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JupiterResearch Finds Serious Sports Fans Tend to Be Avid Consumers of Online Video, Presenting Opportunity for Sports Sites to Emerge As Leaders in Online Video

Posted on: Monday, 21 July 2008, 12:00 CDT

NEW YORK, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, has found that serious sports fans comprise 19 percent of overall online users and represent one of the most lucrative audiences online. With a tendency to spend more time online, watch more video online, and shop more online, sports sites must integrate the right mix of video and social experiences into their destinations.

According to a new JupiterResearch report titled, "Serious Sports Fans: Programming for a Lucrative Audience," 21 percent of serious sports fans, who tend to be younger males between the ages of 25-34, view streaming video monthly. With young men leading the pack in video activity, and with sports content translating well into the short-clip, "snacking" environment of Web video, sports sites have a perfect opportunity to emerge as leaders in online video.

A testament to the power of sports video, ESPN has emerged among the top 10 servers of video streams on the Web, and the NHL's revamped video section attracted 12.4 million unique visitors in April 2008, up 43 percent over traffic in April 2007, according to information released by comScore, Inc.

Serious sports fans also value local media, with local TV, radio, and newspapers ranking among sports fans' top six news sources. Local Web sites should not only focus on implementing social media and video features, but should also explore opportunities such as networks of local bloggers, spin-off sites, and local promotion.

"To fully tap into this lucrative audience, local sites must make a commitment to search engine optimization and search engine marketing," explained Bobby Tulsiani, Analyst and lead author of the report for JupiterResearch. "During the 2008 NBA Finals, none of the local TV or radio stations ranked among Hitwise's top 10 sites for traffic from the search term 'Lakers' or 'Celtics'."

According to David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch, "Serious sports fans' heavy involvement with shopping and fantasy sports presents an opportunity for revenue streams outside of advertising, such as paid video, ticketing, and merchandising."

The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online at http://www.jupiterresearch.com/. For details on JupiterResearch's methodology, visit http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/methodology or email press@jupiterresearch.com to request a detailed methodology statement. For additional information on this report or JupiterResearch's News and Information research service, visit http://www.jupiterresearch.com/ or contact Kieran Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service, at 1-800-481-1212 or researchsales@jupiterresearch.com.

About JupiterResearch

JupiterResearch provides unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on their business. The company helps online businesses make critical decisions about technology selection, spending, staffing, and Web site effectiveness; advises consumer-facing companies with online advertising, marketing, and customer service strategies to understand, attract, convert and retain customers; and guides technology vendors and service providers on market opportunity, positioning, product definition, and pricing. JupiterResearch is headquartered in New York City and has offices throughout the US and Europe. For more information, visit http://www.jupiterresearch.com/.

Contacts: Adriane Dean or Pete Arnold Peter Arnold Associates 781-239-1030 press@jupiterresearch.com

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. David Schatsky https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=78548

JupiterResearch

CONTACT: Adriane Dean or Pete Arnold, both of Peter Arnold Associates,+1-781-239-1030, press@jupiterresearch.com

Web site: http://www.jupiterresearch.com/http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/methodology

Source: PRNewswire

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