Simmons Research Releases 2017 Sports Fan Study; Forms Sports Measurement Advisory Council

Comprehensive study provides deep insight into sports fan attitudes and behaviors

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Oct 25, 2017, 08:30 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Research, the leading source of essential consumer intelligence, today announced the release of its Sports Fan Engagement Study, a trusted solution that provides in-depth insights into sports fandom in the United States. Among its many findings, Simmons' 2017 Sports Fan Study revealed significant increases in ad influence, spending, and shifting fan attitudes. Highlights included:

Reported fan spending of over $10.5 million on tickets to live sporting events, an increase of 35% YOY
32% of fans reported noticing the brands that teams or athletes use or wear during games and events.
Reported fan spending of over $6.2 million on sports cable TV packages, an increase of 13% YOY
Over a third of fans (36.4%) believe that sponsors of sporting events are critical to the success of sports
25% of fans reported following brands that sponsor their favorite teams or athletes on social media, an increase of 107% YOY
68% of fans agreed that sports can bring people from different walks of life together

To help inform this comprehensive study, Simmons has assembled a sports measurement advisory council of industry stakeholders. Members include representatives from the MLS, Endeavor, Red Bull and a dozen other media, advertising, eSports, and professional sports league experts.

"Measurement of sports fandom in the United States has many challenges, but is an area of interest for agencies, media companies, and advertisers alike," said Jackie Anderson, Chief Client Officer at Simmons Research. "Existing solutions fail to incorporate psychographics, or more specifically, the attitudes that drive sports fan spending, engagement and behavior. Working closely with our advisory council, Simmons designed a study to deliver the highest-quality sports fan insights. We're excited to help our clients build informed strategies to understand, find and target their sports fans."

Released annually, the Simmons Sports Fan and Engagement Study provides in-depth analysis of:

Sport, team, and league-specific data
Segmentation of fandom by sport across all sports measured
Fan engagement (digital, traditional, and social) and path to fandom
Sponsorship and advertisement of sports teams, leagues, and athletes
Sports attitudes and opinions, including attitudes about kids and sports participation
Spending on sports-related items, including spending at sports events by category
Professional and development-level interest in sports
The new worlds of sports, including fantasy sports and eSports

Simmons will host a complimentary webinar on October 25^th at 2:00 PM ET to review findings from the 2017 study. Interested parties may register by visiting https://smns.co/2gbzxlo.

About Simmons Research
Simmons Research is the leading source of essential consumer intelligence. Simmons measures American consumer psychographics, preferences, attitudes, and media behaviors by closely overlaying survey and passively measured data using advanced measurement sciences. For more than 60 years, Simmons has helped leading brands, agencies, and media companies effectively engage with consumers, providing measurement of over 60,000 consumer elements, including all major media, 600 attitudes and opinions, 500 product categories, and 8,000 brands. For more information, please visit www.simmonsresearch.com and follow @simmonsresearch on Twitter.

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SOURCE Simmons Research