Game On! How to Unlock the Potential of Fall Sports Viewership
Picture this: The leaves are starting to change, the days are getting shorter and school is back in full swing. These telltale signs can only mean one thing. Fall has arrived.And while we’re not there yet, this will be the scene that starts to play out in a few short months. We know what you may be thinking. Summer has just started, why are we talking about fall already? The answer is simple: Consumer habits and purchasing patterns undergo shifts in accordance with the changing seasons. For marketers trying to keep their target audience engaged, planning ahead is critical. Football season can be huge for brands if done correctly and advertisers should be locking in their fall campaigns now. Understanding and anticipating how your audience’s interests will change in the coming months and tailoring your marketing plan accordingly is one of the most effective ways to remain relevant with those users.
‘Tis the (sports) season
With cooler weather and earlier sunsets, people start to spend less time outdoors and more time on their couches in front of their TV. As the seasons evolve, television consumption patterns do too, particularly for sporting event viewership. After a long summer with few major tournaments or games, the return of the football season and the baseball World Series bring in millions of highly engaged viewers. The NFL brings about the long-awaited moments for advertisers to be able to reach so many live at once. It's quite unique in this fall market.
Football: America’s most-watched sport
Average Audience (AA) is the average number of TVs tuned in to an entity (telecast, series, or network/station) throughout the selected time frame. This is calculated by dividing the total hours viewed by Total Duration (in hours).In the first regular season games of the NFL season, 20+ million viewers tuned into games during weeks 1 through 3. In the first Sunday night football game of the season, almost 23 million viewers cheered on Tom Brady as his team took on America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. In comparison to Game 4 of the NBA finals, the first Sunday Night Football game of the year brought in 2.3x the average audience.
The first NFL Thanksgiving game was played in 1920 and continues as one of football’s most storied traditions. The NFL's Thanksgiving Day games have traditionally included games hosted by the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys, whose games see high levels of engaged viewership.
The World Series of TV viewership
Last year, the World Series saw higher levels of viewership as teams inched closer to becoming World Champions.
A consumer-centric strategy
Football is the gold standard for reaching engaged audiences and accessing those audiences comprehensively should be an important part of all fall campaign planning. Furthermore, adapting a campaign creative and messaging to align with the evolving interests or habits of your target audience can significantly enhance overall campaign effectiveness.For instance, a brand that sells takeaway food may know that many of its customers are passionate watchers of football on TV. With this information in mind, they can strategically display advertisements for pizza and wings to this audience leading up to game day with specific game day messaging or discounts, aligning with their audience’s likely craving for game-time snacks.by seamlessly integrating tailored ads to consumer interests and habits, brands can optimize their reach and impact.Want more insights on upcoming fall consumer trends? Download the Fall segment guide today or contact us to learn how you can reach audiences based on extensive TV and Connected TV viewership data and much more.
