What the current research says and doesn't say about where to place targeted consumer ads in which sports: Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

COMMENTARY

TV Sports With Younger Viewers: It's Still a Thing

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 7 hours ago

Where is the intersection now with sports on linear TV and young viewers? Apparently there are still decent viewing levels to consider.

For example, while viewing all linear TV content for persons ages 2 to 17 is down a massive 86% since 2015, levels are down just 35% for sports content over that same time period, according to MoffettNathanson Research.

“Sports still has legs across younger demographics,” according to Michael Nathanson, media analyst for MoffettNathanson Research. 

“The declines in younger audiences for sports is not nothing, but it is an order of magnitude different from the declines seen across the rest of the ecosystem.”

What do they still watch? Seems the upcoming annual college basketball tournament -- “March Madness” is one.

A 2023 report from YPulse says the top sport for Gen Z/Millennials is basketball (44%) followed by football (43%). 

There is also the question of how traditional video business mechanics fit into young viewers' viewing habits. Many reports point to the strong likelihood that young media consumers will never buy a cable TV bundle subscription.

But that doesn't mean that won't get it on connected TV apps or other digital platforms.

Overall, a broader view of sports says its importance on linear TV platforms will continue. Much of this recent history is based on viewers 50 years and up, which have seen a 120% increase in sports viewing since 2015.

MoffettNathanson says that on an absolute basis, sports viewing is up. In the fourth quarter of 2023, it commanded a 28% share of all linear TV viewing versus an 18% share in the fourth quarter of 2019.

As for non-sports programming, it is down 45% among all viewers.

Although they will probably never be cable TV subscribers, they will still watch sports -- sometime, somewhere.

You can make the case that linear TV is hanging on by a thread because of sports. But looking further, we see that older and younger viewers are key reasons.