Abstract:
Until fairly recently, South Africans' opportunities for sports spectatorship were limited to real life events or traditional media, such as linear television. Due to the proliferation of streaming services and media content that have become available over the Internet in recent years, South African sports enthusiasts now have the widest range of access to a myriad of digital platforms that are available anytime and anywhere (ICASA, 2018). The first adopters with the widest access to these new platforms are young (Millennial) sports enthusiasts. As this consumer group grows in purchasing power, so does their influence on how sport content is presented and will be presented in the future, as well as the financial viability of service providers in the future.
The purpose of the study is to gain empirical evidence of the sports consumption behaviour of the emergent Millennial consumer in South Africa, with specific focus on the different media sources used to view sports content, as well as their motivations to do so.
A positivistic approach was taken to the research design, to enable the gathering of quantifiable evidence through an online electronic survey: 175 valid respondents made up the sample. Although the sample size was large enough to merit the anticipated statistical analyses, the findings were unfortunately not generalisable as the sample was not representative of the target population in Gauteng in terms of the demographic split.
Results revealed that of all the technologies available, traditional live TV is still the most preferred medium for sports viewing. Evidence of interest in certain media may be indicative of more pertinent trends in the future. The strongest motivations that spurred Millennials' use of online for sports consumption, seem to be Convenience and control, followed by a relatively strong motivation to enhance Personal interest and preference, to gain Value for money and Affordability, and for Customisation and Entertainment. Demographic differences are limited to one of the motivational factors, namely Social interaction, that is not a strong motivation compared to the others.
The research concluded with recommendations to broadcasters, highlighting the need to provide online service offerings that make use of the media's superior functionality in order to meet Millennials' need for convenience and control of their sport content consumption.
