Sports Content Viewership Motivations Across Digital Devices

U.S. advertisers spent over $2 billion on sporting events in 2014 directing advertisements towards consumers through digital devices used such as televisions, computers, smartphones, and tablets. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify motivation factors that predict the intention to view sports content on digital devices. Knowing such factors is important for advertisers to prioritize distribution channels. Uses and gratification theory formed the theoretical framework for the study. The methodology adapted a survey that encapsulated 9 motives. The research questions examined what motives influenced sports viewership, what motives predicted the intention to view specific sports content, and the differences in viewing intention across sports content types. Data were collected through a survey administered to a qualified random sample of U.S. respondents with 525 responses received. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis to group the questions into motivation factors, multiple linear regression to determine the significance of these factors in predicting viewership intent, and nonparametric Friedman testing to determine what demographics influenced viewership. Findings included: (a) 8 factors explained 76% of the variance; (b) 8 motives were significant in predicting viewership intention, with Escape (β = .714) ranking the highest; and (c) younger viewers had a greater intent to consume content on digital devices other than television, with smartphones (M = .73) ranking the highest. Social change benefits include: (a) sports content providers and advertisers could target the right content and advertisement to maximize viewership retention and revenue, and (b) users could view their desired sports content on their chosen device