College Sports to Be One of the Best Media Investments in 2024, per Big Chalk Despite NIL, the Transfer Portal, and conference realignment, consumers will watch in record numbers
Chicago, IL
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February 22, 2024 12:59 PM Eastern Standard Time
Many industry watchers believe issues like conference realignment, the Transfer Portal, and NIL will damage the long-term value of college sports as a media asset. New consumer research from Big Chalk, a marketing analytics company, shows these fears to be unfounded. On the contrary, growth in consumer engagement with college sports may never be higher than in 2024.
“College sports are undergoing drastic and rapid changes,” said Rick Miller, Big Chalk’s Marketing Effectiveness Practice Lead. “We wondered if consumers would react poorly to these changes and begin to tune college sports out. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Big Chalk surveyed nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers regarding their viewership levels across college sports in general, with specific questions about college football. The data indicate fans will increase viewership from an average of about 11 games per viewer in 2023 to 13 games in 2024 – an uptick of almost 17%.
To see if storm clouds are gathering on the horizon, Big Chalk also gathered net sentiment scores for NIL, the Transfer Portal, and conference realignment – but despite rumblings from some pundits, these issues are not driving fans away from the product.
Perhaps one of the more eye-opening findings from the research is the level of influence college sports provides its sponsor brands.
“More than 13% of respondents say they prioritize college sports sponsor brands during their purchase process,” said Miller, “and another 30% say brand sponsorship positively influences their purchase decision, even if it doesn’t automatically make the brand a shopper’s number-one priority.”
Some college football sponsors continued to see double-digit unaided brand awareness weeks after the football season ended.
“Perceptions of College Sports 2024: What CMOs and Media Strategists Need to Know” is the first of a two-part release of Big Chalk’s research. It is available for free download at:
https://dust.bigchalk.co/perceptionsofcollegesports
About Big Chalk
Big Chalk is a marketing analytics and outsourcing company that specializes in CPG companies and similar consumer-facing brands. Big Chalk’s blend of consumer marketing experts and data scientists provide the tools and consulting services that brands of all sizes need to grow sales and build connections with their customers.
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Cristina Itze
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