD simulcasts worldwide, ESPN Mobile, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, live and on-demand broadband services in multiple countries around the world, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), ESPN on Demand and ESPN International.  

ESPN International has grown to include ownership — in whole or in part — of 46 television networks outside of the United States, as well as a variety of brand extension businesses, which allow ESPN to reach fans in over 200 countries and territories. ESPN International business entities include television, radio, print, Internet, broadband, wireless, consumer products, and event management.

Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

SOURCE TNS