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- Words: 18,951
- Pages: 167
Research Symposium
April 27, 2007 The Benjamin Hotel, New York, NY
Member List
Agenda 2:00 p.m.
Welcome — Clay Walker, FSA Chairman
2:10 p.m.
Nielsen Fantasy Basketball Nielsen Fantasy NASCAR Nielsen Fantasy Golf Nielsen Fantasy Baseball Nielsen Fantasy Football
3:00 p.m.
Break
3:30 p.m.
Hitwise
3:40 p.m.
Interactive Sports Marketing
4:00 p.m.
Copernicus Marketing
4:30 p.m.
Sports Business Journal Q&A with Rex Grossman and Amani Toomer
5:00-6:30 p.m.
Reception with NFL and NBA players at Emery Bar
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Basketball Market Study
0
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Basketball Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Basketball Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: MegaPanel results are for households and not individuals
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for December 2006 Fantasy Basketball Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy basketball sites and fantasy basketball sections of major sports sites
Used custom Nielsen//NetRatings MegaPanel of households; draws from panel of 120,000 computers with tracking software installed, representing 350,000 users.
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 141 million fantasy basketball page views in December, 2006
Fantasy Basketball Universe Total of 1.5 million unique users for fantasy basketball sites in December, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy basketball universe at approximately 2 million Fantasy basketball universe is approximately 20% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA)
Summary of Findings
3
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine ESPN.com NBA.com RotoWorld AOL.com Sporting News Fantasy Basketball Category
1,015 201 171 101 82 33 32 1,502
Unique Users (000s)
114,017 8,364 5,789 5,990 809 42 4,324 141,068
Page Views (000s)
Top Fantasy Basketball Sites – December, 2006
Total of 1.5 million unique users for fantasy basketball sites in December, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 1 million unique users; CBS SportsLine in #2 position with 200k unique users
Note: Other fantasy sites include Fanball.com, CDM Sports, USA Today, and FOX Sports
Fantasy Basketball Universe
4
April 27, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Market Study
0
Fantasy NASCAR vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy NASCAR Universe
Methodology
Fantasy NASCAR Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: Data is subject to wide fluctuations due to low sample size
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for Feb 2007 Fantasy NASCAR Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy NASCAR sites and fantasy NASCAR sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 43 million fantasy NASCAR page views in Feb, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Universe Total of 1.2 million unique users for fantasy NASCAR sites in Feb, 2007; FSA estimates total fantasy NASCAR universe at approximately 1.5 million Fantasy NASCAR universe is approximately 15% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA)
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy NASCAR players are better educated than the average internet user; 76% have attended college Fantasy NASCAR players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average 33% of fantasy NASCAR players are female
Summary of Findings
4
579 294 186 165 1,215
23,800 6,672 1,680 6,902 43,337
Page Views (000s)
Note: Other fantasy game sites include AOL, CDM Sports Fanball.com, CBS SportsLine, Sporting News and USA Today
Yahoo NASCAR.com FOXSports.com ESPN.com Fantasy NASCAR Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top 4 Fantasy NASCAR Sites – Feb, 2007
Total of 1.2 million unique users for fantasy NASCAR sites in February, 2007 Yahoo was #1 site with 579k unique users; NASCAR.com in #2 position with 294k unique users Fantasy NASCAR sites generated total of 43 million pages views in February, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Universe
5
5 20
Fantasy NASCAR category
Internet audience
Under18 (%)
8
5
18-24 (%)
13
24
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
28
43
35-49 (%)
31
23
50+ (%)
Fantasy NASCAR players are concentrated within 18-49 year-old demographic; 72% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience Nearly half of audience (43%) within 35-49 year-old group
Demographics
6
1 6
Internet audience
Under $25k (%)
22
32
$25-49k (%)
27
29
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
38% of fantasy NASCAR players have incomes over $75,000
Fantasy NASCAR category
Demographics
19
17
$75-99k (%)
16
16
$100149k (%)
8
5
$150k+ (%)
7
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Golf Market Study
0
Fantasy Golf vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Golf Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Golf Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: Data is subject to wide fluctuations due to low sample size and changes in URL structure
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for April 2006 Fantasy Golf Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy golf sites and fantasy golf sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 15 million fantasy golf page views in April, 2006
Fantasy Golf Universe Total of 478k unique users for fantasy golf sites in April, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy golf universe at approximately 0.5 million Fantasy golf universe is approximately 5% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA) Yahoo was #1 fantasy golf site with 246,000 unique users in April, 2006
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy golf players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy golf players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 67% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average Over half (51%) of fantasy golf players have incomes over $75,000
Summary of Findings
4
245 103 31 478
8,278 3,848 386 15,447
Page Views (000s)
Note: Other fantasy game sites include Fanball.com, Head2Head.com, and AOL.com
Yahoo ESPN.com USAToday.com Fantasy Golf Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top 3 Fantasy Golf Sites – April, 2006
Total of 478k unique users for fantasy golf sites in April, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 246k unique users; ESPN in #2 position with 104k unique users
Fantasy Golf Universe
5
10 21
Fantasy Golf category
Internet audience
Under18 (%)
8
3
18-24 (%)
13
13
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
28
51
35-49 (%)
31
23
50+ (%)
Fantasy golf players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 67% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience Over half of fantasy golf players (51%) in 35-49 year-old grouping
Demographics
6
6 6
Internet audience
Under $25k (%)
23
6
$25-49k (%)
27
38
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
20
23
$75-99k (%)
15
18
$100149k (%)
7
10
$150k+ (%)
Fantasy golf players are more affluent than the average internet user; 51% have incomes over $75,000
Fantasy Golf category
Demographics
7
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Baseball Market Study
0
Future Research Topics
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Baseball Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Baseball Market Study Table of Contents
1
Also examined total usage by fantasy players within “host site” (i.e. site which hosts players’ fantasy baseball game); includes usage of fantasy content and non-fantasy content
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for May 2006 Individual fantasy site/area data (unique users, page views, time spent, other measures) Fantasy Baseball Market “roll-up” which includes 4 key sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy baseball sites and fantasy baseball sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Page view metrics demonstrate power of fantasy baseball; total of 459 million fantasy baseball page views in May, 2006 For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy baseball users accounted for 56% and 38% of total sports site page views, respectively Fantasy baseball creates “multiplier effect” for sports sites; fantasy players generated additional 300 million page views each month for host sites (beyond 459 million fantasy baseball specific pages)
Fantasy Baseball Universe Total of 2.3 million unique users for top 4 fantasy baseball sites in May, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy baseball universe at approximately 3 million, including smaller sites, offline players and partial season players Fantasy baseball universe is approximately 1/3 of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA) Yahoo was #1 fantasy baseball site with 1.5 million unique users in May, 2006; CBS SportsLine was #2 fantasy baseball site with 681 thousand unique users
Summary of Findings
3
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football Of top 8 fantasy football sites, only 3 offered fantasy baseball games in May 2006 Fantasy football and fantasy baseball have similar engagement metrics with respect to pages per person and visits per person Time spent per person on fantasy football is approximately 20% greater than on fantasy baseball
Demographics Fantasy baseball players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy baseball players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 65% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average
Summary of Findings
4
ESPN.com MLB.com
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
290 242
1,546 681
Unique Users (000s)
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball Sites – May, 2006
Total of 2.3 million unique users for Top 4 fantasy baseball sites in May, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 1.5 million unique users; SportsLine in #2 position with 681k unique users
Note: Other fantasy game sites include SportingNews.com, CDM/TQStats, and ProTrade.com
Fantasy Baseball Universe
5
268 146 138 122
RotoWorld.com KFFL.com RotoWire.com RotoTimes.com
Unique Users (000s)
Selected Fantasy Baseball Content Sites – May, 2006
Of independent fantasy baseball content sites, RotoWorld.com had highest unique visitor total in May, 2006
Note: Other fantasy baseball content sites include Fanball.com, BaseballHQ.com, and TalentedMrRoto.com
Fantasy Baseball Content Sites
6
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
ESPN.com MLB.com
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com 290 242
1,546 681
Unique Users (000s)
85
19,740
201
88
21,752
458,990
222 109
Pages/ Person
342,935 74,563
Page Views (000s)
1:32
1:21
0:56
1:19 1:31
Time/ Person
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits for Top 4 Sites
Fantasy baseball sites generated total of 459 million pages views in May, 2006 Of the major media sites, Yahoo and CBS SportsLine users consumed the most pages
User Engagement Measures
14
14
12
14 12
Visits/ Person
7
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com ESPN.com MLB.com
1,546 681 290 242
Unique Users (000s) 342,935 74,563 21,752 19,740
Fantasy Page Views (000s) 895,030 293,457 702,415 273,865
Sports Page Views (000s)
38% 25% 3% 7%
Fantasy Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy Baseball Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy baseball users represented significant percentage of total usage for selected sports sites For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy baseball page views represented 38% and 25% of total sports page views respectively
User Engagement Measures
8
290 242
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
1,546 681
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Unique Users (000s)
758,860
34,663
19,740 458,990
503,342 112,651 108,204
FB User Page Views (000s)
342,935 74,563 21,752
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
2,164,866
273,865
895,030 293,456 702,415
Sports Page Views (000s)
FB User Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
35%
13%
56% 38% 15%
FB User Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy baseball players generated 759 million total page views on sports sites that hosted their fantasy games - 459 million fantasy baseball pages and approximately 300 million additional sports pages For Yahoo Sports, fantasy baseball users generated more than 50% of site usage
User Engagement Measures
9
290 242
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
1,546 681
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Unique Users (000s)
58
37
19,740 458,990
61 50 66
Home Page Views (%)
342,935 74,563 21,752
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
Home vs. Work Usage
42
63
39 50 34
Work Page Views (%)
Approximately 58% of fantasy baseball usage was at home, 42% of usage was at work Of major sites, MLB users consumed most pages at work, ESPN users consumed most pages at home
User Engagement Measures
10
15 14 7 26 17 20
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
Under18 (%)
8
9
6 4
10 12
18-24 (%)
13
16
8 6
20 9
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
40
23
28
31
18
30
49
40
16 30
50+ (%) 38 36
35-49 (%)
Fantasy baseball players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 65% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience
Demographics
11
1 3 4 3 2 7
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
Under $25k (%)
23
17
4 21
18 15
$25-49k (%)
27
34
36 26
33 32
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
34
14
19
16
21
25
24
21
22 23
$100149k (%) 21 21
$75-99k (%)
Fantasy baseball players are more affluent than the average internet user Of the major sites, MLB users are most affluent
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Demographics
7
5
2
6
5 5
$150k+ (%)
12
31 34 23 36 34 42
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
No College (%)
46
51
52 29
55 44
College (%)
Education of Fantasy Players
11
14
25 35
15 21
Post Grad (%)
Fantasy baseball players are better educated than the average internet user More than 65% of fantasy baseball players have at least some level of college education
Demographics
13
408
Myfantasyleague.com
323 No Game
1,715 1,653 664 590
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com AOL.com MLB.com
4,429 1,737
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
F. Football Unique Users, Oct 2005 (000s)
242
No Game
No Game No Game No Game No Game
681
1,546 290
F. Baseball Unique Users, May 2006 (000s)
Comparison of Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball sites
Of top 8 fantasy football sites, only 3 offered a fantasy baseball game in May, 2006 4 of top 5 fantasy football game providers primarily employed a “free” model; 1 of top 4 fantasy baseball game providers primarily employed a “free” model
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football
14
45% 66% 18% 25% -
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com ESPN.com NFL.com MLB.com
Fantasy Football
7%
-
3%
25%
38%
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy football represents a larger percentage of total sports page usage than does fantasy baseball
Engagement Metrics
15
201 1:33 14
199 1:51 13
Visits per Person
Fantasy Baseball
Pages per Person Time per Person
Fantasy Football
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
Fantasy football and fantasy baseball have similar engagement metrics with respect to pages per person and visits per person Time spent per person on fantasy football is approximately 20% greater than on fantasy baseball
Engagement Metrics
16
65% 47% 65%
76% 54% 73%
Some Level of College
Fantasy Baseball
Age (% in 18-49) Income ($75k+)
Fantasy Football
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
Fantasy Football players are slightly more affluent and better educated than fantasy baseball players Fantasy football players are more concentrated in the 18-49 demographic than are fantasy baseball players
Demographics
17
17,236 16,311 14,222 12,349 11,606 8,956 6,731 6,443
ESPN.com Yahoo.com
FoxSports.com
CBS SportsLine.com NFL Int. Network MLB.com SI.com AOL.com
Oct. 2006 Unique Users (000s)
752,590 438,270 241,240 258,193 88,924
655,069
1,175,399 1,692,332
Oct. 2006 Page Views (000s)
5,245 11,400 7,766 6,830 7,218
12,239
15,641 12,519
Oct. 2005 Unique Users (000s)
573,386 408,531 235,445 194,651 147,991
517,875
964,002 1,830,551
Oct. 2005 Page Views (000s)
+135% +2% +15% -1% -11%
+16%
+10% +30%
2006 vs. 2005 Unique Users
Comparison of Major Sports Portals, Oct. 2006 vs Oct 2005
+31% +7% +3% +33% -40%
+26%
+22% -8%
2006 vs. 2005 Page Views
Most major sports sites experienced significant unique user and page view growth in October, 2006 vs. October, 2005
Sports Portal Results – October, 2006
18
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Football Market Study
0
Nielsen//NetRatings - Usage Analysis Fantasy Football Universe Engagement Metrics Rank Among Top Web Properties Demographics
Fantasy Football Market Study Table of Contents
1
(*) Fantasy Football Market roll-up includes ESPN, Yahoo, NFL, SportsLine, Fox, Fanball, SI, MyFantasyLeague, RTSports, Sporting News, USA Today, TQ Stats, EA, AOL
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy football sites and fantasy football sections of major sports sites Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for October 2006 Individual fantasy site/area data (unique users, page views, time spent, other measures) Fantasy Football Market “roll-up” which includes 14 key sites (*) Also examined total usage by fantasy players within “host site” (i.e. site which hosts players’ fantasy football game); includes usage of fantasy content and non-fantasy content
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Page view metrics demonstrate true power of fantasy football; total of 1.9 billion fantasy football page views in October, 2006 For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy football page views accounted for 47% and 46% of total sports site page views respectively Fantasy football creates “multiplier effect” for sports sites; fantasy players generated nearly 1 billion additional page views per month for host sites (beyond 1.9 billion fantasy football-specific page views)
Fantasy Football Universe Total of 9.6 million unique users of fantasy football sites in October, 2006 Yahoo was #1 fantasy football site with 4.7 million unique users CBS SportsLine was #2 with 2.8 million unique users, while NFL.com and ESPN.com competed for #3 position at 1.4– 1.5 million unique users
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy football players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy football players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average Hispanics and African Americans are under-represented in current fantasy audience
Rank Among Top Web Properties Aggregated fantasy football sites ranked as #14 property on the web (includes all fantasy football page views); with “multiplier effect”, fantasy football ranked in top 10 of all web properties
Summary of Findings
4
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 143 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com Sporting News Total Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top Fantasy Football Sites – October, 2006
Total of 9.6 million unique users for fantasy football sites in October, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 4.7 million unique users; CBS SportsLine solid #2 position
Fantasy Football Universe
5
174 146 91 86 81 75 72 47
FantasySharks.com KFFL.com Fantasy Football Cafe TheHuddle.com FF Today Sandbox.com EA Sports Fantasy Football FFToolbox
Unique Users (000s)
Selected Fantasy Football Sites – October, 2006
Wide range of smaller sites provided games and/or content services
Fantasy Football Universe
6
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
76 152 180 148 43 3 322
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873
194
187
281,028
1,858,351
171 124
Pages/ Person
800,566 346,189
Page Views (000s)
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
1:49
:44 1:34 2:20 2:15 :37 :04 2:44
1:32
1:10 1:43
Time/ Person
13
6 10 14 16 43 2 20
12
11 15
Visits/ Person
Fantasy football sites generated total of 1.9 billion pages views in October, 2006 Average fantasy player spent 1 hour 49 minutes on FF sites and viewed 194 pages during the month Of the major media sites, ESPN and CBS SportsLine users were most engaged
User Engagement Measures
7
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
70
85 89 75 46 59 47 47
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873 1,858,351
71 69 64
Home Page Views (%)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
Home vs. Work Usage
30
15 11 25 54 41 53 53
29 31 36
Work Page Views (%)
Approximately 70% of fantasy football usage was at home, 30% of usage was at work Of major sites, ESPN users consumed most pages at work, Fox Sports users consumed most pages at home
User Engagement Measures
8
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Unique Users (000s)
1,692,332 752,590 1,175,399 271,183 655,069 58,012 88,924 146,067 -
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873
Sports Page Views (000s)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
39% 16% 100% 94% 11% 1% 100%
47% 46% 24%
Fantasy Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy Football Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy football usage represented significant percentage of total usage for major sports sites For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy football page views represented 47% and 46% of total sports page views respectively
User Engagement Measures
9
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
2,741,216
164,761 200,216 57,943 15,503 17,723 -
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873 1,858,351
1,267,358 507,609 475,535
FF User Page Views (000s)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
271,183 655,069 80,514 58,012 88,924 146,067 61,173
1,692,332 752,590 1,175,399
Sports Page Views (000s)
FF User Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
61% 31% 100% 100% 17% 12% 100%
75% 67% 40%
FF User Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy football players generated approximately 2.7 billion total page views on sports sites that host their fantasy games – 1.9 billion fantasy football pages and 900 million additional sports pages For Yahoo Sports and SportsLine, fantasy football users generated more than 2/3 of site usage
User Engagement Measures
10
Page Views (000s) 34,086,037 28,086,037 15,788,669 13,553,056 13,053,465 6,874,787 5,132,875 3,528,406 3,021,098 2,455,512 2,159,867 1,917,538 1,867,272 1,858,351
Yahoo MySpace Google MSN/Windows Live eBay AOL FF Users Facebook Craigslist Comcast Nickelodeon Ask Search Network Electronic Arts FF Sites
Top Internet Properties – October, 2006
Aggregated fantasy football site usage ranked #14 among all internet properties When all page views generated by fantasy players on host sites are aggregated, fantasy football ranked in top 10
Rank Among Top Web Properties
11
10 17 10 15 12 5 9 15 NA 14 13 20
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
Under 18 (%)
8
7
5 6 3 2 0 4 5 0
9 7
18-24 (%)
13
24
21 20 29 37 24 22 61 15
26 28
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
13 16 13 17 19 NA 20
47 41 43 52 40 34 52
28
32
16
14
51
41
16 11
50+ (%) 39 38
35-49 (%)
Fantasy football players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
Demographics
12
2 2 2 5 1 3 2 NA 5 NA 2 6
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
Under $25k (%)
22
16
14 27 24 8 4 33 35 11
17 19
$25-49k (%)
27
28
25 24 28 22 42 7 22 31
30 27
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
15 15 20 16 9 9 35
23 28 38 17 28 18 14
19
16
20
28
19
22
18 19
22 24
$75-99k (%)
$100149k (%)
8
11
6 5 10 18 20 12 11
12
10 8
$150k+ (%)
Fantasy football players are more affluent than the average internet user; 53% above $75,000/year income Of the major sites, CBS SportsLine users are most affluent; 40% above $100,000 per year income
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
Demographics
13
65
30 28 43
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
44
56
56 48 68 58 57 50
24 38 22 29 12 27
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
59 55
25 33
College (%)
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
No College (%)
Education of Fantasy Players
11
15
5
20 14 9 12 30 23
16 12
Post Grad (%)
Fantasy football players are better educated than the average internet user More than 71% of fantasy football players have at least some level of college education
Demographics
14
4 5 2 6
5 9
Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com
Fantasy Football Category Internet Average
Hispanic Yes (%)
91
95
98 94
96 95
Hispanic No (%)
Ethnic Origin of Fantasy Players
People of Hispanic origin are under-represented within fantasy football category; slight growth over 2005 Of major fantasy sites, NFL had highest percentage of Hispanic players
Demographics
15
88 93 95 89 89 85 98
90 88
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
White (%)
9
6
4 9 11 9 0
6 5
African American (%)
2
3
1 2 0 7 2
5 1
Asian (%)
Race of Fantasy Players
1
0
0 0 0 0
0
0 0
Other (%)
African Americans are under-represented within fantasy football category Of major fantasy sites, FoxSports.com had highest percentage of African American players
Demographics
16
FSA Research Symposium April 27th, 2007
1
Varying levels of experience playing fantasy sports
Free players and pay players
Multiple sports and websites
Respondents include a mix of fantasy sports players:
Surveys were completed between February 27th and March 31st
504 online surveys were completed using ISM’s proprietary panel of fantasy sports players
Methodology
NFL and MLB fantasy players are very active in following games and their fantasy stats using both the TV and internet
2
20% of online fantasy sports play/research is done from work
43% of PGA TOUR and 37% of NFL fantasy players have a household income above $75,000
Although Yahoo! remains the overall leader in number of players, CBS Sportsline and ESPN have a higher percentage of players in the upper income ranges
PGA TOUR and NFL fantasy players index the highest for incomes above $75k and $100k
Player and Website Overview
Summary of Findings
PGA TOUR and MLB fantasy players index the highest for attending live sporting events
Participation in sports aligns with fantasy sport played, but not always with sporting goods purchased
3
69% of fantasy players own a video game system, which indexes at 168 vs. U.S. households
Fantasy sports players’ ownership of consumer electronics indexes favorably across many products
Approximately 50% of fantasy sports players participate in recreational sports
69% of fantasy players have attended a live sporting event in the past year
Leisure Activity and Product Ownership
Summary of Findings
60% could name at least one brand that advertised on a fantasy sports website without prompting
Over a third spend at least six hours per weekday on the internet for nonbusiness reasons
4
Almost half watch at least six hours of TV per weekday
Fantasy sports players are heavy television and internet users
2/3 of which has been done on a fantasy sports website
Almost 2/3 of fantasy sports players feel that if a company is advertising on a fantasy sports website, the products will fit with their interests
Almost half of fantasy players have clicked on an online advertisement
Sporting categories (tickets, equipment and apparel) dominate recall
42% of fantasy players remember seeing advertisements on fantasy sports websites
Online Advertisements
Summary of Findings
5
vs. 78% of online population
85% have a broadband connection at home
31% - $75,000 or higher
55% have an income of $50,000 or higher
38% -- 35-49
36% -- 25-34
14% -- 18-24
88% are in the 18-49 demographic
88% of players in sample are male
Demographic Snapshot
NBA 26% 82 17% 105
MLB 31% 100 16% 96
121
20%
119
37%
NFL
161
26%
136
43%
PGA TOUR
63
10%
44
14%
NHL
85
14%
89
28%
NAS CAR
6
How to Read the Table Above: 43% of PGA TOUR fantasy players have an income above $75k, which is an index of 136 vs. the overall sample in this survey 26% of PGA TOUR fantasy players have an income above $100k, which is an index of 161 vs. the overall sample in this survey
Over $100,000
Over $75,000
Fantasy Sport Played Household Income Level
PGA TOUR and NFL fantasy players index the highest for incomes above $75k and $100k 37% of NFL fantasy players have a household income above $75k NFL fantasy players are a close second to The PGA TOUR for incomes above $75k
Household Income by Fantasy Sport Played
6%
10%
0%
Other
1%
5%
2%
EA Sports PROTRADE
3% 2%
Sportsbuff
Head2Head Sports
3%
4%
Fanball NBA.com
4%
MLB.com
RealTime Fantasy Sports
10%
9%
9%
CDM Fantasy Sports AOL
10%
15%
11%
The Sporting News
NFL.com
FOX Sports
CBS Sportsline
ESPN
Yahoo!
20%
19%
7
25%
30%
30%
35%
34%
40%
45%
44%
50%
% of Respondents that have played at eac h site in the last 12 months
Overall ranking of top sites remained fairly consistent with April 2006 FSA Study Yahoo! is clearly the leader with ESPN and CBS Sportsline still ahead of the pack in 2nd and 3rd position, respectively
Fantasy Sports Websites
Over $150,000
$100,000 - $150,000
$75,000 - $99,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$25,000 - $49,999
Under $25,000
Fantasy Sport Played Household Income Level
84 21%
108 32%
136 12% 138 9% 117
127 5% 62 0% 0
88
27%
35%
20%
86
66
19%
10%
8%
136
CBS S portsline
AOL
8
92
7%
53
5%
109
16%
88
21%
100
33%
153
19%
CDM Fantasy S ports
137
10%
67
6%
134
20%
99
24%
95
31%
73
9%
ES PN
17
1%
102
9%
95
14%
113
27%
110
36%
105
13%
FOX S ports
56
4%
24
2%
100
15%
98
23%
130
43%
105
13%
NFL.com
34
3%
29
3%
121
18%
118
28%
102
33%
126
15%
The S porting News
96
7%
77
7%
122
18%
98
23%
97
32%
106
13%
Yahoo!
Although Yahoo! remains the overall leader in number of players, CBS Sportsline and ESPN have the highest percentage of players in the upper income ranges 41% of CBS Sportsline players have a household income over $75k compared to 36% of ESPN players and 32% of Yahoo! players
Household Income by Fantasy Sport Website
1.19 0.95 0.98 0.83 0.43 0.53 0.60
NFL MLB NASCAR NBA NHL PGA TOUR Other
9
Work
2.34
1.59
2.40
2.98
3.51
4.02
3.86
Home
2.94
2.12
2.83
3.80
4.49
4.97
5.05
Total
Online Hours per Week Playing & Researc hing Fantasy Sports
NFL and MLB fantasy players spend the most time online per week playing and researching fantasy sports NASCAR was a surprising third place with almost 4½ online hours per week per player 20% of fantasy players’ online time playing/researching fantasy sports was done from work
Online Hours Playing Fantasy Sports
13% 84% 13% 83% 38%
I record the games/events on a DVR (TiVo®) and watch them at a later time
I follow the games/events and my fantasy stats on the internet
I follow the games/events and my fantasy stats on my cell phone or PDA
I check stats the next day on the internet
I check stats the next day in the newspaper
10
88%
I watch the games/events live on TV
MLB
20%
72%
6%
60%
7%
63%
NBA
28%
80%
14%
80%
20%
94%
NFL
18%
74%
5%
64%
6%
59%
PGA TOUR
29%
74%
3%
74%
6%
43%
NHL
22%
76%
6%
66%
16%
83%
NASCAR
NFL and MLB fantasy players are the most likely to follow the games and their fantasy teams across multiple devices 38% of MLB fantasy players still check stats in the following day’s newspaper even though they watch live games and follow their fantasy stats live on the internet NASCAR players are also far more likely than the remaining sports to watch the actual race
Fantasy Player Engagement Behavior
11
Makes mundane games/events interesting
To win prizes/cash
Makes watching games even more exciting
Because my friends/husband/co-workers/kids play
For the competition
For fun
Most common responses (in order of frequency):
Motivations for Playing Fantasy Sports
None in last 12 months
0%
Other
Box ing
Major League Soccer
Ultimate Fighting Championship
PGA TOUR
NHL
NBA
NASCAR
NFL
MLB
2%
3%
5%
3%
10%
10%
9%
9%
12
15%
16%
20%
22%
25%
30%
30%
31%
30%
% of Respondents that have attended eac h type of sporting event
35%
69% of fantasy sports players have attended a live sporting event in the last 12 months 27% of fantasy sports players have purchased tickets online in the last 12 months
Live Sporting Events Attended
Have not attended a live sporting event in last 12 months
Have attended a live sporting event in last 12 months
NAS CAR
NHL
PGA TOUR
NFL
NBA
MLB
Fantasy Sport Played Live Sporting Event A ttended
89
69
13
28%
105
114 22%
72%
78%
55
67
11%
13%
121
158
167
12%
13%
14%
15%
127
134
137
227
37%
25% 38%
137
184
40%
42%
56%
155
NBA
MLB
91
29%
104
71%
61
14%
132
12%
131
11%
127
38%
134
22%
134
41%
NFL
72
23%
113
77%
44
10%
148
14%
238
20%
136
41%
164
26%
155
47%
PGA TOUR
136
43%
83
57%
39
9%
282
26%
67
6%
124
37%
142
23%
94
29%
NHL
106
34%
97
66%
122
27%
93
9%
78
7%
96
29%
87
14%
88
27%
NAS CAR
Overall, PGA TOUR and MLB fantasy players index the highest for attending live sporting events Including having the highest attendance % at NFL games Even though NFL fantasy players skew towards a higher income, their attendance % at live sporting events was generally “middle of the pack”
Sporting Events Attended by Fantasy Sport Played
0%
Other
Shop
Read books
Trav el
Gamble in a casino
Ex ercise
Go to mov ies
Participate in sports
Go out with friends
Rent mov ies
Listen to music
10%
10%
20%
23%
14
30%
32%
35%
40%
35%
39%
42%
49%
50%
Other Ac tivities Respondents Do For Fun
54%
60%
55%
64%
70%
Almost half of fantasy sports players participate in recreational sports 55% of fantasy sports players rent movies and 42% go out to see movies A quarter of fantasy sports players also stated that a movie advertisement on a fantasy sports website would catch their attention
Leisure Activities
52% 73%
Exercise
Participate in Sports
MLB
66%
45%
NBA
15
60%
48%
NFL
70%
55%
PGA TOUR
66%
43%
NHL
45%
35%
NASCAR
NASCAR fantasy players had materially lower participation rates in exercise and recreational sports Participation for NASCAR players in other “less active” activities was average
Recreation by Fantasy Sport Played
33% 56% 37% 61% 7% 26% 8% 42% 15%
Basketball Football Golf Hockey Running S occer S oftball Tennis
MLB
Baseball
Fantasy Sport Played Recreational Sport Played
16
12%
44%
7%
19%
4%
63%
35%
65%
25%
NBA
14%
38%
9%
26%
6%
58%
40%
57%
24%
NFL
12%
29%
9%
27%
5%
70%
29%
53%
22%
PGA TOUR
17%
38%
13%
21%
21%
46%
42%
58%
21%
NHL
13%
38%
5%
26%
6%
49%
39%
55%
21%
NAS CAR
Fantasy players generally have higher participation rates in recreational sports that align with their fantasy sports participation
Sport Participation by Fantasy Sport
4%
Hav e not purchased in last 12 months
0%
Other
5%
15%
11%
10%
10%
7%
Tennis Hockey
7%
Soccer
Softball
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Athletic Shoes
16%
20%
18%
20%
17
25%
25%
30%
30%
35%
40%
45%
46%
% of Respondents that have purc hased eac h type of sporting good
50%
75% of fantasy sports players have purchased sporting goods even though only half participate in recreational sports
Sporting Goods Purchased
28% 23% 22% 40% 4% 8% 13% 8% 58% 16%
Basketball Football Golf Hockey S occer S oftball Tennis Athletic S hoes Have not purchased in last 12 months
MLB
Baseball
Fantasy Sport Played Sporting Goods Purchased
18
16%
51%
10%
13%
9%
4%
33%
22%
23%
18%
NBA
21%
51%
8%
11%
9%
4%
36%
21%
23%
18%
NFL
12%
60%
9%
11%
13%
7%
52%
21%
26%
21%
PGA TOUR
23%
46%
11%
9%
14%
9%
20%
20%
26%
20%
NHL
27%
44%
6%
10%
7%
4%
25%
21%
17%
16%
NAS CAR
Sporting goods purchases are not always dictated by fantasy sport participation NASCAR and NHL fantasy players have a higher incidence of non-purchase in the last 12 months than other fantasy sports players
Sporting Goods Purchased by Fantasy Sport
Satellite Radio Sy stem
Video iPod / MP3 Play er
Video Game Sy stem
DVR
High Definition TV
0%
10%
10%
7%
12%
20%
15%
FS A S urvey
30%
31%
40%
19
33%
34%
50% US Households
41%
42%
60%
70%
69%
80%
Fantasy sports players have significantly higher household ownership in important consumer electronics categories Ownership percentages are consistent with TV watching, video game playing and music listening interests and behaviors Only 13% of fantasy sports players do not own any of these items
Consumer Electronics Ownership
17% 9% 4% 3% 24%
Between 3-5 hours Between 6-10 hours Between 11-20 hours Over 20 hours I do not play video games
20
42%
Between 0-2 hours
Hours Playing Video Games per Week
More fantasy sports players play video games (76%) than own video game systems (69%) In addition to playing their own system, players are playing on-line, using handheld devices and with friends’ systems
Video Game Playing Time
None of the abov e
Flav ored malt bev erage
Liqueur
Wine
Liquor
Beer
0%
10%
10%
11%
20%
30%
25%
27%
21
40%
41%
50%
60%
70%
66%
80%
% of Respondents who have c onsumed eac h type of beverage in the last 30 days
75% of players have consumed alcoholic beverages in the last 30 days 65% have consumed more than one type of beverage during that same time period
Beverage Consumption Behavior
5%
10%
13%
17%
18%
0%
I don't remember
Job Hunting
Electronics
Movies
Cable/Satellite TV
Sports Beverages
22
12%
15%
13%
16%
20%
19%
22%
Video Games Credit Cards
22%
25%
23%
Online Gambling
Cell Phones and Service
23%
30%
49% of respondents have researched or purchased an automobile online
28% 27% 26% 24%
Beer
Sporting Goods
Automobiles
Sports Apparel
Sporting Tickets
% of Respondents who remember seeing an advertisement in eac h produc t c ategory
Sports related categories hold three of the top four spots Fast food was notable in its absence from the most remembered categories
Advertisements on Fantasy Sports Websites
Budweiser Nike Miller Lite Toyota Coors Coca-Cola Pepsi McDonald's Ford
23
18% 9% 8% 6% 6% 6% 6% 5% 5%
% of Respondents who named the following brands on an unprompted basis
42% recall seeing advertisements on fantasy sports sites they have visited in the last three months 60% of which could name one brand or more on an unprompted basis
Unprompted Brand Recall
5%
10%
0%
Travel
15%
14%
24
20%
16%
Online Gambling
14%
16%
DVDs
Energy Drinks
16%
18%
Sports Trading Cards
Liquor
19%
19%
Music Sports Beverages
19%
25%
24%
Electronics Automobiles
24%
Movies
Video Games
Beer
30%
26%
35%
31%
40%
36%
38%
Sporting Tickets Sports Apparel
38%
Sporting Goods
45%
% of Respondents stating ads for these produc t c ategories would “c atc h their attention”
45% have clicked on an online advertisement Two-thirds of those clicking have done so on a fantasy sports website 25% responded that a movie ad would catch their attention (42% of respondents attend movies)
Advertisements on Fantasy Sports Websites
Likely to "catch my attention":
Remembered:
S ports Apparel Beer
Beer Video Games
Beer Video Games
Video Games
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
25
S porting Goods Online Gambling
S ports Apparel
Video Games
S porting Goods
Video Games Cell Phones/S ervice
S porting Goods
Automobiles
S porting Tickets
Automobiles
Cell Phones/S ervice
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
34%
49%
NFL
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
40%
60%
NBA
S porting Tickets
39%
Clicked ad on fantasy sports site
Top 5 Product Categories
58%
Remember seeing ad on fantasy sports site
MLB
Video Games
Beer
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
S porting Goods
Cell Phones/S ervice
Video Games
Automobiles
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
40%
55%
PGA TOUR
Fantasy Sport Played
Electronics
S ports Apparel
S porting Goods
Video Games
S porting Tickets
Movies
S ports Apparel
Video Games
Cell Phones/S ervice
S porting Tickets
49%
54%
NHL
Automobiles
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
30%
43%
NASCAR
Video Games
Beer
S ports Apparel
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
Beer
Cell Phones/S ervice
Behavior Towards Online Ads by Sport
56%
50%
62%
80%
49%
65%
I am more likely to pay attention to/notice an advertisement on a fantasy sports website than other websites
I am more likely to purchase products from a company that advertises on a fantasy sports website than other websites
If a company is advertising on a fantasy sports website, their products will fit with my interests
I expect to see advertisements on a free fantasy sports website
I expect to see advertisements on a fantasy sports website where I pay to play
I am more likely to play a fantasy sports contest that is sponsored by a company or brand I recognize
26
60%
I think brands that advertise on fantasy sports websites are cool
Somewhat or Strongly A gree
% Responding
Attitudes Towards Advertisements
27
If I like the site, I feel I can trust the advertisers
I notice them more because I am on the site regularly
I want to support the sponsors that keep the site in business
advertising on a fantasy sports website
I assume that their products will interest me since they are
For respondents who said they are more likely to purchase products from a company that advertises on a fantasy sports website, the most common reasons were (in order of frequency):
Attitudes Towards Advertisements
On the internet for personal (not business) reasons
Watching recorded shows on a DVR (TiVo®)
Watching live television
Listening to the radio
Reading newspapers and magazines
10.5%
Weekend
28
6.9%
51.8%
Weekend Weekday
50.8%
5.2%
Weekend Weekday
4.4%
19.4%
Weekend Weekday
7.5%
26.2%
Weekend Weekday
20.0%
Weekday
No Time
21.6%
18.1%
17.9%
18.5%
6.7%
8.7%
39.9%
24.2%
53.8%
50.6%
0-1 Hours
40.9%
40.1%
23.0%
22.2%
46.0%
41.7%
30.0%
35.7%
18.8%
26.4%
2-5 Hours
Hours per Day
16.1%
17.5%
5.2%
5.2%
29.0%
24.2%
7.1%
19.6%
0.6%
2.4%
6-10 Hours
10.9%
17.5%
2.2%
3.4%
13.1%
21.0%
3.6%
12.9%
0.6%
0.6%
>10 Hours
Fantasy sports players are heavy television and internet users 87% watch at least two hours of television per weekday (88% on a weekend day) 45% watch at least six hours of television per weekday (42% on a weekend day) 75% spend at least two hours per weekday on the internet for personal reasons (68% on a weekend day) 35% spend at least six hours per weekday on the internet for personal reasons (27% on a weekend day)
Media Consumption Behavior
29
Satellite Radio ownership - Consumer Electronics Association 2006 Ownership & Market Potential Survey
Video iPod/MP3 ownership – Ipsos/TEMPO Study, June 2006
Video Game System ownership – Nielsen Media Research, March 2007
DVR ownership – Leichtman Research Group, November 2006
HDTV ownership – Envisioneering Group, January 2007
Broadband penetration – Nielsen/NetRatings, December 2006
Reference to Outside Data Sources
Adam J. Rosenbaum 847.980.8605
Clay Walker 202.957.5319
Contact :
Copernicus Marketing Custom Fantasy Football Study
0
From the different major sites Free vs. pay players First time players and veterans Individual players vs. League Players
Study conducted by Copernicus Marketing, a leading research firm A total of 1,066 interviews conducted online Respondents were recruited from a nationally representative online panel and screened to be male, 18 – 54 years old, and have played fantasy football in 2005 A mix of players were recruited:
Methodology
1
Average fantasy football user played 2.1 teams in 2005, spent 5.2 hours per week online managing fantasy team, visited “host” site 7 times per week Average fantasy football player spent $51 on game subscription/entry fee 46% of fantasy football players also played another fantasy sport
Fantasy Content/Information Approximately 35% of players purchased supplemental online feature such as live stats tracker, draft kit, or fantasy news service; average expenditure of $16 Fantasy players frequently visit sites other than “host” for information; average player visited non-host sites 4.7 times per week for fantasy football information Majority of non-host visits were to major fantasy/sports sites Approximately 23% of fantasy players visited secondary content providers such as rotoworld.com and fantasyguru.com
– Approximately 60% of fantasy football users began playing after 2002 – More than 30% of users in 2005 were 1st time players; NFL had highest new player % – “Word of mouth” and availability of “free games” were most important influencers for 1st time players
Profile of Site Players Fantasy football category has expanded dramatically over past three years
Summary of Findings
2
Average fantasy football player watched 4.1 NFL games/wk for total of 6.8 hours; more involved fantasy players watched more hours of NFL games 57% of fantasy players noticed fantasy features and information in NFL game broadcasts; 52% thought these features were outstanding or very good Fantasy football players multi-task; 24% watched games and checked web each week; another 35% did occasionally
36% purchased a fantasy football magazine 30% attended a fantasy draft party, event, or dinner 35% watched a fantasy football preview show 12% used a cell phone/service to check fantasy team
Advertising Impact Players who saw online ads in fantasy sites had much more favorable impression of fantasy advertisers than those who hadn’t seen ads
– – – –
Offline Behavior/Television Viewing Fantasy Football players participated in range of offline fantasy activities
Summary of Findings
3
New Opportunities Fantasy football players showed strong interest in weekly fantasy TV show, TV stat tracker, and fantasy football events Players showed moderate interest in weekly magazine, fantasy TV highlights, and wireless services In general, Fox and ESPN audiences were most receptive to new opportunities
Motivating Power – Drivers of Fantasy Football Site Selection Overall, the most critical motivators impacting site selection were: user friendly, reliable, free, and familiar (a site everybody will be happy with) For high involvement players, customizable features were more important; for low involvement players, free game and “user friendly” were more important Less motivating factors included: comprehensive draft kit, video highlights, same site used for sports, home page, and/or email
Summary of Findings
4
Profile of Site Players
5
Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com SI.com AOL.com Sportingnews.com Myfantasyleague.com Sandbox.com Fanball.com USAToday.com Average number played
54 33 33 26 17 8 12 10 10 12 8 6 2.3
(1066) %
(1066) %
66 66 55 55 46 26 25 23 22 21 19 18 na
Ever Played
Ever Heard Of
45 22 20 17 10 2 6 3 5 1 2 1 1.3
(1066) %
Played 2005
Awareness and Usage of Fantasy Football Sites
Yahoo has the highest awareness and usage. About half of players had a team on Yahoo last season On average, players have tried 2.3 sites since they began playing and 1.3 this past season
Profile of Site Players
6
Profile Of Site Players
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
AOL.com
40
Ever Heard Of
30
50
60
70
CBSSportsline.comESPN.com NFL.com Fox Sports.com
Yahoo.com
R Square= . 594
Relationship Between Awareness and Current Usage
Yahoo is the most successful in terms of converting awareness to usage ESPN, NFL, and FoxSports are below average in generating usage among those aware
Played In 2005
7
Played Fantasy Football Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com SI.com AOL.com Sportingnews.com Myfantasyleague.com Sandbox.com Fanball.com USAToday.com Average number played + 20%
49 + 31% 25 9 15 6 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 0.8
(1066) %
(1066) %
41 19 7 12 4 3 4 4 4 3 8 3 3 0.7
Played 2003
Played 2002 (or earlier)
100 45 22 20 17 10 2 6 3 5 1 2 1 1.3
(1066) %
Played 2005 64 + 56% 36 17 20 12 5 2 5 4 5 3 3 2 1.1
(1066) %
Played 2004
Usage of Fantasy Football Sites
41% of current players have been playing since 2002 (or earlier) Category expansion has increased exponentially over the past 4 seasons Play at Yahoo has grown consistently over time ESPN and NFL usage increased sharply over the past two seasons
Profile of Site Players
8
Total
21%
CBSSportsline .com Yahoo.com
16%
ESPN.com
37%
NFL.com
46%
FoxSports.com
38%
50%
AOL.com
Played Fantasy Football For The First Time This Past Season
31% of respondents played fantasy football for the first time this past season
31%
Profile of Site Players
9
24 24
9
6 6
Saw ad online
Game was now free
Saw/heard as on TV, radio, or in print
Saw a TV show about fantasy football
Other
(1066) %
4
0
11
16
14
77
(253) %
Total
59
CBSSports line.com
7
3
4
26
13
76
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5
9
11
17
28
63
(276) %
ESPN .com
9
9
17
34
25
46
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
0
17
17
20
37
44
(98) %
FoxSports .com
0
3
13
27
64
22
(70) %
AOL .com
8
6
11
15
18
63
(156) %
1824
Reasons For Playing for the First Time This Past Season
1
5
8
19
25
69
(403) %
6
2
8
34
20
54
(335) %
3544
Age 2534
Word of mouth is the primary catalyst to begin playing fantasy football Particularly among younger players and those who played at CBSSportsline and Yahoo Promotions and switching to free games motivate older players to begin playing Online advertising attracted older players and brought new players to AOL Advertising (on- and off-line) prompted many to begin playing at FoxSports
Convinced by someone I know
Profile of First Time Players
9
12
9
35
34
45
10
(172) %
4554
49 50 $73k 71 64 39 84 8
% College Grad or M ore
Average HH Income
% Employed Full-time
% Own House
% With Children Under 18
% Caucasian
% Hispanic Descent
18
45 - 54
% M arried
28
35 – 44 34 yrs
33
25 – 34
Average Age
23
7
87
38
70
79
$82k
59
53
36 yrs
20
35
36
9
(253) %
(1066) %
18 – 24
Age
CBSSportsline .com
Total
6
85
38
66
73
$73k
52
49
33 yrs
16
25
38
22
(579) %
4
82
38
59
63
$73k
43
44
33 yrs
19
23
28
31
(276) %
7
80
41
55
72
$62k
42
54
34 yrs
16
34
28
23
(188) %
Sites Played in 2005 Yahoo ESPN NFL .com .com .com
Player Demographics
Profile Of Site Players
16
77
43
69
70
$78k
51
41
33 yrs
19
22
26
33
(98) %
FoxSports. com
17
80
45
64
55
$67k
41
46
36 yrs
29
20
29
23
(70) %
AOL. com
11
19 12 9 8 54
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
Fantasy Golf
Other
Did Not Play Other (Net)
(1066) %
56
9
11
8
16
31
(253) %
Total 31
CBSSportsline .com
44
10
13
15
24
41
(579) %
Yahoo .com
51
6
10
16
25
30
(276) %
ESPN .com
52
11
8
10
20
24
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Other Fantasy Games Played
Half only play fantasy football Yahoo players somewhat more likely to be playing other fantasy games as well
Fantasy Baseball
Profile Of Site Players
53
4
5
13
20
32
(98) %
FoxSports .com
52
6
9
13
31
27
(70) %
AOL .com
12
CBSSportsline .com (111) %
50 36 75 7 9 11 11 11 7 30 5 2 9
Total (490) %
65 33 28 13 13 11 9 4 4 11 4 4 9
Yahoo.com
ESPN.com
CBSSportsline.com
FoxSports.com
AOL.com
Sandbox.com
Sportingnews.com
Fanball.com
Myfantasyleague.com
NFL.com
SI.com
USAToday.com
Other
5
2
4
4
2
4
7
9
4
5
16
21
98
(324) %
Yahoo .com
10
6
10
14
8
4
14
14
14
18
29
73
37
(135) %
ESPN .com
21
10
8
33
2
6
13
13
17
21
35
40
40
(90) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Among Those Who Played Other Fantasy Sports)
Sites Used For Other Fantasy Sports
Profile Of Site Players
4
11
15
23
13
11
13
9
19
57
38
38
28
(46) %
FoxSports .com
6
2
4
27
6
10
19
10
92
25
35
21
38
(34) %
AOL .com
13
4 1.9 2.3
14 9 4 2 1.4 2.1
Played 3 teams
Played 4 teams
Played 5 teams
Played 6 teams Average # of teams played (at site) Average # of teams played (overall)
6
10
14
29
28
Played 2 teams
39
(343) %
(123) %
43
Yahoo.com
CBSSportsline.com
2.6
1.9
7
10
11
17
21
34
(158) %
ESPN.com
2.7
1.9
9
7
12
16
30
26
(126) %
NFL.com
Sites Played in 2005
Number of Fantasy Teams Played
Most play 1-2 teams overall Particularly among CBS and Yahoo players
Played 1 team
Profile of Site Players
2.8
1.8
11
17
8
12
15
37
(64) %
FoxSports.com
2.6
2.0
8
7
12
12
30
31
(45) %
AOL.com
14
25 30 23 8 1 5.2
4.0
4 to 10 hours
2 to 3 hours
30-60 minutes
Less than 30 minutes
None
Average number of hours on fantasy football websites
Average number of hours last season (among those who played last season)
(1066) %
5.3
7.1
0
5
17
30
30
19
(253) %
Total 12
CBSSportsline .com
3.8
5.3
1
7
23
29
28
11
(579) %
Yahoo .com
4.4
5.4
1
7
20
32
26
14
(276) %
ESPN .com
5.5
5.8
1
8
24
28
22
17
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
4.8
6.0
3
10
21
29
22
15
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Amount Of Time Spent on Fantasy Football Websites
On average, players spent 5 hours per week on fantasy football websites Up from 4 hours per week last season CBSSportsline players spent more time online (7 hours on fantasy football sites)
More than 10 hours
Profile of Site Players
4.1
4.6
2
7
38
26
17
11
(70) %
AOL .com
15
(253) %
31 24 61
Total (1066) %
45 32 39
As an individual
With a group, but less than an entire league
As an entire league
49
32
43
(579) %
Yahoo .com
26
40
52
(276) %
ESPN .com
22
32
67
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
24
38
53
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Method of Joining Fantasy Football Leagues
17
31
68
(70) %
AOL. com
The method of joining fantasy leagues varies by site and number of teams CBSSportsline players, and those with 10+ teams, are more likely to join as an entire league NFL and AOL players are most likely to join as individuals
CBSSportsline .com
Profile of Site Players
16
Average number of hours on fantasy football websites 5.4
(1066) %
5.2
(333) %
(488) %
5.2
Group
Individual
Total
Joined As:
6.0
(456) %
League
4.2
(293) %
First Time
Time Invested in Fantasy Football
The more involved fantasy football players are more likely to: Join as part of an entire league Have been playing for 4+ years
Profile of Site Players
4.9
(299) %
Tenure 2-3 Years
6.2
(474) %
4+ Years
17
11 10 14 47 $51
$50 - $99
$25 - $49
$1 - $24
$0
Average dollars spent
(1066) %
$94
15
14
12
24
36
(253) %
Total 18
CBSSportsline .com
$30
62
13
7
9
9
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$64
40
12
15
10
23
(276) %
ESPN .com
$58
54
15
6
9
17
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Dollars Spent on Entry and Subscription Fees
$94
32
17
18
6
27
(98) %
FoxSports .com
$79
37
20
6
8
30
(70) %
AOL .com
Half did not spend any money on entry/subscription fees last season On average, players spent $51 CBSSportsline and FoxSports players spent twice as much ($94.) AOL players also spent more than average. Yahoo players spent the least ($30 on average)
$100 or more
Profile of Site Players
18
7 12
10 14 47 $51
$25 - $49
$1 - $24
$0
Mean
$48
57
8
11
$50 - $99
16
(488) %
(1066) %
18
Individual
Total
$48
41
17
15
10
18
(333) %
Group
Joined As:
$61
40
13
10
15
22
(456) %
League
$42
50
17
10
10
14
(293) %
First Time
$41
50
13
11
11
15
(299) %
Tenure 2-3 Years
Dollars Spent on Entry and Subscription Fees
Individuals are more likely to have played for free Players with longer tenure spend most on entry/subscription fees
$100 or more
Profile of Site Players
$66
42
13
10
13
23
(474) %
4+ Years
19
78 16 3 1 1
Work Computer School Computer Wireless Device Other
1
1
1
21
76
(794) %
(1066) %
Home Computer
Full Time
Total
2
2
7
5
83
(272) %
Not Full Time
Percent of Time Accessing Team By Location
Full-time employees access fantasy teams from work 21% of time Access doesn’t vary by site played
Profile of Site Players
20
Fantasy Content/Information
21
4.7
60%
# of visits to “non-host” sites per week
Share of visits to host site
(1066)
61%
5.7
8.8
(253)
Total
7.0
CBSSportsline .com
60%
5.0
7.5
(579)
Yahoo .com
60%
4.5
6.8
(276)
ESPN .com
57%
4.9
6.6
(188)
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
57%
5.7
7.7
(98)
FoxSports .com
Number of Visits To Websites for Fantasy Football Information
On average, players visit their fantasy football website 7 times a week CBSSportsline players visit their “host site” more frequently Players also visit other websites 5 times a week for information about fantasy football
# of visits to “host” sites per week
Fantasy Football Content
59%
3.6
5.2
(70)
AOL .com
22
85 51 45 26 24 23 21 11 10 10 7 6 6
Visited “non-host” for information
ESPN.com
NFL.com
Yahoo Sports
FoxSports.com
Individual NFL Team Website
CBS Sportsline.com
SI.com
TheSportingNews.com
Local Newspaper Websites
USAToday.com
AOL Sports
Other
(1066) %
12
5
10
16
13
13
--
27
30
25
59
62
89
29
(253) %
Total
31
CBSSportsline .com
7
4
6
10
10
13
19
21
20
--
44
53
83
32
(579) %
Yahoo .com
3
5
9
11
13
11
22
27
28
21
51
--
86
31
(276) %
ESPN .com
3
8
13
11
15
15
22
31
31
23
--
50
85
31
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
4
12
11
10
11
10
27
26
--
19
43
45
87
38
(98) %
FoxSports .com
“Non-Host” Sites Visited For Fantasy Football Information
Most players visit other “non-host” sites for fantasy football information ESPN and NFL continue to be the most visited sites
Percent of time spent at “non-host” sites for fantasy football information
Fantasy Football Content
2
--
7
7
11
7
19
23
19
19
36
42
93
33
(70) %
AOL .com
23
22 15 13 4 1
Live stat tracking
Fantasy news / analysis service
Draft kits
Wireless access to online games
Other
(1066) %
1
5
19
21
29
43
(253) %
Total 35
CBSSportsline .com
1
2
8
8
23
29
(579) %
Yahoo .com
0
4
15
21
24
40
(276) %
ESPN .com
0
7
14
19
16
35
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Online Features Purchased
0
16
25
27
25
47
(98) %
FoxSports .com
0
3
24
15
31
48
(70) %
AOL .com
One in three purchased online features FoxSports and AOL players most likely to buy online features Live stat tracking was the most commonly purchased, followed by fantasy news/analysis and draft kits
Purchased Any
Online Features
24
13 7 10 65 $16
$20 - $99
$10 to $19
$1 - $9
$0
Average
$23
57
10
7
20
6
(1066) %
5
(253) %
Total
$100 +
CBSSportsline .com
$10
71
12
9
6
2
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$19
60
9
7
18
6
(276) %
ESPN .com
$27
66
5
2
19
8
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Dollars Spent on Online Features
Average spending on online features was $16 NFL, FoxSports, and AOL players spent more on online features Yahoo players spent the least
Online Features
$37
53
6
8
18
15
(98) %
FoxSports .com
$31
52
9
10
17
12
(70) %
AOL .com
25
Total
19%
CBSSportsline .com Yahoo.com
26%
ESPN.com
24%
NFL.com
30%
FoxSports.com
44% 26%
AOL.com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Used in the Past Season
Overall, 23% have used secondary information providers (such as Fantasyguru.com or Rotoworld.com) FoxSports players are more likely to use these websites
23%
Secondary Content Providers
26
16 13 12 7
KFFL.com
Rotoworld.com
NFLFantasyextra.com
Footballinjuries.com
(1066) %
12
9
21
19
26
(253) %
Total
18
CBSSportsline .com
4
8
15
23
18
(579) %
Yahoo .com
11
17
11
12
19
(276) %
ESPN .com
10
22
14
11
20
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
19
21
15
13
25
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Ever Heard Of
Yahoo users were most aware of KFFL.com CBSSportsline users were most aware of FantasyGuru.com and Rotoworld.com NFLFantasyextra.com had highest awareness among NFL users
FantasyGuru.com
Secondary Content Providers
8
23
12
17
21
(70) %
AOL .com
27
6 5 4 3
NFLFantasyextra.com
KFFL.com
Rotoworld.com
Footballinjuries.com
(1066) %
4
6
5
5
7
(253) %
Total
6
CBSSportsline .com
1
6
9
3
5
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5
4
4
9
7
(276) %
ESPN .com
5
3
5
12
8
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
8
8
3
14
14
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Used in the Past Season
In general, usage is low; no clear market leader Usage is highest among FoxSports players NFLFantasyextra.com used more by FoxSports, NFL, and AOL players
FantasyGuru.com
Secondary Content Providers
3
2
6
15
8
(70) %
AOL .com
28
70
67
52
48
Preseason online draft kit that provides expert analysis, stats, projections, mock drafts, sleeper picks, and position rankings
Fantasy football articles and features written by fantasy experts providing advice and analysis
Broadband video segments featuring commentary and analysis from fantasy experts
Weekly online fantasy football themed radio shows
(1066)
46
46
68
72
79
(253)
Total
75
CBSSportsline .com
46
48
65
69
75
(579)
Yahoo .com
54
57
67
71
74
(276)
ESPN .com
49
54
69
71
75
(188)
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Average on 0-100 Scale)
58
61
72
75
80
(98)
FoxSports .com
Attributes Desired In A Fantasy Football Information Provider
Written information is most desirable (daily news, preseason draft kits, and articles/features)
Daily fantasy news and injury reports
Secondary Content Providers
53
55
61
61
64
(70)
AOL .com
29
Offline Behavior
30
17 10 9
1
2
3 or more
(1066) %
11
16
26
47
(253) %
Total
64
CBSSportsline .com
6
8
13
73
(579) %
Yahoo .com
13
9
16
62
(276) %
ESPN .com
12
11
13
64
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
18
16
23
43
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Number Of Fantasy Magazines Purchased Past Year
Most (64%) did not purchase a fantasy football magazine Yahoo players were even less likely to have purchased a magazine More than half of CBSSportsline and Fox players bought a magazine
Did not purchase a fantasy football magazine
Offline Behavior
15
10
18
57
(70) %
AOL .com
31
Total
30%
CBSSportsline .com
58%
Yahoo .com
27%
NFL.com
15%
Site Played
ESP N .com
26%
FoxSports .com
34%
AOL.com
30%
Indivdual
17%
48%
Entire League
Joined As:
Group
31%
Percent Who Attended A Fantasy Draft Dinner, Party Or Event
30% attended a fantasy draft dinner or event Many more did this if joining as an entire league or playing CBSSportsline Individual and NFL players were least likely to attend draft events
Offline Behavior
32
9 28 $2.7
$10 Or More
$1 to under $10
Average
(1066) %
$3.6
43
10
47
(253) %
Total
63
CBSSportsline .com
$1.3
24
3
73
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$4.1
26
15
59
(276) %
ESPN .com
$4.2
23
16
61
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
$5.0
35
19
46
(98) %
FoxSports .com
(Magazines, newspapers, draft parties/events, and or other offline fantasy related expenditures )
Amount Spent “Offline” On Fantasy Football Materials
37% purchased “offline” fantasy football materials CBSSportsline, FoxSports, and AOL players were more likely to buy these materials Average offline spending was $3
Did Not Buy Fantasy Materials
Offline Behavior
$5.1
30
18
52
(70) %
AOL .com
33
35% watched a fantasy football preview show CBSSportsline, NFL, and FoxSports players most likely to have watched
Total
35%
CBSSportsline .com
44%
Yahoo .com
30%
ESPN .com
37%
NFL.com
50%
FoxSports .com
46%
AOL.com
33%
Percent Who Watched Fantasy Football Preview Shows On Television
Offline Behavior
34
Over half (57%) noticed a fantasy football feature while watching an NFL game
Yahoo .com
Total
CBSSportsline .com
57%
57%
66%
ESPN .com
59%
NFL.com
61%
FoxSports .com
53%
AOL.com
53%
Percent That Noticed Fantasy Football Features As Part Of NFL Game
Offline Behavior
35
40 35 11 2
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
1
14
33
45
7
(626) %
12
(174) %
Total
Outstanding
CBSSportsline .com
2
11
39
38
10
(343) %
Yahoo .com
4
11
33
36
16
(169) %
ESPN .com
1
8
27
45
19
(120) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Noticed Features)
-
2
36
36
26
(59) %
FoxSports .com
Overall Opinion Of Fantasy Football Features
Generally, the features were perceived to be “good/neutral or very good”
Offline Behavior
-
13
29
42
16
(41) %
AOL .com
36
Total
CBSSportsline .com
18%
Yahoo .com
9% ESPN .com
14%
NFL.com
17%
FoxSports .com
17%
AOL.com
8%
Percent Who Used Cell Phone To Check Fantasy Team In Past Year
Few, 12%, used their cell phone to check their fantasy teams
12%
Offline Behavior
37
17 26 23 18 2 4.1 6.8 5.2
5-6
4
3
1-2
0
Average Number of NFL Games Watched
Average Hours Watching NFL
Hours spent Online for Fantasy Football
7.1
7.9
4.6
-
9
21
27
27
16
(253) %
(1066) %
14
CBSSportsline .com
Total
5.3
6.6
4.0
2
19
24
26
15
14
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5.4
6.8
4.4
1
11
24
29
19
16
(276) %
ESPN .com
5.8
7.2
4.0
2
20
22
28
15
13
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Number Of NFL Games Watched Per Week
6.0
6.4
3.9
6
27
18
18
10
21
(98) %
FoxSports .com
On average, players watched 4 NFL games per week; for a total of 7 hours CBSSportsline players invested more time watching games and online for fantasy football
7 Or more
Television Habits
4.6
6.5
4.2
4
16
28
15
17
20
(70) %
AOL .com
38
17 26 23 18 2 4.1 6.8 4.6
5-6
4
3
1-2
0
Average Number of NFL Games Watched
Average Hours Watching NFL
Hours spent Online for Fantasy Football
16.3
8.6
5.0
-
8
20
19
26
26
(252) %
(1066) %
14
7+ Hours
Total
3.4
6.9
4.1
1
16
25
29
17
13
(496) %
2-6 Hours
0.7
5.3
3.5
5
27
23
25
12
8
(318) %
1 Hour Or Less
Hours Spent Online for Fantasy Football (per week)
Number Of NFL Games Watched Per Week
More “involved” fantasy players also spend more time watching NFL games
7 Or more
Television Habits
39
25 25 6 1 8
Satellite/DSS Television
Standard Cable
Standard broadcast TV
Don’t Know
Subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket
(1066) %
13
1
4
20
30
45
(253) %
Total 43
CBSSportsline .com
6
1
8
25
26
40
(579) %
Yahoo .com
11
2
5
23
23
47
(276) %
ESPN .com
11
-
5
24
25
46
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Types Of Television Broadcasts Received/ Subscribe To NFL Sunday Ticket Package
11
3
5
23
26
43
(98) %
FoxSports .com
7
2
2
24
31
41
(70) %
AOL .com
About half have digital cable. Among the other half, equally split between satellite and standard cable. Overall, 8% subscribe to the Sunday ticket (31% among those with satellite/DSS)
Digital Cable
Television Habits
40
24 35 41
Regularly: every/almost every week
Occasionally/once a season
Never
Percent who do this:
(901) %
34
26
40
85
(218) %
Total
84
CBSSportsline .com
38
38
24
87
(504) %
Yahoo .com
43
35
22
82
(231) %
ESPN .com
35
40
25
86
(160) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
40
40
20
74
(77) %
FoxSports .com
Watching NFL Games While Following On Internet
Most have the ability follow NFL games online while watching on TV One in four do this regularly However, 41% never follow online while watching
Have ability to simultaneously watch TV & surf the Internet
Television Habits
53
23
24
76
(54) %
AOL .com
41
35 34 26 12 5 4 3 3 2 2
NFL.com
Yahoo Sports
CBSSportsline.com
FoxSports.com
AOL Sports
Individual NFL Team Site
SI.com
TheSportingNews.com
USAToday.com
Other
(647) %
2
3
5
2
4
4
8
78
12
30
23
(169) %
Total 36
CBSSportsline .com
2
1
1
3
3
2
9
16
34
30
33
(358) %
Yahoo .com
2
2
4
6
5
6
12
17
16
35
70
(167) %
ESPN .com
3
3
7
7
7
4
14
18
17
72
33
(125) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Watch NFL Game While Using Internet)
1
9
4
9
11
3
55
28
28
29
33
(64) %
FoxSports .com
Sites Used To Follow Games While Watching On TV
Most players follow the NFL games on their “host” game site Yahoo is missing valuable interactive features
ESPN.com
Television Habits
-
6
15
4
8
53
9
15
17
50
39
(35) %
AOL .com
42
69 43 16 11 9 7
Followed fantasy team
Followed live game related stats
Participated in live polls
Played live interactive games
Answered trivia
Viewed enhanced graphics
(647) %
6
6
6
11
44
85
77
(169) %
Total 73
CBSSportsline .com
6
10
9
12
42
70
76
(358) %
Yahoo .com
9
11
20
21
44
67
73
(167) %
ESPN .com
11
17
14
32
45
67
76
(125) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Watch NFL Game While Using Internet)
15
13
14
22
54
56
63
(64) %
FoxSports .com
Activities Done On The Internet While Watching The Game
Primary online activities are following scores and fantasy teams CBSSportsline players most like to be following their fantasy team online FoxSports and AOL players more likely to be following general game related stats
Followed scores
Television Habits
16
12
17
20
51
48
72
(35) %
AOL .com
43
Advertising Impact
44
56
Saw Ad (60) %
62 49
Total (188) %
60 41
Visa
Goodyear
Overall impression of:
GMC
Sprint
52
79
43
54
(328) %
Played NFL.com
37
52
(128) %
Did Not See Ad
GMC
(251) %
(579) %
Overall impression of: 71
Saw Ad
Total
Did Not See Ad
Visa
Played Yahoo.com
(% Outstanding/ Very Good)
50
58
(78) %
Saw Ad
63
72
(36) %
Saw Ad
35
60
(110) %
Did Not See Ad
Sprint
48
61
(445) %
Did Not See Ad
GMC
Overall Impression of Advertisers
34
49
(878) %
Did Not Play NFL.com
52
65
(487) %
Did Not Play Yahoo.com
Players who saw the online ads generally have a more favorable impression of the advertisers
Advertising Impact Assessment
45
(251) %
(579) %
43
Overall impression of:
McDonald’s
39
(328) %
Did Not See Ad
(251) %
(579) %
55
Overall impression of:
Goodyear
68
Saw Ad
Total
53
(328) %
Did Not See Ad
Goodyear
Played ESPN.com
58
Saw Ad
Total
McDonald’s
Played CBSSportsline.com
(% Outstanding/ Very Good)
53
(487) %
Did Not Play ESPN.com
45
(487) %
Did Not Play CBSSportsline.com
Overall Impression of Advertisers
Advertising Impact Assessment
46
Motivating Power – Drivers of Fantasy Football Site Selection
47
Desirability rating versus satisfaction
Self-reported “desirability”
Relationship between perceptions and preference
“Preference Detection”
“Motivating Power” of Different Benefits/Attributes
“Problem Detection”
“Dream Detection”
Motivating Power
48
– – – – –
Most reliable fantasy game Provides (free) live scoring Is free Provides up-to-the-minute fantasy news and injury updates Offers customizable rules and scoring
Game Features
– A site everybody in the league will be happy with – Game I am familiar with
Familiarity
– Easy to use/navigate – Easy registration
The most critical motivators overall are: Being “user friendly”
Overall, the key motivations for fantasy players are more similar than different
Key Motivators
Motivating Power
49
92 88 87 87 85 84 84 83 77 75
M ost reliable fantasy game
Everybody in league will be happy
Free live scoring
Up-to-the minute fantasy news and injury updates
Is free
Offers live scoring
Easy registration
Customizable rules and scoring
Game I am familiar with
(1066)
Total
80
74
85
81
91
84
87
84
85
96
(346)
74
77
84
85
81
87
87
90
90
92
(496)
71
83
79
83
80
85
88
88
89
86
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
75
72
87
82
90
84
87
82
88
91
(488)
77
73
82
79
93
79
86
87
89
91
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Easy to use/ navigate
Highly Motivating (75+)
74
84
78
88
75
89
86
92
89
91
(456)
League
76
74
84
81
87
84
87
87
87
94
(813)
72
85
80
92
74
91
86
89
91
85
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
The “High Involved” are more motivated by customizable rules and scoring and having many draft times and options “League” and “Pay” players also desire customization “Free” players want many draft times and options The “Low Involved” are more motivated by free games that offer free draft kits and are easy to join as an individual “League” players are more willing to pay for the game site
Motivating Power
50
73 73 72 71 69 66 65 62 60 60
Free customizable rules
Easy to join as individual
M any live draft times / options available
Free draft kit
Expert analysis/advice
Provides online draft
Site league has used for years
Provides ability for offline draft
Comprehensive draft kit
(1066)
Total
Easy to use live draft interface
Moderately Motivating (60 – 74)
61
59
61
63
66
75
67
78
72
67
(346)
60
60
62
68
65
65
71
71
72
75
(496)
60
63
67
62
68
66
77
68
77
78
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
57
52
61
67
65
67
76
82
67
79
(488)
56
66
61
70
64
66
73
75
71
77
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Motivating Power
62
64
68
64
65
66
70
64
79
70
(456)
League
59
58
61
68
65
68
75
76
71
76
(813)
64
67
68
60
68
68
61
60
79
68
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
51
58 56 55 54 48 41 33 31 28
Rated the #1 fantasy site
Same site used for other fantasy sports
Fantasy newsletter and email alerts
Recognizable brand name
Video highlights of my team
Provides wireless tools to follow my team wirelessly
Same site used for email
Same site used as homepage
(1066)
Total
Same site used for sports news
Less Motivating (Under 60)
30
33
30
44
50
53
54
54
57
(346)
28
32
33
40
45
55
55
57
57
(496)
27
24
38
38
49
53
56
56
61
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
28
33
33
43
49
55
56
58
59
(488)
26
30
35
44
49
49
54
57
61
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Motivating Power
32
31
34
34
46
57
58
54
55
(456)
League
29
32
30
41
48
53
57
56
59
(813)
27
27
43
40
48
60
51
59
54
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
52
New Opportunities
53
Predicted Probability of Signing-Up/ Using
0%
25%
50%
75%
“Not At All Likely”
100%
“Somewhat Likely”
“Very Likely”
Self-Reported Likelihood
“Slightly Likely”
“Extremely Likely”
= xx %
Probability of Signing-Up/Using Service
Based on empirical evidence of respondent “overstatement,” we apply weights to the “self-reported” responses to better predict ‘real-world’ behavior The lower the “self-reported intent,” the less we believe it
New Opportunities Assessment
54
14 26 32 12 15
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Not at all likely
19
21
31
17
12
(619) %
(617) %
Extremely likely
TV S tat Tracker
Weekly TV S eries
20
23
28
20
10
(613) %
Fantasy Football Events
23
27
30
12
8
(605) %
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
27
25
30
12
7
(602) %
Fantasy Video Highlights
41
25
20
8
7
(609) %
Wireless Fantasy Companion
Self-Reported Likelihood to “Sign-Up/ Use” Each Service
New Opportunities Assessment
46
23
19
7
5
(599) %
Wireless S tand-Alone Fantasy Game
55
Weekly TV Series
28%
TV Stat Tracker
22%
Fantasy Football Events
22%
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
17%
Fantasy Video Highlights
16%
Wireless Fantasy Companion
13%
Probability Of “Signing-Up/ Using” Each Service
Wireless StandAlone Fantasy Game
11%
A “weekly fantasy football TV series” generated the greatest interest The “TV stat tracker” and local “fantasy football events” also had relatively broad appeal
New Opportunities Assessment
56
28 22 22 17 16 13 11
Stat Tracker
Fantasy Football Events
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
Fantasy Video Highlights
Wireless Fantasy Companion
Wireless Stand-Alone Fantasy Game
13
18
21
22
28
29
37
%
%
Television Series
High
Total
12
13
17
19
24
23
30
%
Level Of Involvement Moderate
Probability Of “Signing-Up/ Using” Each Service
New Opportunities Assessment
7
9
13
11
15
17
20
%
Low
57
Total
28% 25%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
33%
NFL.com
31%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
29%
FoxSports.com
31%
AOL.com
29%
A weekly half-hour television program dedicated to fantasy football. The show would provide fantasy news, information, highlights, tips, and expert analysis.
Probability of Watching a “Weekly Fantasy Football Television Series”
New Opportunities Assessment
58
Total
22% 20%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
21%
NFL.com
24%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
31%
FoxSports.com
32%
AOL.com
21%
This would be a feature that enables you to view live statistics for you and your opponent on your television set during NFL game broadcasts. Using your clicker, you can access a live stats ticker at the bottom of your TV screen and see your team information.
Probability of Signing-Up For a “TV Stat Tracker”
New Opportunities Assessment
59
Total
22% 21%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
21%
NFL.com
24%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
28%
FoxSports.com
28%
AOL.com
23%
These fantasy events in your community would feature fantasy football forums and programs, NFL player appearances, competitions and prizes, and other related activities.
Probability of Attending “Fantasy Football Events”
New Opportunities Assessment
60
Total
17% 14%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
17%
NFL.com
23%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
22%
FoxSports.com
23%
AOL.com
19%
The magazine would be dedicated exclusively to NFL Football and cover a wide range of topics, including fantasy football. It would provide in-depth behind-the-scenes feature stories, high-impact photography, game recaps and previews, fantasy football analysis, and articles on your favorite teams and players that provide unique access and perspective.
Probability of Subscribing To a “Weekly Pro Football Magazine”
New Opportunities Assessment
61
Total
16% 14%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
15%
NFL.com
21%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
21%
FoxSports.com
25%
AOL.com
21%
This would be a feature that would enable you to watch video highlights on your TV of your fantasy team, after NFL games are completed each Sunday.
Probability of Signing-Up For “Fantasy Video Highlights”
New Opportunities Assessment
62
Total
13% 10%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
14%
NFL.com
16%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
19%
FoxSports.com
23%
AOL.com
14%
This would be a service that allows you to access your existing online fantasy team via your mobile phone. You can get fantasy news, view player profiles, make line-up changes, and access live stats for your team, anytime, anywhere from your mobile device. The cost for this service would be $10 for the season.
Probability of Signing-Up For a “Wireless Fantasy Companion”
New Opportunities Assessment
63
Total
11% 9%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
13%
NFL.com
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
11%
14%
FoxSports.com
19%
AOL.com
14%
This would be a fantasy football game that is played exclusively on your mobile device. The game would include similar features and functionality to the online games you currently play. The cost for this service would be $10 for the season.
Probability of Playing a “Wireless Stand-Alone Fantasy Game”
New Opportunities Assessment
64
Fantasy Sports In the Media
Close Window SEPTEMBER 1, 2006 GAMING
By Catherine Holahan
Fantasy Football 2.0
Virtual leagues are big business for sites like Yahoo! and Sporting News, but upstarts like AOL want a slice of the gridiron pie Ryan Lester trains for his NFL fantasy draft with the intensity of a Division I cyber-athlete. The 30-year-old Minnesotan spends hours online researching players' health histories, analyzing statistics, and reading scouting reports. He blogs theories on which prospective picks will have a good season, tweaking his would-be roster in response to posted opinions. He even practices for draft day in mock online drafts before officially choosing the lineups for his several teams.
SLIDE SHOW >>
Welcome to the high-stakes world of online fantasy sports. The teams are virtual, but the prizes are real. In typical fantasy leagues, winners receive a portion of the entrance fees, which vary depending on the number of players in the league and how much everyone anted up. On major online sites, such as SportingNews.com, Yahoo! Fantasy Sports (YHOO ), and CDM Fantasy Sports, prizes range from a T-shirt and virtual trophy to $25,000. For Lester, it's all about being called the best: "The bragging rights are the best part," he says.
More than 15 million U.S. adults play fantasy sports, according to studies commissioned by the Fantasy Sports Trade Assn. (FSTA ), a group of more than 240 companies, leagues, and publications in the fantasy sports industry. Of that number, about 90% gear up for football season, says Greg Ambrosius, director of the industry's biannual fantasy sports trade conference. SCORING DRIVES GROWTH. The pro football season kicks off Sept. 7, but fantasy football is well under way, with much of the action online. There, players have been blogging about picks, joining leagues, and selecting teams for weeks, says Peter Schoenke, president and founder of Rotowire, a subscription fantasy site that provides statistics for Yahoo Fantasy Sports. "There is a very small minority not playing online," Schoenke says. "Before the Internet came along, you really had to be a diehard to play some of these games. The Internet came along and it lowered that barrier of entry, because the stats and scoring are done for you." Fantasy football fans are flooding the Net, lured by blogs, message boards, and a host of other social-networking capabilities that let people research, build teams, and debate topics from who's the best running back to which fantasy player has the best strategy, Ambrosius says. In July alone, Yahoo Fantasy Sports drew 3.1 million users, compared to 952,000 at ESPN's fantasy site and 929,000 who used Sportsline's fantasy site, says comScore Media Metrix. Last September, 10 million people played fantasy sports on the three top sites, Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Walt Disney's (DIS ) ESPN, and CBS's (CBS ) Sportsline, says TJ Mahony, managing director of Compete, an online research firm that monitors fantasy sports. Online fantasy sites have grown 20% to 25% a year over the past five years, Mahony says. "We have only begun to see the growth of fantasy—this evolution from males in dorm rooms with a pen and paper to people organizing large groups on the Internet." And big groups mean big money. The fantasy sports industry generates $1 billion to $2 billion a year on publication subscriptions, paid league entrance fees, mail-order draft kits, and fantasy software and other products, says Jeffrey Thomas, FSTA president. It's a safe bet a lot of that revenue is ending up online, the playing field for 92% of those who engage in fantasy sports. DREAM DEMOGRAPHIC. Those numbers aren't lost on advertisers eager to court an especially attractive demographic—men under the age of 35 (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/4/06, "Secrets of the Male Shopper"). About 86% of the participants in fantasy leagues are male and 63% are under age 40, according to a 2005 study from the Pew Internet & American Life project, which then put the number of American adults playing online at 11 million. Compete says the percentage of men has dropped to about 70% as more women have gotten into the game, increasing participation overall. The Sporting News, a sports magazine with a large subscription fantasy site, is cashing in on some of the online advertising dollars. Since relaunching its fantasy site in October, 2005, the site has seen more than a million unique users a month. With the traffic has come ad revenue increases of 50% for the past two quarters, says Jason Kint, head of the company's online division. Kint says the site is particularly focused on engaging registered users, who pay $20 to run a team on it. Engagement often determines user satisfaction and advertising dollars, because advertisers pay more when they know a computer user is spending time on a page displaying their message. Average registered users spend seven hours a week on the site reading and writing blogs, catching up on news and commentary, and running their online teams. "Our primary focus is staying No. 1 in engagement across the category," says Kint, adding that part of the reason the league charges for teams is to ensure that players keep up with their roster and don't disappear in the middle of the season. "We believe at the end of the day advertisers are shifting from mass-reach vehicles to depth-of-engagement vehicles." WHY THEY PLAY. Lester, who manages a team on Yahoo's site and several on SportingNews.com, was awarded the maximum of five stars on SportingNews.com for his engagement. He regularly writes about teams on his blog, Lester's Legends, and uses message boards to trade and talk trash. Another draw: fast access to information and ease of accurate scoring. "Before, you had to sit down with friends and chart the stats down by
hand, the old-fashioned way, and use a calculator and a piece of paper to double-check the scoring," he says. "I would always have at least one of my guys not getting the points he thought he was supposed to get." Most sites keep score for players, letting them run leagues without having to spend hours calculating points. David Funk, 31, from North Carolina, was in a 25-man league a few years ago. The league came unraveled after the guy running it bailed amidst the stress of scoring. "He was the one keeping track of all the points, and he got overloaded and pretty much quit after that year," he says. Partially as a result, Funk moved online six years ago. He now has teams on Yahoo and Sporting News. With the computer keeping score, leagues can support 75 teams or more, he says. AOL'S GAME. More sites are awakening to the fantasy. Time Warner's (TWX ) newly free AOL began offering a free fantasy game in 2005 and is trying to expand its relatively small site with blogs and fan pages. Executives hope to exceed the 350,000 users they had last football season. It's a strategy that makes sense given AOL's new focus on advertising (see BusinessWeek.com, 8/3/06, "AOL Casts Its Fate with Ads"). There is already so much competition in the fantasy sports arena that Neal Scarbrough, editor and general manager of AOL Sports, says AOL is trying to find a special niche to better compete. "We have to come up with something that is different than other sites so people can say, 'Yeah there is fantasy, but have you heard about that AOL game?'" he says. "We want that AOL game to be something different and better." But different doesn't matter for Funk. Like many competitors, he just wants to see his name up there with the winners. "A lot of people, including myself, they like to see their name at the top of the list when they go online," he says. "It's nice to have your name seen there." Click here to see the slide show.
Holahan is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York Advertising | Special Sections | MarketPlace | Knowledge Centers Terms of Use | Privacy Notice | Ethics Code | Contact Us
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Fantasy Sports Bring Real Opportunities by: Anonymous source: published :
Fantasy Sports Bring Real Opportunities By Christopher M. Leporini Once enjoyed by a relative handful of sports enthusiasts, fantasy sports have hit the major leagues, expanding into a $1.5-billion-a-year business. All-star players such as Yahoo!, ESPN, and CBS Sportsline have established free or subscription services, and advertisers are lining up for the chance to reach these games' engaged audience of approximately 16 million participants. “Fantasy sports are now viewed as mainstream,” according to University of Mississippi professor Dr. Kim Beason, who conducts an annual study, sponsored by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), tracking the consumer behavior of fantasy sports participants. “Five years ago, a lot of businesses had zero use for fantasy sports, but now they have seen that it can be lucrative and they are trying to get involved.” Leagues allow participants to “manage” their own sports teams, with game play connected directly to real-world athletes' performance. For instance, in fantasy football, the most popular fantasy sport, participants draft a roster of athletes from across current team lineups, choosing players for key positions. Points are then awarded or deducted throughout the season based on players' performance, creating an unpredictable gaming environment that many sports fans find addictive. Variations on this idea have existed for decades, but fantasy sports' popularity have exploded in recent years, according to FSTA President Jeff Thomas. Fantasy sports built momentum throughout the 1990s, boasting between seven and eight million participants, Thomas estimates. He attributes the current boom, which doubled the number of players, to technology and the involvement of more broadcasters and companies with larger marketing budgets. Fantasy sports represent an easy, cost-effective way for advertisers to reach an engaged, demographically focused group of consumers, says the University of Mississippi's Beason. The latest edition of his annual study offers a profile of the average fantasy sports participant—a married white male, age 36, with an household income of $76,871. In addition, the study found that the average participant spends $493.60 annually on fantasy sports and approximately three hours per week managing a team.
“The most important message for advertisers and marketers to consider is that fantasy sports offer a long-term connection to a consumer," says Thomas. Many players are passionate about the activity, and participate in several fantasy sports throughout the year. And the loyal audience that fantasy sports are building today will have staying power, according to Thomas. "Our median 37-year-old consumer will play when they are 47, and 57, and even 67,” he predicts. Indeed, statistics from the FSTA find that the average fantasy sports participant has played for nine years. So, what makes fantasy sports participants so committed? One reason might be that the games restore a feeling of ownership that slipped away from many fans with the advent of free agency, Beason suggests. "There’s not the same connection to team and players that there used to be," he points out. "Players used to stay on the same team for years, but these days, you can almost guarantee that something is going to change each season." Instead, fans put an emotional investment in their fantasy team, whose lineup they can control and develop. Similarly, individuals located outside of major markets may not have a "home team," but they can put themselves in the middle of the fantasy sports world, Beason adds. Elements of social networking and friendly competition play a major role in fantasy sports’ popularity, states Thomas. Players enjoy the opportunity to match their skills against coworkers, friends, and family members. Three out of four fantasy sports participants play with people they know, according to the FSTA. Despite the growth that fantasy sports have achieved in the past decade, interest in these games hasn't peaked, according to Beason. "Fantasy sports are still new on the product development scale and we haven’t gone halfway up the growth scale,” he says. For instance, the types of participants are diversifying, with more women playing fantasy sports, as are the types of games available. Beason says the emergence of fantasy leagues for soccer, the world's most popular sport could attract a huge new international audience. Meanwhile, smaller leagues have cropped up devoted to sports as divergent as auto racing, surfing, golf, and professional bass fishing. Technology, which has defined the current era of fantasy sports, granting participants easier access to statistics and a greater ability to network with one another, promises to play a prominent role in the games' future. Fantasy sports leagues from providers such as MSN/Fox Sports, CBS Sportsline, and ESPN supplement their offerings with extras such as podcast and instant message updates. Mobile devices will allow participants to immerse themselves in fantasy sports on the train, waiting in line at the bank, or on their lunchbreak. From its pencil and paper roots to today's sophisticated multimedia offerings, fantasy sports offer participants the chance to escape into an league where they call the shots. And as technology allows participants to engage themselves ever more deeply in their personal field of dreams, marketers have the opportunity to go with them, forging a real connection from fantasy sports.
Newsweek
August 29, 2005 A Healthy Fantasy Life
In a booming armchair industry, football rules the roost. By Devin Gordon Newsweek
Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2005 issue - Four days before his wedding last September, my college roommate called to say hello. I was his best man, and I was a bit nervous about the job. But talk soon turned, as usual, to our fantasy football team. We were facing our first crisis of the season: our top running back, Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks, was on a bye week, and his backup wasn't getting any carries. We needed another RB, fast. But after throwing around some names, I started to feel bad. Didn't we have more serious matters to discuss? My closest pal was about to be married, for crying out loud. Was there anything I could do to help? Did he need to talk? I braced for a heart-to-heart. "Find us a running back," he said. "This is your top priority." As the NFL preseason swings into high gear, 10 million Americans are beginning to reorganize their real priorities—work, family, mental health—to make room for an altogether pointless one: fantasy football. They will have trouble falling asleep at night and they'll blame it on Terrell Owens, the Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver, whose big mouth might (or might not—who knows?) torpedo a big season. And they'll chip in, on average, $154 a head to an industry that, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, will top $3 billion in 2005. It barely existed just a decade ago. "The game has transitioned from a geek mentality to a cool mentality," says Steve Snyder of Sportsline.com, the leading Web site for fantasy players. "It's become like the NCAA Tournament brackets. You've gotta do it. Who doesn't?" Fantasy football is a game of statistics: you "draft" players, collect points based on how many yards and touchdowns they roll up in actual NFL games, and compete against other "fake" teams. It's a cousin of rotisserie baseball, with fewer stats to manage and only a day's worth of games per week. And it has emerged as the industry's juggernaut largely because the NFL has wholeheartedly embraced the game. Why? It turns football fans into bigger football fans. According to Chris Russo, the NFL's senior vice president of new media, fantasy participants watch nearly three hours more football per week than nonfantasy viewers. They even watch Arizona Cardinals games. Now the NFL and its partners are scrambling to turn those eyeballs into dollars. This season, for the first time, ESPN published its own fantasy guide. Later this month, Fox, CBS and ESPN will each air fantasy preview shows hosted by their "A" coverage teams—also a first. Executives at all three networks say they plan to devote more attention to fantasy during their Sunday kickoff shows and live-game broadcasts. The NFL, meanwhile, just unveiled a new series of fantasy commercial spots featuring consensus No. 1 fantasy stud LaDainian Tomlinson. "I'm sure LT knows he's the top dog in fantasy, and I'm sure he gets a kick out of it," says ESPN morning radio host Mike Golic, a former NFL tackle who retired in 1995. "And it's harmless. It's not like it's gonna change the way he plays."
Once they stop playing, more and more ex-NFLers start playing fantasy. Former star quarterback Warren Moon refused for years until he became host of Fox Sports Net's "Ultimate Fantasy Football." Now, he says, "I'm getting sucked in. I lost a lot of close games last year. This year I'm coming in prepared." Then there are the grizzled veterans, like CBS sportscaster Bill Macatee, who's been playing for 18 years and once squeezed in a draft between commercial breaks while calling a U.S. Open tennis match. "I dated this girl once, and one of her friends invited me to join their fantasy league," he says. "Well, the girl and I broke up—but I got custody of the league. And I'm still in it." See, relationships come and go. But fantasy football is for life. With Stephen Saito
April 15, 2007 CHEERING SECTION
In Fantasy Sports, It Helps Being a Rocket Scientist By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI One night last month, Clark Olson sat at his home computer and selected players in three different fantasy baseball drafts. “It took about three hours,” said Olson, a 38-year-old Seattle Mariners fan. “It was time-consuming, but I actually managed to cook dinner during the second draft.” Olson is one of the top fantasy sports players in the world. Last year, he nickel-and-dimed his way to the top of ESPN’s Über standings, which rank the online performance of everyone who plays fantasy games across multiple sports. “Clark is a bit of a legend on our message boards,” said Matthew Berry, the senior director for fantasy leagues at ESPN. “When you consider that 15 million people play fantasy sports, what he has done as a fantasy gamer has been unreal.” In a thinking-man’s universe where success and failure are mostly a reflection of time spent doing statistical analysis and research, Olson has a galactic edge. He is not only a knowledgeable sports fan, but also a rocket scientist. Olson worked for five years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., where he helped develop techniques for Mars rovers and other applications in which information is extracted from digital images. “The job required a lot of computational and algorithmic thinking,” said Olson, who lives with his wife, Rebecca, in Seattle. “That way of thinking and looking at numbers is a benefit when it comes to playing fantasy sports, which is heavily based on statistics.” In recent years, nearly every would-be general manager in cyberspace has had trouble staying in Olson’s orbit. They have long since come to grips with a sobering reality: They cannot formulate lineups with the same kind of deft drafting, shrewd trading and waiver-wire finds made by a man whose former day job was out of this world. “Clark is a very impressive, high-skilled player,” Berry said. “He is the Albert Pujols of fantasy sports, a player who consistently produces, a player who is money in the bank.” Olson is an associate professor of computing and software systems at the University of Washington at Bothell. He graduated from the University of Washington at Seattle, where he also received a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and he earned a doctorate in computer science from the University of California. He achieved his highest honors in fantasy land through years of studying statistical spreadsheets, newspaper and
magazine articles, box scores and rosters. He finished third in the 2002 Über rankings, second in 2003, third in 2004, third again in 2005 and first last year. Olson has been consistently in the top 10 this year, running 16 teams in ESPN leagues: seven in baseball, five in basketball and four in hockey. He is pondering a return to fantasy bass fishing. “The key to most of these sports is knowing where to get good information to help determine which players might do well,” said Olson, who lists the 2005 signing of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Derrick Turnbow as one of his greatest steals. “Sure, I’m good at problem solving and using analytical skills. But like any other fantasy player, I need to be smart in other areas, like picking up free agents, studying current sports news and trends, paying attention to who’s hot and who’s not, and knowing the rules of each league that I belong to.” In addition to his ESPN teams, Olson spends about 10 hours a week handling the budgets of fantasy teams in high-stakes events. He competes in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, which is made up of 375 teams. The entry fee is $1,300 and the top prize is $100,000. In the past three years, Olson has won two league titles in that event, collecting $5,000 for each. He and a partner also earned $5,000 for winning a league in the World Championship of Fantasy Football. Serious fantasy players are always eager to team with Olson. In fact, he joined forces with the singer Meat Loaf in the 2004 World Championship of Fantasy Baseball. “Meat Loaf is a huge fantasy sports fan,” Olson said. “We sat beside each other that year at the draft in Las Vegas. We finished third out of 15 teams in our league and won $1,000. But that didn’t even cover our entrance fee.” Olson said that real-life general managers had made moves on paper that he would have never made online. “I would not have brought José Vidro to Seattle to be our designated hitter because we could have better used that money,” he said. “We also traded Rafael Soriano, a great setup man, to Atlanta for Horacio Ramirez, a starting pitcher who is often injured, another move I definitely would not have made. “And Gil Meche going from Seattle to Kansas City for $55 million, that really shocked me. To me, those numbers just didn’t seem to add up.” E-mail: [email protected] Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy
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Fantasy football...real money Yahoo!, Disney and CBS should score financial touchdowns thanks to the increased popularity of fantasy football. By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com editor at large August 11 2006: 3:07 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Are you ready for some fantasy football? With the start of the NFL season just around the corner, many Americans are getting ready to cheer on their local football teams. But a growing number of pigskin junkies are also planning to root heavily for individual players...even if they play for their favorite team's most hated rival. Fantasy football, a "sport" that lets people draft teams of players and compete against other teams based on their players' real gridiron statistics, has become an increasingly popular pastime. According to figures from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association - yes, this is big enough of a market to warrant a real trade group - there are currently between 15 million and 18 million fantasy sports players in the U.S. The number of players has grown 7 percent to 10 percent a year for the past three years. About 85 percent of all fantasy sports participants play fantasy football, mainly online. And big consumer-oriented companies have taken notice. "Advertisers are really keeping an astute eye on fantasy football. It's a very loyal market," said Scott Linzer, director of media with iCrossing, a digital marketing agency. "Several of our large clients are doing direct advertising for the fantasy football market." Linzer said that marketing research has shown the average fantasy football player to be predominantly male, married, in a high income bracket and more likely to do research or make purchases online. Most fantasy addicts have leagues set up on Web sites run by big media companies like Yahoo! (Charts), CBS (Charts), Walt Disney's (Charts) ESPN and News Corp.'s (Charts) Fox, which runs its fantasy site in conjunction with Microsoft's (Charts) MSN. Fantasy fanatics are real ad targets So the increased popularity of fantasy sports could be a financial boon for these firms. There is real money to be made from people pretending to be NFL general managers and coaches. In most cases, people can set up a league and play for free. Some sites offer premium fantasy packages for a fee that offer more services such as news, draft strategies (Should you take Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander or LaDainian Tomlinson with the first pick? What a dilemma!) and scouting reports about individual players as well as real-time stat updates. But several media companies are recognizing that it is more lucrative to not charge fantasy players since free games draw more traffic...and hence, more advertising revenue. The biggest beneficiary by far should be Yahoo. Jeff Thomas, founder and CEO of fantasy sports site SportsBuff.com and president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, said Yahoo has become the fantasy football leader because it kept promoting a basic, free service even when competitors were charging fees to set up leagues. "The industry has gone back and forth between charging fees and being free. Yahoo was the one who primarily stayed free and that helped them gain a lot of market share," he said.
According to research from comScore Media Metrix, traffic at Yahoo's fantasy football site was more than twice that of ESPN's during last year's football season. Yahoo would not disclose how many registered fantasy football players it has. But David Katz, who is the head of Yahoo's sports and studios divisions, said the company has seen steady growth for its free product and strong growth in its premium game. Visa and General Motors' GMC unit have returned as the main marketing sponsors for Yahoo's fantasy football. "We're seeing significant growth in our ad revenue. Fantasy is driven by the fact that it is, was and continues to be one of the most engaged audiences on the Internet," Katz said. Yahoo also stands to gain more users through a marketing deal with the web site of Sports Illustrated. SI.com no longer hosts leagues on its site and instead sends people to Yahoo. (SI, like CNNMoney, is owned by Time Warner (Charts).) ESPN is looking to close the gap though. On their respective fantasy football pages, Yahoo held just a slim lead over ESPN last month, with 1.33 million unique visitors in July compared to 1.24 million for ESPN. John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager for new media for ESPN, said ESPN's decision last year to introduce a free fantasy football service led to a five-fold increase in its members in 2005 and that numbers were way up this year. He would not disclose how many total registered players it had though. The increase in players has also led to dramatic growth in advertising revenue. Kosner said that GMC, Samsung and DirecTV are sponsors for ESPN's fantasy football game this year while Coca-Cola's Coke Zero is the sponsor for fantasy football news and columns. "Fantasy football is being wildly embraced by our advertisers," Kosner said. And this year, ESPN is stepping up its efforts to increase its fantasy presence. It is launching a fantasy football TV show later this month that will air on ESPN2. ESPN also offers fantasy advice through its magazine, radio shows and podcasts. Kosner thinks that the breadth of ESPN's fantasy coverage gives it a leg up on Yahoo and other competitors. "The power is in being at all these different media, hitting the fan everywhere he or she is," Kosner said. CBS still believes in "premium" product Still, not all media companies think that free fantasy football is the way to go. Steve Snyder, general manager of CBS SportsLine, said that it has "well over a million" users playing in paid football leagues. And even though CBS doesn't have as many members as Yahoo or ESPN because of its paid subscription model, Snyder said its fantasy site is still attractive to advertisers. In fact, he said having people that are willing to pay for fantasy football has been a lure. "Since we have a high-end audience, we've always had success with advertisers. Ad inventory for fantasy football has been sold out for years," Snyder said, adding that GMC, McDonald's, Budweiser, Toyota and Coke are big advertisers this year. Nonetheless, free competition from Yahoo and ESPN has caused CBS SportsLine to begin offering its own free product as well. But the company also is trying to differentiate itself with new games. Snyder said CBS is launching a free offering called Heads Up Fantasy Football this season that will allow people to draft new players every Sunday and make changes after every quarter of those games. (Think fantasy football meets day-trading.) There appears to be plenty of room for small independents to thrive as well. SportsBuff.com's Thomas said his firm has worked in the past with the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Chicago Tribune to create fantasy games as promotional tools that were designed to help increase their circulation and newsstand sales. The fantasy sports industry also won an important legal battle earlier this week that should allow most leagues to remain free. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that fantasy baseball leagues do not have to get licensing agreements from Major League Baseball in order to use players' names and statistics. Some had feared that a court victory for Major League Baseball would have meant that smaller fantasy baseball league companies (and possibly fantasy leagues of other sports) would have to pay for stats, which would make it tough for them to compete unless they passed on costs to fantasy participants. "The recent litigation news is a great positive for fantasy companies that have been around for more than a decade and put a lot of sweat equity into the industry," Thomas said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fantasy's 'rights' and wrongs NFL sacks cable companies The NFL, post Tagliabue Disclosure: The reporter of this story owns shares of Time Warner through his company's 401(k) plan and is also a hopeless fantasy football addict. Go Brooklyn Brawlers!
April 27, 2007 The Benjamin Hotel, New York, NY
Member List
Agenda 2:00 p.m.
Welcome — Clay Walker, FSA Chairman
2:10 p.m.
Nielsen Fantasy Basketball Nielsen Fantasy NASCAR Nielsen Fantasy Golf Nielsen Fantasy Baseball Nielsen Fantasy Football
3:00 p.m.
Break
3:30 p.m.
Hitwise
3:40 p.m.
Interactive Sports Marketing
4:00 p.m.
Copernicus Marketing
4:30 p.m.
Sports Business Journal Q&A with Rex Grossman and Amani Toomer
5:00-6:30 p.m.
Reception with NFL and NBA players at Emery Bar
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Basketball Market Study
0
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Basketball Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Basketball Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: MegaPanel results are for households and not individuals
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for December 2006 Fantasy Basketball Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy basketball sites and fantasy basketball sections of major sports sites
Used custom Nielsen//NetRatings MegaPanel of households; draws from panel of 120,000 computers with tracking software installed, representing 350,000 users.
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 141 million fantasy basketball page views in December, 2006
Fantasy Basketball Universe Total of 1.5 million unique users for fantasy basketball sites in December, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy basketball universe at approximately 2 million Fantasy basketball universe is approximately 20% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA)
Summary of Findings
3
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine ESPN.com NBA.com RotoWorld AOL.com Sporting News Fantasy Basketball Category
1,015 201 171 101 82 33 32 1,502
Unique Users (000s)
114,017 8,364 5,789 5,990 809 42 4,324 141,068
Page Views (000s)
Top Fantasy Basketball Sites – December, 2006
Total of 1.5 million unique users for fantasy basketball sites in December, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 1 million unique users; CBS SportsLine in #2 position with 200k unique users
Note: Other fantasy sites include Fanball.com, CDM Sports, USA Today, and FOX Sports
Fantasy Basketball Universe
4
April 27, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Market Study
0
Fantasy NASCAR vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy NASCAR Universe
Methodology
Fantasy NASCAR Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: Data is subject to wide fluctuations due to low sample size
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for Feb 2007 Fantasy NASCAR Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy NASCAR sites and fantasy NASCAR sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 43 million fantasy NASCAR page views in Feb, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Universe Total of 1.2 million unique users for fantasy NASCAR sites in Feb, 2007; FSA estimates total fantasy NASCAR universe at approximately 1.5 million Fantasy NASCAR universe is approximately 15% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA)
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy NASCAR players are better educated than the average internet user; 76% have attended college Fantasy NASCAR players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average 33% of fantasy NASCAR players are female
Summary of Findings
4
579 294 186 165 1,215
23,800 6,672 1,680 6,902 43,337
Page Views (000s)
Note: Other fantasy game sites include AOL, CDM Sports Fanball.com, CBS SportsLine, Sporting News and USA Today
Yahoo NASCAR.com FOXSports.com ESPN.com Fantasy NASCAR Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top 4 Fantasy NASCAR Sites – Feb, 2007
Total of 1.2 million unique users for fantasy NASCAR sites in February, 2007 Yahoo was #1 site with 579k unique users; NASCAR.com in #2 position with 294k unique users Fantasy NASCAR sites generated total of 43 million pages views in February, 2007
Fantasy NASCAR Universe
5
5 20
Fantasy NASCAR category
Internet audience
Under18 (%)
8
5
18-24 (%)
13
24
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
28
43
35-49 (%)
31
23
50+ (%)
Fantasy NASCAR players are concentrated within 18-49 year-old demographic; 72% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience Nearly half of audience (43%) within 35-49 year-old group
Demographics
6
1 6
Internet audience
Under $25k (%)
22
32
$25-49k (%)
27
29
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
38% of fantasy NASCAR players have incomes over $75,000
Fantasy NASCAR category
Demographics
19
17
$75-99k (%)
16
16
$100149k (%)
8
5
$150k+ (%)
7
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Golf Market Study
0
Fantasy Golf vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Golf Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Golf Market Study Table of Contents
1
Note: Data is subject to wide fluctuations due to low sample size and changes in URL structure
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for April 2006 Fantasy Golf Market “roll-up” which includes all sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy golf sites and fantasy golf sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Total of 15 million fantasy golf page views in April, 2006
Fantasy Golf Universe Total of 478k unique users for fantasy golf sites in April, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy golf universe at approximately 0.5 million Fantasy golf universe is approximately 5% of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA) Yahoo was #1 fantasy golf site with 246,000 unique users in April, 2006
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy golf players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy golf players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 67% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average Over half (51%) of fantasy golf players have incomes over $75,000
Summary of Findings
4
245 103 31 478
8,278 3,848 386 15,447
Page Views (000s)
Note: Other fantasy game sites include Fanball.com, Head2Head.com, and AOL.com
Yahoo ESPN.com USAToday.com Fantasy Golf Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top 3 Fantasy Golf Sites – April, 2006
Total of 478k unique users for fantasy golf sites in April, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 246k unique users; ESPN in #2 position with 104k unique users
Fantasy Golf Universe
5
10 21
Fantasy Golf category
Internet audience
Under18 (%)
8
3
18-24 (%)
13
13
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
28
51
35-49 (%)
31
23
50+ (%)
Fantasy golf players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 67% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience Over half of fantasy golf players (51%) in 35-49 year-old grouping
Demographics
6
6 6
Internet audience
Under $25k (%)
23
6
$25-49k (%)
27
38
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
20
23
$75-99k (%)
15
18
$100149k (%)
7
10
$150k+ (%)
Fantasy golf players are more affluent than the average internet user; 51% have incomes over $75,000
Fantasy Golf category
Demographics
7
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Baseball Market Study
0
Future Research Topics
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football
Demographics
Engagement Metrics
Fantasy Baseball Universe
Methodology
Fantasy Baseball Market Study Table of Contents
1
Also examined total usage by fantasy players within “host site” (i.e. site which hosts players’ fantasy baseball game); includes usage of fantasy content and non-fantasy content
Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for May 2006 Individual fantasy site/area data (unique users, page views, time spent, other measures) Fantasy Baseball Market “roll-up” which includes 4 key sites
Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy baseball sites and fantasy baseball sections of major sports sites
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Page view metrics demonstrate power of fantasy baseball; total of 459 million fantasy baseball page views in May, 2006 For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy baseball users accounted for 56% and 38% of total sports site page views, respectively Fantasy baseball creates “multiplier effect” for sports sites; fantasy players generated additional 300 million page views each month for host sites (beyond 459 million fantasy baseball specific pages)
Fantasy Baseball Universe Total of 2.3 million unique users for top 4 fantasy baseball sites in May, 2006; FSA estimates total fantasy baseball universe at approximately 3 million, including smaller sites, offline players and partial season players Fantasy baseball universe is approximately 1/3 of fantasy football universe (fantasy football universe estimated to be 10 million by FSA) Yahoo was #1 fantasy baseball site with 1.5 million unique users in May, 2006; CBS SportsLine was #2 fantasy baseball site with 681 thousand unique users
Summary of Findings
3
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football Of top 8 fantasy football sites, only 3 offered fantasy baseball games in May 2006 Fantasy football and fantasy baseball have similar engagement metrics with respect to pages per person and visits per person Time spent per person on fantasy football is approximately 20% greater than on fantasy baseball
Demographics Fantasy baseball players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy baseball players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 65% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average
Summary of Findings
4
ESPN.com MLB.com
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
290 242
1,546 681
Unique Users (000s)
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball Sites – May, 2006
Total of 2.3 million unique users for Top 4 fantasy baseball sites in May, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 1.5 million unique users; SportsLine in #2 position with 681k unique users
Note: Other fantasy game sites include SportingNews.com, CDM/TQStats, and ProTrade.com
Fantasy Baseball Universe
5
268 146 138 122
RotoWorld.com KFFL.com RotoWire.com RotoTimes.com
Unique Users (000s)
Selected Fantasy Baseball Content Sites – May, 2006
Of independent fantasy baseball content sites, RotoWorld.com had highest unique visitor total in May, 2006
Note: Other fantasy baseball content sites include Fanball.com, BaseballHQ.com, and TalentedMrRoto.com
Fantasy Baseball Content Sites
6
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
ESPN.com MLB.com
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com 290 242
1,546 681
Unique Users (000s)
85
19,740
201
88
21,752
458,990
222 109
Pages/ Person
342,935 74,563
Page Views (000s)
1:32
1:21
0:56
1:19 1:31
Time/ Person
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits for Top 4 Sites
Fantasy baseball sites generated total of 459 million pages views in May, 2006 Of the major media sites, Yahoo and CBS SportsLine users consumed the most pages
User Engagement Measures
14
14
12
14 12
Visits/ Person
7
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com ESPN.com MLB.com
1,546 681 290 242
Unique Users (000s) 342,935 74,563 21,752 19,740
Fantasy Page Views (000s) 895,030 293,457 702,415 273,865
Sports Page Views (000s)
38% 25% 3% 7%
Fantasy Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy Baseball Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy baseball users represented significant percentage of total usage for selected sports sites For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy baseball page views represented 38% and 25% of total sports page views respectively
User Engagement Measures
8
290 242
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
1,546 681
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Unique Users (000s)
758,860
34,663
19,740 458,990
503,342 112,651 108,204
FB User Page Views (000s)
342,935 74,563 21,752
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
2,164,866
273,865
895,030 293,456 702,415
Sports Page Views (000s)
FB User Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
35%
13%
56% 38% 15%
FB User Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy baseball players generated 759 million total page views on sports sites that hosted their fantasy games - 459 million fantasy baseball pages and approximately 300 million additional sports pages For Yahoo Sports, fantasy baseball users generated more than 50% of site usage
User Engagement Measures
9
290 242
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
1,546 681
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Unique Users (000s)
58
37
19,740 458,990
61 50 66
Home Page Views (%)
342,935 74,563 21,752
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
Home vs. Work Usage
42
63
39 50 34
Work Page Views (%)
Approximately 58% of fantasy baseball usage was at home, 42% of usage was at work Of major sites, MLB users consumed most pages at work, ESPN users consumed most pages at home
User Engagement Measures
10
15 14 7 26 17 20
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
Under18 (%)
8
9
6 4
10 12
18-24 (%)
13
16
8 6
20 9
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
40
23
28
31
18
30
49
40
16 30
50+ (%) 38 36
35-49 (%)
Fantasy baseball players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 65% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience
Demographics
11
1 3 4 3 2 7
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
Under $25k (%)
23
17
4 21
18 15
$25-49k (%)
27
34
36 26
33 32
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
34
14
19
16
21
25
24
21
22 23
$100149k (%) 21 21
$75-99k (%)
Fantasy baseball players are more affluent than the average internet user Of the major sites, MLB users are most affluent
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
Demographics
7
5
2
6
5 5
$150k+ (%)
12
31 34 23 36 34 42
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com
ESPN.com MLB.com
Top 4 Fantasy Baseball sites
Internet Average
No College (%)
46
51
52 29
55 44
College (%)
Education of Fantasy Players
11
14
25 35
15 21
Post Grad (%)
Fantasy baseball players are better educated than the average internet user More than 65% of fantasy baseball players have at least some level of college education
Demographics
13
408
Myfantasyleague.com
323 No Game
1,715 1,653 664 590
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com AOL.com MLB.com
4,429 1,737
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
F. Football Unique Users, Oct 2005 (000s)
242
No Game
No Game No Game No Game No Game
681
1,546 290
F. Baseball Unique Users, May 2006 (000s)
Comparison of Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball sites
Of top 8 fantasy football sites, only 3 offered a fantasy baseball game in May, 2006 4 of top 5 fantasy football game providers primarily employed a “free” model; 1 of top 4 fantasy baseball game providers primarily employed a “free” model
Fantasy Baseball vs. Fantasy Football
14
45% 66% 18% 25% -
Yahoo.com CBS SportsLine.com ESPN.com NFL.com MLB.com
Fantasy Football
7%
-
3%
25%
38%
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy football represents a larger percentage of total sports page usage than does fantasy baseball
Engagement Metrics
15
201 1:33 14
199 1:51 13
Visits per Person
Fantasy Baseball
Pages per Person Time per Person
Fantasy Football
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
Fantasy football and fantasy baseball have similar engagement metrics with respect to pages per person and visits per person Time spent per person on fantasy football is approximately 20% greater than on fantasy baseball
Engagement Metrics
16
65% 47% 65%
76% 54% 73%
Some Level of College
Fantasy Baseball
Age (% in 18-49) Income ($75k+)
Fantasy Football
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
Fantasy Football players are slightly more affluent and better educated than fantasy baseball players Fantasy football players are more concentrated in the 18-49 demographic than are fantasy baseball players
Demographics
17
17,236 16,311 14,222 12,349 11,606 8,956 6,731 6,443
ESPN.com Yahoo.com
FoxSports.com
CBS SportsLine.com NFL Int. Network MLB.com SI.com AOL.com
Oct. 2006 Unique Users (000s)
752,590 438,270 241,240 258,193 88,924
655,069
1,175,399 1,692,332
Oct. 2006 Page Views (000s)
5,245 11,400 7,766 6,830 7,218
12,239
15,641 12,519
Oct. 2005 Unique Users (000s)
573,386 408,531 235,445 194,651 147,991
517,875
964,002 1,830,551
Oct. 2005 Page Views (000s)
+135% +2% +15% -1% -11%
+16%
+10% +30%
2006 vs. 2005 Unique Users
Comparison of Major Sports Portals, Oct. 2006 vs Oct 2005
+31% +7% +3% +33% -40%
+26%
+22% -8%
2006 vs. 2005 Page Views
Most major sports sites experienced significant unique user and page view growth in October, 2006 vs. October, 2005
Sports Portal Results – October, 2006
18
April 27, 2007
Fantasy Football Market Study
0
Nielsen//NetRatings - Usage Analysis Fantasy Football Universe Engagement Metrics Rank Among Top Web Properties Demographics
Fantasy Football Market Study Table of Contents
1
(*) Fantasy Football Market roll-up includes ESPN, Yahoo, NFL, SportsLine, Fox, Fanball, SI, MyFantasyLeague, RTSports, Sporting News, USA Today, TQ Stats, EA, AOL
Used Nielsen//NetRatings NetView panel of 30,000 U.S. residents Identified URLs for stand-alone fantasy football sites and fantasy football sections of major sports sites Compiled usage results for fantasy sites/areas for October 2006 Individual fantasy site/area data (unique users, page views, time spent, other measures) Fantasy Football Market “roll-up” which includes 14 key sites (*) Also examined total usage by fantasy players within “host site” (i.e. site which hosts players’ fantasy football game); includes usage of fantasy content and non-fantasy content
Methodology
2
User Engagement Metrics Page view metrics demonstrate true power of fantasy football; total of 1.9 billion fantasy football page views in October, 2006 For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy football page views accounted for 47% and 46% of total sports site page views respectively Fantasy football creates “multiplier effect” for sports sites; fantasy players generated nearly 1 billion additional page views per month for host sites (beyond 1.9 billion fantasy football-specific page views)
Fantasy Football Universe Total of 9.6 million unique users of fantasy football sites in October, 2006 Yahoo was #1 fantasy football site with 4.7 million unique users CBS SportsLine was #2 with 2.8 million unique users, while NFL.com and ESPN.com competed for #3 position at 1.4– 1.5 million unique users
Summary of Findings
3
Demographics Fantasy football players are more affluent and better educated than the average internet user Fantasy football players are concentrated in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of players fell within this demo vs. 49% internet average Hispanics and African Americans are under-represented in current fantasy audience
Rank Among Top Web Properties Aggregated fantasy football sites ranked as #14 property on the web (includes all fantasy football page views); with “multiplier effect”, fantasy football ranked in top 10 of all web properties
Summary of Findings
4
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 143 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com Sporting News Total Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
Top Fantasy Football Sites – October, 2006
Total of 9.6 million unique users for fantasy football sites in October, 2006 Yahoo was #1 site with 4.7 million unique users; CBS SportsLine solid #2 position
Fantasy Football Universe
5
174 146 91 86 81 75 72 47
FantasySharks.com KFFL.com Fantasy Football Cafe TheHuddle.com FF Today Sandbox.com EA Sports Fantasy Football FFToolbox
Unique Users (000s)
Selected Fantasy Football Sites – October, 2006
Wide range of smaller sites provided games and/or content services
Fantasy Football Universe
6
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
76 152 180 148 43 3 322
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873
194
187
281,028
1,858,351
171 124
Pages/ Person
800,566 346,189
Page Views (000s)
Page Views, Time Spent, and Visits
1:49
:44 1:34 2:20 2:15 :37 :04 2:44
1:32
1:10 1:43
Time/ Person
13
6 10 14 16 43 2 20
12
11 15
Visits/ Person
Fantasy football sites generated total of 1.9 billion pages views in October, 2006 Average fantasy player spent 1 hour 49 minutes on FF sites and viewed 194 pages during the month Of the major media sites, ESPN and CBS SportsLine users were most engaged
User Engagement Measures
7
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
70
85 89 75 46 59 47 47
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873 1,858,351
71 69 64
Home Page Views (%)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
Home vs. Work Usage
30
15 11 25 54 41 53 53
29 31 36
Work Page Views (%)
Approximately 70% of fantasy football usage was at home, 30% of usage was at work Of major sites, ESPN users consumed most pages at work, Fox Sports users consumed most pages at home
User Engagement Measures
8
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Unique Users (000s)
1,692,332 752,590 1,175,399 271,183 655,069 58,012 88,924 146,067 -
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873
Sports Page Views (000s)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
39% 16% 100% 94% 11% 1% 100%
47% 46% 24%
Fantasy Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy Football Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
Fantasy football usage represented significant percentage of total usage for major sports sites For Yahoo Sports and CBS SportsLine, fantasy football page views represented 47% and 46% of total sports page views respectively
User Engagement Measures
9
4,685 2,788 1,501 1,405 697 446 368 228 197 192 9,557
Yahoo.com CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Myfantasyleague.com Fanball.com AOL.com USAToday.com RTSports.com
Fantasy Football Category
Unique Users (000s)
2,741,216
164,761 200,216 57,943 15,503 17,723 -
106,890 105,589 80,514 54,395 9,882 643 61,873 1,858,351
1,267,358 507,609 475,535
FF User Page Views (000s)
800,566 346,189 281,028
Fantasy Page Views (000s)
271,183 655,069 80,514 58,012 88,924 146,067 61,173
1,692,332 752,590 1,175,399
Sports Page Views (000s)
FF User Page Views as % of Sports Page Views
61% 31% 100% 100% 17% 12% 100%
75% 67% 40%
FF User Pages/ Sports/ Pages
Fantasy football players generated approximately 2.7 billion total page views on sports sites that host their fantasy games – 1.9 billion fantasy football pages and 900 million additional sports pages For Yahoo Sports and SportsLine, fantasy football users generated more than 2/3 of site usage
User Engagement Measures
10
Page Views (000s) 34,086,037 28,086,037 15,788,669 13,553,056 13,053,465 6,874,787 5,132,875 3,528,406 3,021,098 2,455,512 2,159,867 1,917,538 1,867,272 1,858,351
Yahoo MySpace Google MSN/Windows Live eBay AOL FF Users Facebook Craigslist Comcast Nickelodeon Ask Search Network Electronic Arts FF Sites
Top Internet Properties – October, 2006
Aggregated fantasy football site usage ranked #14 among all internet properties When all page views generated by fantasy players on host sites are aggregated, fantasy football ranked in top 10
Rank Among Top Web Properties
11
10 17 10 15 12 5 9 15 NA 14 13 20
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
Under 18 (%)
8
7
5 6 3 2 0 4 5 0
9 7
18-24 (%)
13
24
21 20 29 37 24 22 61 15
26 28
25-34 (%)
Age of Fantasy Players
13 16 13 17 19 NA 20
47 41 43 52 40 34 52
28
32
16
14
51
41
16 11
50+ (%) 39 38
35-49 (%)
Fantasy football players are concentrated within 18-49 year old demographic; 72% of fantasy players fell within this age grouping vs. 49% for overall internet audience
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
Demographics
12
2 2 2 5 1 3 2 NA 5 NA 2 6
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
Under $25k (%)
22
16
14 27 24 8 4 33 35 11
17 19
$25-49k (%)
27
28
25 24 28 22 42 7 22 31
30 27
$50-74k (%)
Income of Fantasy Players
15 15 20 16 9 9 35
23 28 38 17 28 18 14
19
16
20
28
19
22
18 19
22 24
$75-99k (%)
$100149k (%)
8
11
6 5 10 18 20 12 11
12
10 8
$150k+ (%)
Fantasy football players are more affluent than the average internet user; 53% above $75,000/year income Of the major sites, CBS SportsLine users are most affluent; 40% above $100,000 per year income
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
Demographics
13
65
30 28 43
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
44
56
56 48 68 58 57 50
24 38 22 29 12 27
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League AOL SI Sporting News
59 55
25 33
College (%)
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
No College (%)
Education of Fantasy Players
11
15
5
20 14 9 12 30 23
16 12
Post Grad (%)
Fantasy football players are better educated than the average internet user More than 71% of fantasy football players have at least some level of college education
Demographics
14
4 5 2 6
5 9
Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com
Fantasy Football Category Internet Average
Hispanic Yes (%)
91
95
98 94
96 95
Hispanic No (%)
Ethnic Origin of Fantasy Players
People of Hispanic origin are under-represented within fantasy football category; slight growth over 2005 Of major fantasy sites, NFL had highest percentage of Hispanic players
Demographics
15
88 93 95 89 89 85 98
90 88
Yahoo.com ESPN.com
CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com Fanball.com My Fantasy League
Fantasy Football Category
Internet Average
White (%)
9
6
4 9 11 9 0
6 5
African American (%)
2
3
1 2 0 7 2
5 1
Asian (%)
Race of Fantasy Players
1
0
0 0 0 0
0
0 0
Other (%)
African Americans are under-represented within fantasy football category Of major fantasy sites, FoxSports.com had highest percentage of African American players
Demographics
16
FSA Research Symposium April 27th, 2007
1
Varying levels of experience playing fantasy sports
Free players and pay players
Multiple sports and websites
Respondents include a mix of fantasy sports players:
Surveys were completed between February 27th and March 31st
504 online surveys were completed using ISM’s proprietary panel of fantasy sports players
Methodology
NFL and MLB fantasy players are very active in following games and their fantasy stats using both the TV and internet
2
20% of online fantasy sports play/research is done from work
43% of PGA TOUR and 37% of NFL fantasy players have a household income above $75,000
Although Yahoo! remains the overall leader in number of players, CBS Sportsline and ESPN have a higher percentage of players in the upper income ranges
PGA TOUR and NFL fantasy players index the highest for incomes above $75k and $100k
Player and Website Overview
Summary of Findings
PGA TOUR and MLB fantasy players index the highest for attending live sporting events
Participation in sports aligns with fantasy sport played, but not always with sporting goods purchased
3
69% of fantasy players own a video game system, which indexes at 168 vs. U.S. households
Fantasy sports players’ ownership of consumer electronics indexes favorably across many products
Approximately 50% of fantasy sports players participate in recreational sports
69% of fantasy players have attended a live sporting event in the past year
Leisure Activity and Product Ownership
Summary of Findings
60% could name at least one brand that advertised on a fantasy sports website without prompting
Over a third spend at least six hours per weekday on the internet for nonbusiness reasons
4
Almost half watch at least six hours of TV per weekday
Fantasy sports players are heavy television and internet users
2/3 of which has been done on a fantasy sports website
Almost 2/3 of fantasy sports players feel that if a company is advertising on a fantasy sports website, the products will fit with their interests
Almost half of fantasy players have clicked on an online advertisement
Sporting categories (tickets, equipment and apparel) dominate recall
42% of fantasy players remember seeing advertisements on fantasy sports websites
Online Advertisements
Summary of Findings
5
vs. 78% of online population
85% have a broadband connection at home
31% - $75,000 or higher
55% have an income of $50,000 or higher
38% -- 35-49
36% -- 25-34
14% -- 18-24
88% are in the 18-49 demographic
88% of players in sample are male
Demographic Snapshot
NBA 26% 82 17% 105
MLB 31% 100 16% 96
121
20%
119
37%
NFL
161
26%
136
43%
PGA TOUR
63
10%
44
14%
NHL
85
14%
89
28%
NAS CAR
6
How to Read the Table Above: 43% of PGA TOUR fantasy players have an income above $75k, which is an index of 136 vs. the overall sample in this survey 26% of PGA TOUR fantasy players have an income above $100k, which is an index of 161 vs. the overall sample in this survey
Over $100,000
Over $75,000
Fantasy Sport Played Household Income Level
PGA TOUR and NFL fantasy players index the highest for incomes above $75k and $100k 37% of NFL fantasy players have a household income above $75k NFL fantasy players are a close second to The PGA TOUR for incomes above $75k
Household Income by Fantasy Sport Played
6%
10%
0%
Other
1%
5%
2%
EA Sports PROTRADE
3% 2%
Sportsbuff
Head2Head Sports
3%
4%
Fanball NBA.com
4%
MLB.com
RealTime Fantasy Sports
10%
9%
9%
CDM Fantasy Sports AOL
10%
15%
11%
The Sporting News
NFL.com
FOX Sports
CBS Sportsline
ESPN
Yahoo!
20%
19%
7
25%
30%
30%
35%
34%
40%
45%
44%
50%
% of Respondents that have played at eac h site in the last 12 months
Overall ranking of top sites remained fairly consistent with April 2006 FSA Study Yahoo! is clearly the leader with ESPN and CBS Sportsline still ahead of the pack in 2nd and 3rd position, respectively
Fantasy Sports Websites
Over $150,000
$100,000 - $150,000
$75,000 - $99,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$25,000 - $49,999
Under $25,000
Fantasy Sport Played Household Income Level
84 21%
108 32%
136 12% 138 9% 117
127 5% 62 0% 0
88
27%
35%
20%
86
66
19%
10%
8%
136
CBS S portsline
AOL
8
92
7%
53
5%
109
16%
88
21%
100
33%
153
19%
CDM Fantasy S ports
137
10%
67
6%
134
20%
99
24%
95
31%
73
9%
ES PN
17
1%
102
9%
95
14%
113
27%
110
36%
105
13%
FOX S ports
56
4%
24
2%
100
15%
98
23%
130
43%
105
13%
NFL.com
34
3%
29
3%
121
18%
118
28%
102
33%
126
15%
The S porting News
96
7%
77
7%
122
18%
98
23%
97
32%
106
13%
Yahoo!
Although Yahoo! remains the overall leader in number of players, CBS Sportsline and ESPN have the highest percentage of players in the upper income ranges 41% of CBS Sportsline players have a household income over $75k compared to 36% of ESPN players and 32% of Yahoo! players
Household Income by Fantasy Sport Website
1.19 0.95 0.98 0.83 0.43 0.53 0.60
NFL MLB NASCAR NBA NHL PGA TOUR Other
9
Work
2.34
1.59
2.40
2.98
3.51
4.02
3.86
Home
2.94
2.12
2.83
3.80
4.49
4.97
5.05
Total
Online Hours per Week Playing & Researc hing Fantasy Sports
NFL and MLB fantasy players spend the most time online per week playing and researching fantasy sports NASCAR was a surprising third place with almost 4½ online hours per week per player 20% of fantasy players’ online time playing/researching fantasy sports was done from work
Online Hours Playing Fantasy Sports
13% 84% 13% 83% 38%
I record the games/events on a DVR (TiVo®) and watch them at a later time
I follow the games/events and my fantasy stats on the internet
I follow the games/events and my fantasy stats on my cell phone or PDA
I check stats the next day on the internet
I check stats the next day in the newspaper
10
88%
I watch the games/events live on TV
MLB
20%
72%
6%
60%
7%
63%
NBA
28%
80%
14%
80%
20%
94%
NFL
18%
74%
5%
64%
6%
59%
PGA TOUR
29%
74%
3%
74%
6%
43%
NHL
22%
76%
6%
66%
16%
83%
NASCAR
NFL and MLB fantasy players are the most likely to follow the games and their fantasy teams across multiple devices 38% of MLB fantasy players still check stats in the following day’s newspaper even though they watch live games and follow their fantasy stats live on the internet NASCAR players are also far more likely than the remaining sports to watch the actual race
Fantasy Player Engagement Behavior
11
Makes mundane games/events interesting
To win prizes/cash
Makes watching games even more exciting
Because my friends/husband/co-workers/kids play
For the competition
For fun
Most common responses (in order of frequency):
Motivations for Playing Fantasy Sports
None in last 12 months
0%
Other
Box ing
Major League Soccer
Ultimate Fighting Championship
PGA TOUR
NHL
NBA
NASCAR
NFL
MLB
2%
3%
5%
3%
10%
10%
9%
9%
12
15%
16%
20%
22%
25%
30%
30%
31%
30%
% of Respondents that have attended eac h type of sporting event
35%
69% of fantasy sports players have attended a live sporting event in the last 12 months 27% of fantasy sports players have purchased tickets online in the last 12 months
Live Sporting Events Attended
Have not attended a live sporting event in last 12 months
Have attended a live sporting event in last 12 months
NAS CAR
NHL
PGA TOUR
NFL
NBA
MLB
Fantasy Sport Played Live Sporting Event A ttended
89
69
13
28%
105
114 22%
72%
78%
55
67
11%
13%
121
158
167
12%
13%
14%
15%
127
134
137
227
37%
25% 38%
137
184
40%
42%
56%
155
NBA
MLB
91
29%
104
71%
61
14%
132
12%
131
11%
127
38%
134
22%
134
41%
NFL
72
23%
113
77%
44
10%
148
14%
238
20%
136
41%
164
26%
155
47%
PGA TOUR
136
43%
83
57%
39
9%
282
26%
67
6%
124
37%
142
23%
94
29%
NHL
106
34%
97
66%
122
27%
93
9%
78
7%
96
29%
87
14%
88
27%
NAS CAR
Overall, PGA TOUR and MLB fantasy players index the highest for attending live sporting events Including having the highest attendance % at NFL games Even though NFL fantasy players skew towards a higher income, their attendance % at live sporting events was generally “middle of the pack”
Sporting Events Attended by Fantasy Sport Played
0%
Other
Shop
Read books
Trav el
Gamble in a casino
Ex ercise
Go to mov ies
Participate in sports
Go out with friends
Rent mov ies
Listen to music
10%
10%
20%
23%
14
30%
32%
35%
40%
35%
39%
42%
49%
50%
Other Ac tivities Respondents Do For Fun
54%
60%
55%
64%
70%
Almost half of fantasy sports players participate in recreational sports 55% of fantasy sports players rent movies and 42% go out to see movies A quarter of fantasy sports players also stated that a movie advertisement on a fantasy sports website would catch their attention
Leisure Activities
52% 73%
Exercise
Participate in Sports
MLB
66%
45%
NBA
15
60%
48%
NFL
70%
55%
PGA TOUR
66%
43%
NHL
45%
35%
NASCAR
NASCAR fantasy players had materially lower participation rates in exercise and recreational sports Participation for NASCAR players in other “less active” activities was average
Recreation by Fantasy Sport Played
33% 56% 37% 61% 7% 26% 8% 42% 15%
Basketball Football Golf Hockey Running S occer S oftball Tennis
MLB
Baseball
Fantasy Sport Played Recreational Sport Played
16
12%
44%
7%
19%
4%
63%
35%
65%
25%
NBA
14%
38%
9%
26%
6%
58%
40%
57%
24%
NFL
12%
29%
9%
27%
5%
70%
29%
53%
22%
PGA TOUR
17%
38%
13%
21%
21%
46%
42%
58%
21%
NHL
13%
38%
5%
26%
6%
49%
39%
55%
21%
NAS CAR
Fantasy players generally have higher participation rates in recreational sports that align with their fantasy sports participation
Sport Participation by Fantasy Sport
4%
Hav e not purchased in last 12 months
0%
Other
5%
15%
11%
10%
10%
7%
Tennis Hockey
7%
Soccer
Softball
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Athletic Shoes
16%
20%
18%
20%
17
25%
25%
30%
30%
35%
40%
45%
46%
% of Respondents that have purc hased eac h type of sporting good
50%
75% of fantasy sports players have purchased sporting goods even though only half participate in recreational sports
Sporting Goods Purchased
28% 23% 22% 40% 4% 8% 13% 8% 58% 16%
Basketball Football Golf Hockey S occer S oftball Tennis Athletic S hoes Have not purchased in last 12 months
MLB
Baseball
Fantasy Sport Played Sporting Goods Purchased
18
16%
51%
10%
13%
9%
4%
33%
22%
23%
18%
NBA
21%
51%
8%
11%
9%
4%
36%
21%
23%
18%
NFL
12%
60%
9%
11%
13%
7%
52%
21%
26%
21%
PGA TOUR
23%
46%
11%
9%
14%
9%
20%
20%
26%
20%
NHL
27%
44%
6%
10%
7%
4%
25%
21%
17%
16%
NAS CAR
Sporting goods purchases are not always dictated by fantasy sport participation NASCAR and NHL fantasy players have a higher incidence of non-purchase in the last 12 months than other fantasy sports players
Sporting Goods Purchased by Fantasy Sport
Satellite Radio Sy stem
Video iPod / MP3 Play er
Video Game Sy stem
DVR
High Definition TV
0%
10%
10%
7%
12%
20%
15%
FS A S urvey
30%
31%
40%
19
33%
34%
50% US Households
41%
42%
60%
70%
69%
80%
Fantasy sports players have significantly higher household ownership in important consumer electronics categories Ownership percentages are consistent with TV watching, video game playing and music listening interests and behaviors Only 13% of fantasy sports players do not own any of these items
Consumer Electronics Ownership
17% 9% 4% 3% 24%
Between 3-5 hours Between 6-10 hours Between 11-20 hours Over 20 hours I do not play video games
20
42%
Between 0-2 hours
Hours Playing Video Games per Week
More fantasy sports players play video games (76%) than own video game systems (69%) In addition to playing their own system, players are playing on-line, using handheld devices and with friends’ systems
Video Game Playing Time
None of the abov e
Flav ored malt bev erage
Liqueur
Wine
Liquor
Beer
0%
10%
10%
11%
20%
30%
25%
27%
21
40%
41%
50%
60%
70%
66%
80%
% of Respondents who have c onsumed eac h type of beverage in the last 30 days
75% of players have consumed alcoholic beverages in the last 30 days 65% have consumed more than one type of beverage during that same time period
Beverage Consumption Behavior
5%
10%
13%
17%
18%
0%
I don't remember
Job Hunting
Electronics
Movies
Cable/Satellite TV
Sports Beverages
22
12%
15%
13%
16%
20%
19%
22%
Video Games Credit Cards
22%
25%
23%
Online Gambling
Cell Phones and Service
23%
30%
49% of respondents have researched or purchased an automobile online
28% 27% 26% 24%
Beer
Sporting Goods
Automobiles
Sports Apparel
Sporting Tickets
% of Respondents who remember seeing an advertisement in eac h produc t c ategory
Sports related categories hold three of the top four spots Fast food was notable in its absence from the most remembered categories
Advertisements on Fantasy Sports Websites
Budweiser Nike Miller Lite Toyota Coors Coca-Cola Pepsi McDonald's Ford
23
18% 9% 8% 6% 6% 6% 6% 5% 5%
% of Respondents who named the following brands on an unprompted basis
42% recall seeing advertisements on fantasy sports sites they have visited in the last three months 60% of which could name one brand or more on an unprompted basis
Unprompted Brand Recall
5%
10%
0%
Travel
15%
14%
24
20%
16%
Online Gambling
14%
16%
DVDs
Energy Drinks
16%
18%
Sports Trading Cards
Liquor
19%
19%
Music Sports Beverages
19%
25%
24%
Electronics Automobiles
24%
Movies
Video Games
Beer
30%
26%
35%
31%
40%
36%
38%
Sporting Tickets Sports Apparel
38%
Sporting Goods
45%
% of Respondents stating ads for these produc t c ategories would “c atc h their attention”
45% have clicked on an online advertisement Two-thirds of those clicking have done so on a fantasy sports website 25% responded that a movie ad would catch their attention (42% of respondents attend movies)
Advertisements on Fantasy Sports Websites
Likely to "catch my attention":
Remembered:
S ports Apparel Beer
Beer Video Games
Beer Video Games
Video Games
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
25
S porting Goods Online Gambling
S ports Apparel
Video Games
S porting Goods
Video Games Cell Phones/S ervice
S porting Goods
Automobiles
S porting Tickets
Automobiles
Cell Phones/S ervice
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
34%
49%
NFL
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
40%
60%
NBA
S porting Tickets
39%
Clicked ad on fantasy sports site
Top 5 Product Categories
58%
Remember seeing ad on fantasy sports site
MLB
Video Games
Beer
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
S porting Goods
Cell Phones/S ervice
Video Games
Automobiles
S porting Tickets
S ports Apparel
40%
55%
PGA TOUR
Fantasy Sport Played
Electronics
S ports Apparel
S porting Goods
Video Games
S porting Tickets
Movies
S ports Apparel
Video Games
Cell Phones/S ervice
S porting Tickets
49%
54%
NHL
Automobiles
S ports Apparel
S porting Tickets
30%
43%
NASCAR
Video Games
Beer
S ports Apparel
S porting Goods
S porting Tickets
Beer
Cell Phones/S ervice
Behavior Towards Online Ads by Sport
56%
50%
62%
80%
49%
65%
I am more likely to pay attention to/notice an advertisement on a fantasy sports website than other websites
I am more likely to purchase products from a company that advertises on a fantasy sports website than other websites
If a company is advertising on a fantasy sports website, their products will fit with my interests
I expect to see advertisements on a free fantasy sports website
I expect to see advertisements on a fantasy sports website where I pay to play
I am more likely to play a fantasy sports contest that is sponsored by a company or brand I recognize
26
60%
I think brands that advertise on fantasy sports websites are cool
Somewhat or Strongly A gree
% Responding
Attitudes Towards Advertisements
27
If I like the site, I feel I can trust the advertisers
I notice them more because I am on the site regularly
I want to support the sponsors that keep the site in business
advertising on a fantasy sports website
I assume that their products will interest me since they are
For respondents who said they are more likely to purchase products from a company that advertises on a fantasy sports website, the most common reasons were (in order of frequency):
Attitudes Towards Advertisements
On the internet for personal (not business) reasons
Watching recorded shows on a DVR (TiVo®)
Watching live television
Listening to the radio
Reading newspapers and magazines
10.5%
Weekend
28
6.9%
51.8%
Weekend Weekday
50.8%
5.2%
Weekend Weekday
4.4%
19.4%
Weekend Weekday
7.5%
26.2%
Weekend Weekday
20.0%
Weekday
No Time
21.6%
18.1%
17.9%
18.5%
6.7%
8.7%
39.9%
24.2%
53.8%
50.6%
0-1 Hours
40.9%
40.1%
23.0%
22.2%
46.0%
41.7%
30.0%
35.7%
18.8%
26.4%
2-5 Hours
Hours per Day
16.1%
17.5%
5.2%
5.2%
29.0%
24.2%
7.1%
19.6%
0.6%
2.4%
6-10 Hours
10.9%
17.5%
2.2%
3.4%
13.1%
21.0%
3.6%
12.9%
0.6%
0.6%
>10 Hours
Fantasy sports players are heavy television and internet users 87% watch at least two hours of television per weekday (88% on a weekend day) 45% watch at least six hours of television per weekday (42% on a weekend day) 75% spend at least two hours per weekday on the internet for personal reasons (68% on a weekend day) 35% spend at least six hours per weekday on the internet for personal reasons (27% on a weekend day)
Media Consumption Behavior
29
Satellite Radio ownership - Consumer Electronics Association 2006 Ownership & Market Potential Survey
Video iPod/MP3 ownership – Ipsos/TEMPO Study, June 2006
Video Game System ownership – Nielsen Media Research, March 2007
DVR ownership – Leichtman Research Group, November 2006
HDTV ownership – Envisioneering Group, January 2007
Broadband penetration – Nielsen/NetRatings, December 2006
Reference to Outside Data Sources
Adam J. Rosenbaum 847.980.8605
Clay Walker 202.957.5319
Contact :
Copernicus Marketing Custom Fantasy Football Study
0
From the different major sites Free vs. pay players First time players and veterans Individual players vs. League Players
Study conducted by Copernicus Marketing, a leading research firm A total of 1,066 interviews conducted online Respondents were recruited from a nationally representative online panel and screened to be male, 18 – 54 years old, and have played fantasy football in 2005 A mix of players were recruited:
Methodology
1
Average fantasy football user played 2.1 teams in 2005, spent 5.2 hours per week online managing fantasy team, visited “host” site 7 times per week Average fantasy football player spent $51 on game subscription/entry fee 46% of fantasy football players also played another fantasy sport
Fantasy Content/Information Approximately 35% of players purchased supplemental online feature such as live stats tracker, draft kit, or fantasy news service; average expenditure of $16 Fantasy players frequently visit sites other than “host” for information; average player visited non-host sites 4.7 times per week for fantasy football information Majority of non-host visits were to major fantasy/sports sites Approximately 23% of fantasy players visited secondary content providers such as rotoworld.com and fantasyguru.com
– Approximately 60% of fantasy football users began playing after 2002 – More than 30% of users in 2005 were 1st time players; NFL had highest new player % – “Word of mouth” and availability of “free games” were most important influencers for 1st time players
Profile of Site Players Fantasy football category has expanded dramatically over past three years
Summary of Findings
2
Average fantasy football player watched 4.1 NFL games/wk for total of 6.8 hours; more involved fantasy players watched more hours of NFL games 57% of fantasy players noticed fantasy features and information in NFL game broadcasts; 52% thought these features were outstanding or very good Fantasy football players multi-task; 24% watched games and checked web each week; another 35% did occasionally
36% purchased a fantasy football magazine 30% attended a fantasy draft party, event, or dinner 35% watched a fantasy football preview show 12% used a cell phone/service to check fantasy team
Advertising Impact Players who saw online ads in fantasy sites had much more favorable impression of fantasy advertisers than those who hadn’t seen ads
– – – –
Offline Behavior/Television Viewing Fantasy Football players participated in range of offline fantasy activities
Summary of Findings
3
New Opportunities Fantasy football players showed strong interest in weekly fantasy TV show, TV stat tracker, and fantasy football events Players showed moderate interest in weekly magazine, fantasy TV highlights, and wireless services In general, Fox and ESPN audiences were most receptive to new opportunities
Motivating Power – Drivers of Fantasy Football Site Selection Overall, the most critical motivators impacting site selection were: user friendly, reliable, free, and familiar (a site everybody will be happy with) For high involvement players, customizable features were more important; for low involvement players, free game and “user friendly” were more important Less motivating factors included: comprehensive draft kit, video highlights, same site used for sports, home page, and/or email
Summary of Findings
4
Profile of Site Players
5
Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com SI.com AOL.com Sportingnews.com Myfantasyleague.com Sandbox.com Fanball.com USAToday.com Average number played
54 33 33 26 17 8 12 10 10 12 8 6 2.3
(1066) %
(1066) %
66 66 55 55 46 26 25 23 22 21 19 18 na
Ever Played
Ever Heard Of
45 22 20 17 10 2 6 3 5 1 2 1 1.3
(1066) %
Played 2005
Awareness and Usage of Fantasy Football Sites
Yahoo has the highest awareness and usage. About half of players had a team on Yahoo last season On average, players have tried 2.3 sites since they began playing and 1.3 this past season
Profile of Site Players
6
Profile Of Site Players
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
AOL.com
40
Ever Heard Of
30
50
60
70
CBSSportsline.comESPN.com NFL.com Fox Sports.com
Yahoo.com
R Square= . 594
Relationship Between Awareness and Current Usage
Yahoo is the most successful in terms of converting awareness to usage ESPN, NFL, and FoxSports are below average in generating usage among those aware
Played In 2005
7
Played Fantasy Football Yahoo.com ESPN.com CBS Sportsline.com NFL.com FoxSports.com SI.com AOL.com Sportingnews.com Myfantasyleague.com Sandbox.com Fanball.com USAToday.com Average number played + 20%
49 + 31% 25 9 15 6 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 0.8
(1066) %
(1066) %
41 19 7 12 4 3 4 4 4 3 8 3 3 0.7
Played 2003
Played 2002 (or earlier)
100 45 22 20 17 10 2 6 3 5 1 2 1 1.3
(1066) %
Played 2005 64 + 56% 36 17 20 12 5 2 5 4 5 3 3 2 1.1
(1066) %
Played 2004
Usage of Fantasy Football Sites
41% of current players have been playing since 2002 (or earlier) Category expansion has increased exponentially over the past 4 seasons Play at Yahoo has grown consistently over time ESPN and NFL usage increased sharply over the past two seasons
Profile of Site Players
8
Total
21%
CBSSportsline .com Yahoo.com
16%
ESPN.com
37%
NFL.com
46%
FoxSports.com
38%
50%
AOL.com
Played Fantasy Football For The First Time This Past Season
31% of respondents played fantasy football for the first time this past season
31%
Profile of Site Players
9
24 24
9
6 6
Saw ad online
Game was now free
Saw/heard as on TV, radio, or in print
Saw a TV show about fantasy football
Other
(1066) %
4
0
11
16
14
77
(253) %
Total
59
CBSSports line.com
7
3
4
26
13
76
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5
9
11
17
28
63
(276) %
ESPN .com
9
9
17
34
25
46
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
0
17
17
20
37
44
(98) %
FoxSports .com
0
3
13
27
64
22
(70) %
AOL .com
8
6
11
15
18
63
(156) %
1824
Reasons For Playing for the First Time This Past Season
1
5
8
19
25
69
(403) %
6
2
8
34
20
54
(335) %
3544
Age 2534
Word of mouth is the primary catalyst to begin playing fantasy football Particularly among younger players and those who played at CBSSportsline and Yahoo Promotions and switching to free games motivate older players to begin playing Online advertising attracted older players and brought new players to AOL Advertising (on- and off-line) prompted many to begin playing at FoxSports
Convinced by someone I know
Profile of First Time Players
9
12
9
35
34
45
10
(172) %
4554
49 50 $73k 71 64 39 84 8
% College Grad or M ore
Average HH Income
% Employed Full-time
% Own House
% With Children Under 18
% Caucasian
% Hispanic Descent
18
45 - 54
% M arried
28
35 – 44 34 yrs
33
25 – 34
Average Age
23
7
87
38
70
79
$82k
59
53
36 yrs
20
35
36
9
(253) %
(1066) %
18 – 24
Age
CBSSportsline .com
Total
6
85
38
66
73
$73k
52
49
33 yrs
16
25
38
22
(579) %
4
82
38
59
63
$73k
43
44
33 yrs
19
23
28
31
(276) %
7
80
41
55
72
$62k
42
54
34 yrs
16
34
28
23
(188) %
Sites Played in 2005 Yahoo ESPN NFL .com .com .com
Player Demographics
Profile Of Site Players
16
77
43
69
70
$78k
51
41
33 yrs
19
22
26
33
(98) %
FoxSports. com
17
80
45
64
55
$67k
41
46
36 yrs
29
20
29
23
(70) %
AOL. com
11
19 12 9 8 54
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
Fantasy Golf
Other
Did Not Play Other (Net)
(1066) %
56
9
11
8
16
31
(253) %
Total 31
CBSSportsline .com
44
10
13
15
24
41
(579) %
Yahoo .com
51
6
10
16
25
30
(276) %
ESPN .com
52
11
8
10
20
24
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Other Fantasy Games Played
Half only play fantasy football Yahoo players somewhat more likely to be playing other fantasy games as well
Fantasy Baseball
Profile Of Site Players
53
4
5
13
20
32
(98) %
FoxSports .com
52
6
9
13
31
27
(70) %
AOL .com
12
CBSSportsline .com (111) %
50 36 75 7 9 11 11 11 7 30 5 2 9
Total (490) %
65 33 28 13 13 11 9 4 4 11 4 4 9
Yahoo.com
ESPN.com
CBSSportsline.com
FoxSports.com
AOL.com
Sandbox.com
Sportingnews.com
Fanball.com
Myfantasyleague.com
NFL.com
SI.com
USAToday.com
Other
5
2
4
4
2
4
7
9
4
5
16
21
98
(324) %
Yahoo .com
10
6
10
14
8
4
14
14
14
18
29
73
37
(135) %
ESPN .com
21
10
8
33
2
6
13
13
17
21
35
40
40
(90) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Among Those Who Played Other Fantasy Sports)
Sites Used For Other Fantasy Sports
Profile Of Site Players
4
11
15
23
13
11
13
9
19
57
38
38
28
(46) %
FoxSports .com
6
2
4
27
6
10
19
10
92
25
35
21
38
(34) %
AOL .com
13
4 1.9 2.3
14 9 4 2 1.4 2.1
Played 3 teams
Played 4 teams
Played 5 teams
Played 6 teams Average # of teams played (at site) Average # of teams played (overall)
6
10
14
29
28
Played 2 teams
39
(343) %
(123) %
43
Yahoo.com
CBSSportsline.com
2.6
1.9
7
10
11
17
21
34
(158) %
ESPN.com
2.7
1.9
9
7
12
16
30
26
(126) %
NFL.com
Sites Played in 2005
Number of Fantasy Teams Played
Most play 1-2 teams overall Particularly among CBS and Yahoo players
Played 1 team
Profile of Site Players
2.8
1.8
11
17
8
12
15
37
(64) %
FoxSports.com
2.6
2.0
8
7
12
12
30
31
(45) %
AOL.com
14
25 30 23 8 1 5.2
4.0
4 to 10 hours
2 to 3 hours
30-60 minutes
Less than 30 minutes
None
Average number of hours on fantasy football websites
Average number of hours last season (among those who played last season)
(1066) %
5.3
7.1
0
5
17
30
30
19
(253) %
Total 12
CBSSportsline .com
3.8
5.3
1
7
23
29
28
11
(579) %
Yahoo .com
4.4
5.4
1
7
20
32
26
14
(276) %
ESPN .com
5.5
5.8
1
8
24
28
22
17
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
4.8
6.0
3
10
21
29
22
15
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Amount Of Time Spent on Fantasy Football Websites
On average, players spent 5 hours per week on fantasy football websites Up from 4 hours per week last season CBSSportsline players spent more time online (7 hours on fantasy football sites)
More than 10 hours
Profile of Site Players
4.1
4.6
2
7
38
26
17
11
(70) %
AOL .com
15
(253) %
31 24 61
Total (1066) %
45 32 39
As an individual
With a group, but less than an entire league
As an entire league
49
32
43
(579) %
Yahoo .com
26
40
52
(276) %
ESPN .com
22
32
67
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
24
38
53
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Method of Joining Fantasy Football Leagues
17
31
68
(70) %
AOL. com
The method of joining fantasy leagues varies by site and number of teams CBSSportsline players, and those with 10+ teams, are more likely to join as an entire league NFL and AOL players are most likely to join as individuals
CBSSportsline .com
Profile of Site Players
16
Average number of hours on fantasy football websites 5.4
(1066) %
5.2
(333) %
(488) %
5.2
Group
Individual
Total
Joined As:
6.0
(456) %
League
4.2
(293) %
First Time
Time Invested in Fantasy Football
The more involved fantasy football players are more likely to: Join as part of an entire league Have been playing for 4+ years
Profile of Site Players
4.9
(299) %
Tenure 2-3 Years
6.2
(474) %
4+ Years
17
11 10 14 47 $51
$50 - $99
$25 - $49
$1 - $24
$0
Average dollars spent
(1066) %
$94
15
14
12
24
36
(253) %
Total 18
CBSSportsline .com
$30
62
13
7
9
9
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$64
40
12
15
10
23
(276) %
ESPN .com
$58
54
15
6
9
17
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Dollars Spent on Entry and Subscription Fees
$94
32
17
18
6
27
(98) %
FoxSports .com
$79
37
20
6
8
30
(70) %
AOL .com
Half did not spend any money on entry/subscription fees last season On average, players spent $51 CBSSportsline and FoxSports players spent twice as much ($94.) AOL players also spent more than average. Yahoo players spent the least ($30 on average)
$100 or more
Profile of Site Players
18
7 12
10 14 47 $51
$25 - $49
$1 - $24
$0
Mean
$48
57
8
11
$50 - $99
16
(488) %
(1066) %
18
Individual
Total
$48
41
17
15
10
18
(333) %
Group
Joined As:
$61
40
13
10
15
22
(456) %
League
$42
50
17
10
10
14
(293) %
First Time
$41
50
13
11
11
15
(299) %
Tenure 2-3 Years
Dollars Spent on Entry and Subscription Fees
Individuals are more likely to have played for free Players with longer tenure spend most on entry/subscription fees
$100 or more
Profile of Site Players
$66
42
13
10
13
23
(474) %
4+ Years
19
78 16 3 1 1
Work Computer School Computer Wireless Device Other
1
1
1
21
76
(794) %
(1066) %
Home Computer
Full Time
Total
2
2
7
5
83
(272) %
Not Full Time
Percent of Time Accessing Team By Location
Full-time employees access fantasy teams from work 21% of time Access doesn’t vary by site played
Profile of Site Players
20
Fantasy Content/Information
21
4.7
60%
# of visits to “non-host” sites per week
Share of visits to host site
(1066)
61%
5.7
8.8
(253)
Total
7.0
CBSSportsline .com
60%
5.0
7.5
(579)
Yahoo .com
60%
4.5
6.8
(276)
ESPN .com
57%
4.9
6.6
(188)
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
57%
5.7
7.7
(98)
FoxSports .com
Number of Visits To Websites for Fantasy Football Information
On average, players visit their fantasy football website 7 times a week CBSSportsline players visit their “host site” more frequently Players also visit other websites 5 times a week for information about fantasy football
# of visits to “host” sites per week
Fantasy Football Content
59%
3.6
5.2
(70)
AOL .com
22
85 51 45 26 24 23 21 11 10 10 7 6 6
Visited “non-host” for information
ESPN.com
NFL.com
Yahoo Sports
FoxSports.com
Individual NFL Team Website
CBS Sportsline.com
SI.com
TheSportingNews.com
Local Newspaper Websites
USAToday.com
AOL Sports
Other
(1066) %
12
5
10
16
13
13
--
27
30
25
59
62
89
29
(253) %
Total
31
CBSSportsline .com
7
4
6
10
10
13
19
21
20
--
44
53
83
32
(579) %
Yahoo .com
3
5
9
11
13
11
22
27
28
21
51
--
86
31
(276) %
ESPN .com
3
8
13
11
15
15
22
31
31
23
--
50
85
31
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
4
12
11
10
11
10
27
26
--
19
43
45
87
38
(98) %
FoxSports .com
“Non-Host” Sites Visited For Fantasy Football Information
Most players visit other “non-host” sites for fantasy football information ESPN and NFL continue to be the most visited sites
Percent of time spent at “non-host” sites for fantasy football information
Fantasy Football Content
2
--
7
7
11
7
19
23
19
19
36
42
93
33
(70) %
AOL .com
23
22 15 13 4 1
Live stat tracking
Fantasy news / analysis service
Draft kits
Wireless access to online games
Other
(1066) %
1
5
19
21
29
43
(253) %
Total 35
CBSSportsline .com
1
2
8
8
23
29
(579) %
Yahoo .com
0
4
15
21
24
40
(276) %
ESPN .com
0
7
14
19
16
35
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Online Features Purchased
0
16
25
27
25
47
(98) %
FoxSports .com
0
3
24
15
31
48
(70) %
AOL .com
One in three purchased online features FoxSports and AOL players most likely to buy online features Live stat tracking was the most commonly purchased, followed by fantasy news/analysis and draft kits
Purchased Any
Online Features
24
13 7 10 65 $16
$20 - $99
$10 to $19
$1 - $9
$0
Average
$23
57
10
7
20
6
(1066) %
5
(253) %
Total
$100 +
CBSSportsline .com
$10
71
12
9
6
2
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$19
60
9
7
18
6
(276) %
ESPN .com
$27
66
5
2
19
8
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Dollars Spent on Online Features
Average spending on online features was $16 NFL, FoxSports, and AOL players spent more on online features Yahoo players spent the least
Online Features
$37
53
6
8
18
15
(98) %
FoxSports .com
$31
52
9
10
17
12
(70) %
AOL .com
25
Total
19%
CBSSportsline .com Yahoo.com
26%
ESPN.com
24%
NFL.com
30%
FoxSports.com
44% 26%
AOL.com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Used in the Past Season
Overall, 23% have used secondary information providers (such as Fantasyguru.com or Rotoworld.com) FoxSports players are more likely to use these websites
23%
Secondary Content Providers
26
16 13 12 7
KFFL.com
Rotoworld.com
NFLFantasyextra.com
Footballinjuries.com
(1066) %
12
9
21
19
26
(253) %
Total
18
CBSSportsline .com
4
8
15
23
18
(579) %
Yahoo .com
11
17
11
12
19
(276) %
ESPN .com
10
22
14
11
20
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
19
21
15
13
25
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Ever Heard Of
Yahoo users were most aware of KFFL.com CBSSportsline users were most aware of FantasyGuru.com and Rotoworld.com NFLFantasyextra.com had highest awareness among NFL users
FantasyGuru.com
Secondary Content Providers
8
23
12
17
21
(70) %
AOL .com
27
6 5 4 3
NFLFantasyextra.com
KFFL.com
Rotoworld.com
Footballinjuries.com
(1066) %
4
6
5
5
7
(253) %
Total
6
CBSSportsline .com
1
6
9
3
5
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5
4
4
9
7
(276) %
ESPN .com
5
3
5
12
8
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
8
8
3
14
14
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Fantasy Football Information Providers: Used in the Past Season
In general, usage is low; no clear market leader Usage is highest among FoxSports players NFLFantasyextra.com used more by FoxSports, NFL, and AOL players
FantasyGuru.com
Secondary Content Providers
3
2
6
15
8
(70) %
AOL .com
28
70
67
52
48
Preseason online draft kit that provides expert analysis, stats, projections, mock drafts, sleeper picks, and position rankings
Fantasy football articles and features written by fantasy experts providing advice and analysis
Broadband video segments featuring commentary and analysis from fantasy experts
Weekly online fantasy football themed radio shows
(1066)
46
46
68
72
79
(253)
Total
75
CBSSportsline .com
46
48
65
69
75
(579)
Yahoo .com
54
57
67
71
74
(276)
ESPN .com
49
54
69
71
75
(188)
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Average on 0-100 Scale)
58
61
72
75
80
(98)
FoxSports .com
Attributes Desired In A Fantasy Football Information Provider
Written information is most desirable (daily news, preseason draft kits, and articles/features)
Daily fantasy news and injury reports
Secondary Content Providers
53
55
61
61
64
(70)
AOL .com
29
Offline Behavior
30
17 10 9
1
2
3 or more
(1066) %
11
16
26
47
(253) %
Total
64
CBSSportsline .com
6
8
13
73
(579) %
Yahoo .com
13
9
16
62
(276) %
ESPN .com
12
11
13
64
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
18
16
23
43
(98) %
FoxSports .com
Number Of Fantasy Magazines Purchased Past Year
Most (64%) did not purchase a fantasy football magazine Yahoo players were even less likely to have purchased a magazine More than half of CBSSportsline and Fox players bought a magazine
Did not purchase a fantasy football magazine
Offline Behavior
15
10
18
57
(70) %
AOL .com
31
Total
30%
CBSSportsline .com
58%
Yahoo .com
27%
NFL.com
15%
Site Played
ESP N .com
26%
FoxSports .com
34%
AOL.com
30%
Indivdual
17%
48%
Entire League
Joined As:
Group
31%
Percent Who Attended A Fantasy Draft Dinner, Party Or Event
30% attended a fantasy draft dinner or event Many more did this if joining as an entire league or playing CBSSportsline Individual and NFL players were least likely to attend draft events
Offline Behavior
32
9 28 $2.7
$10 Or More
$1 to under $10
Average
(1066) %
$3.6
43
10
47
(253) %
Total
63
CBSSportsline .com
$1.3
24
3
73
(579) %
Yahoo .com
$4.1
26
15
59
(276) %
ESPN .com
$4.2
23
16
61
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
$5.0
35
19
46
(98) %
FoxSports .com
(Magazines, newspapers, draft parties/events, and or other offline fantasy related expenditures )
Amount Spent “Offline” On Fantasy Football Materials
37% purchased “offline” fantasy football materials CBSSportsline, FoxSports, and AOL players were more likely to buy these materials Average offline spending was $3
Did Not Buy Fantasy Materials
Offline Behavior
$5.1
30
18
52
(70) %
AOL .com
33
35% watched a fantasy football preview show CBSSportsline, NFL, and FoxSports players most likely to have watched
Total
35%
CBSSportsline .com
44%
Yahoo .com
30%
ESPN .com
37%
NFL.com
50%
FoxSports .com
46%
AOL.com
33%
Percent Who Watched Fantasy Football Preview Shows On Television
Offline Behavior
34
Over half (57%) noticed a fantasy football feature while watching an NFL game
Yahoo .com
Total
CBSSportsline .com
57%
57%
66%
ESPN .com
59%
NFL.com
61%
FoxSports .com
53%
AOL.com
53%
Percent That Noticed Fantasy Football Features As Part Of NFL Game
Offline Behavior
35
40 35 11 2
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
1
14
33
45
7
(626) %
12
(174) %
Total
Outstanding
CBSSportsline .com
2
11
39
38
10
(343) %
Yahoo .com
4
11
33
36
16
(169) %
ESPN .com
1
8
27
45
19
(120) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Noticed Features)
-
2
36
36
26
(59) %
FoxSports .com
Overall Opinion Of Fantasy Football Features
Generally, the features were perceived to be “good/neutral or very good”
Offline Behavior
-
13
29
42
16
(41) %
AOL .com
36
Total
CBSSportsline .com
18%
Yahoo .com
9% ESPN .com
14%
NFL.com
17%
FoxSports .com
17%
AOL.com
8%
Percent Who Used Cell Phone To Check Fantasy Team In Past Year
Few, 12%, used their cell phone to check their fantasy teams
12%
Offline Behavior
37
17 26 23 18 2 4.1 6.8 5.2
5-6
4
3
1-2
0
Average Number of NFL Games Watched
Average Hours Watching NFL
Hours spent Online for Fantasy Football
7.1
7.9
4.6
-
9
21
27
27
16
(253) %
(1066) %
14
CBSSportsline .com
Total
5.3
6.6
4.0
2
19
24
26
15
14
(579) %
Yahoo .com
5.4
6.8
4.4
1
11
24
29
19
16
(276) %
ESPN .com
5.8
7.2
4.0
2
20
22
28
15
13
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Number Of NFL Games Watched Per Week
6.0
6.4
3.9
6
27
18
18
10
21
(98) %
FoxSports .com
On average, players watched 4 NFL games per week; for a total of 7 hours CBSSportsline players invested more time watching games and online for fantasy football
7 Or more
Television Habits
4.6
6.5
4.2
4
16
28
15
17
20
(70) %
AOL .com
38
17 26 23 18 2 4.1 6.8 4.6
5-6
4
3
1-2
0
Average Number of NFL Games Watched
Average Hours Watching NFL
Hours spent Online for Fantasy Football
16.3
8.6
5.0
-
8
20
19
26
26
(252) %
(1066) %
14
7+ Hours
Total
3.4
6.9
4.1
1
16
25
29
17
13
(496) %
2-6 Hours
0.7
5.3
3.5
5
27
23
25
12
8
(318) %
1 Hour Or Less
Hours Spent Online for Fantasy Football (per week)
Number Of NFL Games Watched Per Week
More “involved” fantasy players also spend more time watching NFL games
7 Or more
Television Habits
39
25 25 6 1 8
Satellite/DSS Television
Standard Cable
Standard broadcast TV
Don’t Know
Subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket
(1066) %
13
1
4
20
30
45
(253) %
Total 43
CBSSportsline .com
6
1
8
25
26
40
(579) %
Yahoo .com
11
2
5
23
23
47
(276) %
ESPN .com
11
-
5
24
25
46
(188) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
Types Of Television Broadcasts Received/ Subscribe To NFL Sunday Ticket Package
11
3
5
23
26
43
(98) %
FoxSports .com
7
2
2
24
31
41
(70) %
AOL .com
About half have digital cable. Among the other half, equally split between satellite and standard cable. Overall, 8% subscribe to the Sunday ticket (31% among those with satellite/DSS)
Digital Cable
Television Habits
40
24 35 41
Regularly: every/almost every week
Occasionally/once a season
Never
Percent who do this:
(901) %
34
26
40
85
(218) %
Total
84
CBSSportsline .com
38
38
24
87
(504) %
Yahoo .com
43
35
22
82
(231) %
ESPN .com
35
40
25
86
(160) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
40
40
20
74
(77) %
FoxSports .com
Watching NFL Games While Following On Internet
Most have the ability follow NFL games online while watching on TV One in four do this regularly However, 41% never follow online while watching
Have ability to simultaneously watch TV & surf the Internet
Television Habits
53
23
24
76
(54) %
AOL .com
41
35 34 26 12 5 4 3 3 2 2
NFL.com
Yahoo Sports
CBSSportsline.com
FoxSports.com
AOL Sports
Individual NFL Team Site
SI.com
TheSportingNews.com
USAToday.com
Other
(647) %
2
3
5
2
4
4
8
78
12
30
23
(169) %
Total 36
CBSSportsline .com
2
1
1
3
3
2
9
16
34
30
33
(358) %
Yahoo .com
2
2
4
6
5
6
12
17
16
35
70
(167) %
ESPN .com
3
3
7
7
7
4
14
18
17
72
33
(125) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Watch NFL Game While Using Internet)
1
9
4
9
11
3
55
28
28
29
33
(64) %
FoxSports .com
Sites Used To Follow Games While Watching On TV
Most players follow the NFL games on their “host” game site Yahoo is missing valuable interactive features
ESPN.com
Television Habits
-
6
15
4
8
53
9
15
17
50
39
(35) %
AOL .com
42
69 43 16 11 9 7
Followed fantasy team
Followed live game related stats
Participated in live polls
Played live interactive games
Answered trivia
Viewed enhanced graphics
(647) %
6
6
6
11
44
85
77
(169) %
Total 73
CBSSportsline .com
6
10
9
12
42
70
76
(358) %
Yahoo .com
9
11
20
21
44
67
73
(167) %
ESPN .com
11
17
14
32
45
67
76
(125) %
NFL .com
Sites Played in 2005
(Base: Watch NFL Game While Using Internet)
15
13
14
22
54
56
63
(64) %
FoxSports .com
Activities Done On The Internet While Watching The Game
Primary online activities are following scores and fantasy teams CBSSportsline players most like to be following their fantasy team online FoxSports and AOL players more likely to be following general game related stats
Followed scores
Television Habits
16
12
17
20
51
48
72
(35) %
AOL .com
43
Advertising Impact
44
56
Saw Ad (60) %
62 49
Total (188) %
60 41
Visa
Goodyear
Overall impression of:
GMC
Sprint
52
79
43
54
(328) %
Played NFL.com
37
52
(128) %
Did Not See Ad
GMC
(251) %
(579) %
Overall impression of: 71
Saw Ad
Total
Did Not See Ad
Visa
Played Yahoo.com
(% Outstanding/ Very Good)
50
58
(78) %
Saw Ad
63
72
(36) %
Saw Ad
35
60
(110) %
Did Not See Ad
Sprint
48
61
(445) %
Did Not See Ad
GMC
Overall Impression of Advertisers
34
49
(878) %
Did Not Play NFL.com
52
65
(487) %
Did Not Play Yahoo.com
Players who saw the online ads generally have a more favorable impression of the advertisers
Advertising Impact Assessment
45
(251) %
(579) %
43
Overall impression of:
McDonald’s
39
(328) %
Did Not See Ad
(251) %
(579) %
55
Overall impression of:
Goodyear
68
Saw Ad
Total
53
(328) %
Did Not See Ad
Goodyear
Played ESPN.com
58
Saw Ad
Total
McDonald’s
Played CBSSportsline.com
(% Outstanding/ Very Good)
53
(487) %
Did Not Play ESPN.com
45
(487) %
Did Not Play CBSSportsline.com
Overall Impression of Advertisers
Advertising Impact Assessment
46
Motivating Power – Drivers of Fantasy Football Site Selection
47
Desirability rating versus satisfaction
Self-reported “desirability”
Relationship between perceptions and preference
“Preference Detection”
“Motivating Power” of Different Benefits/Attributes
“Problem Detection”
“Dream Detection”
Motivating Power
48
– – – – –
Most reliable fantasy game Provides (free) live scoring Is free Provides up-to-the-minute fantasy news and injury updates Offers customizable rules and scoring
Game Features
– A site everybody in the league will be happy with – Game I am familiar with
Familiarity
– Easy to use/navigate – Easy registration
The most critical motivators overall are: Being “user friendly”
Overall, the key motivations for fantasy players are more similar than different
Key Motivators
Motivating Power
49
92 88 87 87 85 84 84 83 77 75
M ost reliable fantasy game
Everybody in league will be happy
Free live scoring
Up-to-the minute fantasy news and injury updates
Is free
Offers live scoring
Easy registration
Customizable rules and scoring
Game I am familiar with
(1066)
Total
80
74
85
81
91
84
87
84
85
96
(346)
74
77
84
85
81
87
87
90
90
92
(496)
71
83
79
83
80
85
88
88
89
86
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
75
72
87
82
90
84
87
82
88
91
(488)
77
73
82
79
93
79
86
87
89
91
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Easy to use/ navigate
Highly Motivating (75+)
74
84
78
88
75
89
86
92
89
91
(456)
League
76
74
84
81
87
84
87
87
87
94
(813)
72
85
80
92
74
91
86
89
91
85
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
The “High Involved” are more motivated by customizable rules and scoring and having many draft times and options “League” and “Pay” players also desire customization “Free” players want many draft times and options The “Low Involved” are more motivated by free games that offer free draft kits and are easy to join as an individual “League” players are more willing to pay for the game site
Motivating Power
50
73 73 72 71 69 66 65 62 60 60
Free customizable rules
Easy to join as individual
M any live draft times / options available
Free draft kit
Expert analysis/advice
Provides online draft
Site league has used for years
Provides ability for offline draft
Comprehensive draft kit
(1066)
Total
Easy to use live draft interface
Moderately Motivating (60 – 74)
61
59
61
63
66
75
67
78
72
67
(346)
60
60
62
68
65
65
71
71
72
75
(496)
60
63
67
62
68
66
77
68
77
78
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
57
52
61
67
65
67
76
82
67
79
(488)
56
66
61
70
64
66
73
75
71
77
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Motivating Power
62
64
68
64
65
66
70
64
79
70
(456)
League
59
58
61
68
65
68
75
76
71
76
(813)
64
67
68
60
68
68
61
60
79
68
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
51
58 56 55 54 48 41 33 31 28
Rated the #1 fantasy site
Same site used for other fantasy sports
Fantasy newsletter and email alerts
Recognizable brand name
Video highlights of my team
Provides wireless tools to follow my team wirelessly
Same site used for email
Same site used as homepage
(1066)
Total
Same site used for sports news
Less Motivating (Under 60)
30
33
30
44
50
53
54
54
57
(346)
28
32
33
40
45
55
55
57
57
(496)
27
24
38
38
49
53
56
56
61
(224)
Involvement Low Mod High
28
33
33
43
49
55
56
58
59
(488)
26
30
35
44
49
49
54
57
61
(333)
Joined As: Individual Group
Fantasy Football Game Selection Criteria
Motivating Power
32
31
34
34
46
57
58
54
55
(456)
League
29
32
30
41
48
53
57
56
59
(813)
27
27
43
40
48
60
51
59
54
(253)
Sites Played Free Pay
52
New Opportunities
53
Predicted Probability of Signing-Up/ Using
0%
25%
50%
75%
“Not At All Likely”
100%
“Somewhat Likely”
“Very Likely”
Self-Reported Likelihood
“Slightly Likely”
“Extremely Likely”
= xx %
Probability of Signing-Up/Using Service
Based on empirical evidence of respondent “overstatement,” we apply weights to the “self-reported” responses to better predict ‘real-world’ behavior The lower the “self-reported intent,” the less we believe it
New Opportunities Assessment
54
14 26 32 12 15
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Not at all likely
19
21
31
17
12
(619) %
(617) %
Extremely likely
TV S tat Tracker
Weekly TV S eries
20
23
28
20
10
(613) %
Fantasy Football Events
23
27
30
12
8
(605) %
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
27
25
30
12
7
(602) %
Fantasy Video Highlights
41
25
20
8
7
(609) %
Wireless Fantasy Companion
Self-Reported Likelihood to “Sign-Up/ Use” Each Service
New Opportunities Assessment
46
23
19
7
5
(599) %
Wireless S tand-Alone Fantasy Game
55
Weekly TV Series
28%
TV Stat Tracker
22%
Fantasy Football Events
22%
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
17%
Fantasy Video Highlights
16%
Wireless Fantasy Companion
13%
Probability Of “Signing-Up/ Using” Each Service
Wireless StandAlone Fantasy Game
11%
A “weekly fantasy football TV series” generated the greatest interest The “TV stat tracker” and local “fantasy football events” also had relatively broad appeal
New Opportunities Assessment
56
28 22 22 17 16 13 11
Stat Tracker
Fantasy Football Events
Weekly Pro Football Magazine
Fantasy Video Highlights
Wireless Fantasy Companion
Wireless Stand-Alone Fantasy Game
13
18
21
22
28
29
37
%
%
Television Series
High
Total
12
13
17
19
24
23
30
%
Level Of Involvement Moderate
Probability Of “Signing-Up/ Using” Each Service
New Opportunities Assessment
7
9
13
11
15
17
20
%
Low
57
Total
28% 25%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
33%
NFL.com
31%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
29%
FoxSports.com
31%
AOL.com
29%
A weekly half-hour television program dedicated to fantasy football. The show would provide fantasy news, information, highlights, tips, and expert analysis.
Probability of Watching a “Weekly Fantasy Football Television Series”
New Opportunities Assessment
58
Total
22% 20%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
21%
NFL.com
24%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
31%
FoxSports.com
32%
AOL.com
21%
This would be a feature that enables you to view live statistics for you and your opponent on your television set during NFL game broadcasts. Using your clicker, you can access a live stats ticker at the bottom of your TV screen and see your team information.
Probability of Signing-Up For a “TV Stat Tracker”
New Opportunities Assessment
59
Total
22% 21%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
21%
NFL.com
24%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
28%
FoxSports.com
28%
AOL.com
23%
These fantasy events in your community would feature fantasy football forums and programs, NFL player appearances, competitions and prizes, and other related activities.
Probability of Attending “Fantasy Football Events”
New Opportunities Assessment
60
Total
17% 14%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
17%
NFL.com
23%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
22%
FoxSports.com
23%
AOL.com
19%
The magazine would be dedicated exclusively to NFL Football and cover a wide range of topics, including fantasy football. It would provide in-depth behind-the-scenes feature stories, high-impact photography, game recaps and previews, fantasy football analysis, and articles on your favorite teams and players that provide unique access and perspective.
Probability of Subscribing To a “Weekly Pro Football Magazine”
New Opportunities Assessment
61
Total
16% 14%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
15%
NFL.com
21%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
21%
FoxSports.com
25%
AOL.com
21%
This would be a feature that would enable you to watch video highlights on your TV of your fantasy team, after NFL games are completed each Sunday.
Probability of Signing-Up For “Fantasy Video Highlights”
New Opportunities Assessment
62
Total
13% 10%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
14%
NFL.com
16%
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
19%
FoxSports.com
23%
AOL.com
14%
This would be a service that allows you to access your existing online fantasy team via your mobile phone. You can get fantasy news, view player profiles, make line-up changes, and access live stats for your team, anytime, anywhere from your mobile device. The cost for this service would be $10 for the season.
Probability of Signing-Up For a “Wireless Fantasy Companion”
New Opportunities Assessment
63
Total
11% 9%
CBSSportsline.com Yahoo.com
13%
NFL.com
Sites Played in 2005
ESPN.com
11%
14%
FoxSports.com
19%
AOL.com
14%
This would be a fantasy football game that is played exclusively on your mobile device. The game would include similar features and functionality to the online games you currently play. The cost for this service would be $10 for the season.
Probability of Playing a “Wireless Stand-Alone Fantasy Game”
New Opportunities Assessment
64
Fantasy Sports In the Media
Close Window SEPTEMBER 1, 2006 GAMING
By Catherine Holahan
Fantasy Football 2.0
Virtual leagues are big business for sites like Yahoo! and Sporting News, but upstarts like AOL want a slice of the gridiron pie Ryan Lester trains for his NFL fantasy draft with the intensity of a Division I cyber-athlete. The 30-year-old Minnesotan spends hours online researching players' health histories, analyzing statistics, and reading scouting reports. He blogs theories on which prospective picks will have a good season, tweaking his would-be roster in response to posted opinions. He even practices for draft day in mock online drafts before officially choosing the lineups for his several teams.
SLIDE SHOW >>
Welcome to the high-stakes world of online fantasy sports. The teams are virtual, but the prizes are real. In typical fantasy leagues, winners receive a portion of the entrance fees, which vary depending on the number of players in the league and how much everyone anted up. On major online sites, such as SportingNews.com, Yahoo! Fantasy Sports (YHOO ), and CDM Fantasy Sports, prizes range from a T-shirt and virtual trophy to $25,000. For Lester, it's all about being called the best: "The bragging rights are the best part," he says.
More than 15 million U.S. adults play fantasy sports, according to studies commissioned by the Fantasy Sports Trade Assn. (FSTA ), a group of more than 240 companies, leagues, and publications in the fantasy sports industry. Of that number, about 90% gear up for football season, says Greg Ambrosius, director of the industry's biannual fantasy sports trade conference. SCORING DRIVES GROWTH. The pro football season kicks off Sept. 7, but fantasy football is well under way, with much of the action online. There, players have been blogging about picks, joining leagues, and selecting teams for weeks, says Peter Schoenke, president and founder of Rotowire, a subscription fantasy site that provides statistics for Yahoo Fantasy Sports. "There is a very small minority not playing online," Schoenke says. "Before the Internet came along, you really had to be a diehard to play some of these games. The Internet came along and it lowered that barrier of entry, because the stats and scoring are done for you." Fantasy football fans are flooding the Net, lured by blogs, message boards, and a host of other social-networking capabilities that let people research, build teams, and debate topics from who's the best running back to which fantasy player has the best strategy, Ambrosius says. In July alone, Yahoo Fantasy Sports drew 3.1 million users, compared to 952,000 at ESPN's fantasy site and 929,000 who used Sportsline's fantasy site, says comScore Media Metrix. Last September, 10 million people played fantasy sports on the three top sites, Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Walt Disney's (DIS ) ESPN, and CBS's (CBS ) Sportsline, says TJ Mahony, managing director of Compete, an online research firm that monitors fantasy sports. Online fantasy sites have grown 20% to 25% a year over the past five years, Mahony says. "We have only begun to see the growth of fantasy—this evolution from males in dorm rooms with a pen and paper to people organizing large groups on the Internet." And big groups mean big money. The fantasy sports industry generates $1 billion to $2 billion a year on publication subscriptions, paid league entrance fees, mail-order draft kits, and fantasy software and other products, says Jeffrey Thomas, FSTA president. It's a safe bet a lot of that revenue is ending up online, the playing field for 92% of those who engage in fantasy sports. DREAM DEMOGRAPHIC. Those numbers aren't lost on advertisers eager to court an especially attractive demographic—men under the age of 35 (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/4/06, "Secrets of the Male Shopper"). About 86% of the participants in fantasy leagues are male and 63% are under age 40, according to a 2005 study from the Pew Internet & American Life project, which then put the number of American adults playing online at 11 million. Compete says the percentage of men has dropped to about 70% as more women have gotten into the game, increasing participation overall. The Sporting News, a sports magazine with a large subscription fantasy site, is cashing in on some of the online advertising dollars. Since relaunching its fantasy site in October, 2005, the site has seen more than a million unique users a month. With the traffic has come ad revenue increases of 50% for the past two quarters, says Jason Kint, head of the company's online division. Kint says the site is particularly focused on engaging registered users, who pay $20 to run a team on it. Engagement often determines user satisfaction and advertising dollars, because advertisers pay more when they know a computer user is spending time on a page displaying their message. Average registered users spend seven hours a week on the site reading and writing blogs, catching up on news and commentary, and running their online teams. "Our primary focus is staying No. 1 in engagement across the category," says Kint, adding that part of the reason the league charges for teams is to ensure that players keep up with their roster and don't disappear in the middle of the season. "We believe at the end of the day advertisers are shifting from mass-reach vehicles to depth-of-engagement vehicles." WHY THEY PLAY. Lester, who manages a team on Yahoo's site and several on SportingNews.com, was awarded the maximum of five stars on SportingNews.com for his engagement. He regularly writes about teams on his blog, Lester's Legends, and uses message boards to trade and talk trash. Another draw: fast access to information and ease of accurate scoring. "Before, you had to sit down with friends and chart the stats down by
hand, the old-fashioned way, and use a calculator and a piece of paper to double-check the scoring," he says. "I would always have at least one of my guys not getting the points he thought he was supposed to get." Most sites keep score for players, letting them run leagues without having to spend hours calculating points. David Funk, 31, from North Carolina, was in a 25-man league a few years ago. The league came unraveled after the guy running it bailed amidst the stress of scoring. "He was the one keeping track of all the points, and he got overloaded and pretty much quit after that year," he says. Partially as a result, Funk moved online six years ago. He now has teams on Yahoo and Sporting News. With the computer keeping score, leagues can support 75 teams or more, he says. AOL'S GAME. More sites are awakening to the fantasy. Time Warner's (TWX ) newly free AOL began offering a free fantasy game in 2005 and is trying to expand its relatively small site with blogs and fan pages. Executives hope to exceed the 350,000 users they had last football season. It's a strategy that makes sense given AOL's new focus on advertising (see BusinessWeek.com, 8/3/06, "AOL Casts Its Fate with Ads"). There is already so much competition in the fantasy sports arena that Neal Scarbrough, editor and general manager of AOL Sports, says AOL is trying to find a special niche to better compete. "We have to come up with something that is different than other sites so people can say, 'Yeah there is fantasy, but have you heard about that AOL game?'" he says. "We want that AOL game to be something different and better." But different doesn't matter for Funk. Like many competitors, he just wants to see his name up there with the winners. "A lot of people, including myself, they like to see their name at the top of the list when they go online," he says. "It's nice to have your name seen there." Click here to see the slide show.
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Fantasy Sports Bring Real Opportunities by: Anonymous source: published :
Fantasy Sports Bring Real Opportunities By Christopher M. Leporini Once enjoyed by a relative handful of sports enthusiasts, fantasy sports have hit the major leagues, expanding into a $1.5-billion-a-year business. All-star players such as Yahoo!, ESPN, and CBS Sportsline have established free or subscription services, and advertisers are lining up for the chance to reach these games' engaged audience of approximately 16 million participants. “Fantasy sports are now viewed as mainstream,” according to University of Mississippi professor Dr. Kim Beason, who conducts an annual study, sponsored by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), tracking the consumer behavior of fantasy sports participants. “Five years ago, a lot of businesses had zero use for fantasy sports, but now they have seen that it can be lucrative and they are trying to get involved.” Leagues allow participants to “manage” their own sports teams, with game play connected directly to real-world athletes' performance. For instance, in fantasy football, the most popular fantasy sport, participants draft a roster of athletes from across current team lineups, choosing players for key positions. Points are then awarded or deducted throughout the season based on players' performance, creating an unpredictable gaming environment that many sports fans find addictive. Variations on this idea have existed for decades, but fantasy sports' popularity have exploded in recent years, according to FSTA President Jeff Thomas. Fantasy sports built momentum throughout the 1990s, boasting between seven and eight million participants, Thomas estimates. He attributes the current boom, which doubled the number of players, to technology and the involvement of more broadcasters and companies with larger marketing budgets. Fantasy sports represent an easy, cost-effective way for advertisers to reach an engaged, demographically focused group of consumers, says the University of Mississippi's Beason. The latest edition of his annual study offers a profile of the average fantasy sports participant—a married white male, age 36, with an household income of $76,871. In addition, the study found that the average participant spends $493.60 annually on fantasy sports and approximately three hours per week managing a team.
“The most important message for advertisers and marketers to consider is that fantasy sports offer a long-term connection to a consumer," says Thomas. Many players are passionate about the activity, and participate in several fantasy sports throughout the year. And the loyal audience that fantasy sports are building today will have staying power, according to Thomas. "Our median 37-year-old consumer will play when they are 47, and 57, and even 67,” he predicts. Indeed, statistics from the FSTA find that the average fantasy sports participant has played for nine years. So, what makes fantasy sports participants so committed? One reason might be that the games restore a feeling of ownership that slipped away from many fans with the advent of free agency, Beason suggests. "There’s not the same connection to team and players that there used to be," he points out. "Players used to stay on the same team for years, but these days, you can almost guarantee that something is going to change each season." Instead, fans put an emotional investment in their fantasy team, whose lineup they can control and develop. Similarly, individuals located outside of major markets may not have a "home team," but they can put themselves in the middle of the fantasy sports world, Beason adds. Elements of social networking and friendly competition play a major role in fantasy sports’ popularity, states Thomas. Players enjoy the opportunity to match their skills against coworkers, friends, and family members. Three out of four fantasy sports participants play with people they know, according to the FSTA. Despite the growth that fantasy sports have achieved in the past decade, interest in these games hasn't peaked, according to Beason. "Fantasy sports are still new on the product development scale and we haven’t gone halfway up the growth scale,” he says. For instance, the types of participants are diversifying, with more women playing fantasy sports, as are the types of games available. Beason says the emergence of fantasy leagues for soccer, the world's most popular sport could attract a huge new international audience. Meanwhile, smaller leagues have cropped up devoted to sports as divergent as auto racing, surfing, golf, and professional bass fishing. Technology, which has defined the current era of fantasy sports, granting participants easier access to statistics and a greater ability to network with one another, promises to play a prominent role in the games' future. Fantasy sports leagues from providers such as MSN/Fox Sports, CBS Sportsline, and ESPN supplement their offerings with extras such as podcast and instant message updates. Mobile devices will allow participants to immerse themselves in fantasy sports on the train, waiting in line at the bank, or on their lunchbreak. From its pencil and paper roots to today's sophisticated multimedia offerings, fantasy sports offer participants the chance to escape into an league where they call the shots. And as technology allows participants to engage themselves ever more deeply in their personal field of dreams, marketers have the opportunity to go with them, forging a real connection from fantasy sports.
Newsweek
August 29, 2005 A Healthy Fantasy Life
In a booming armchair industry, football rules the roost. By Devin Gordon Newsweek
Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2005 issue - Four days before his wedding last September, my college roommate called to say hello. I was his best man, and I was a bit nervous about the job. But talk soon turned, as usual, to our fantasy football team. We were facing our first crisis of the season: our top running back, Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks, was on a bye week, and his backup wasn't getting any carries. We needed another RB, fast. But after throwing around some names, I started to feel bad. Didn't we have more serious matters to discuss? My closest pal was about to be married, for crying out loud. Was there anything I could do to help? Did he need to talk? I braced for a heart-to-heart. "Find us a running back," he said. "This is your top priority." As the NFL preseason swings into high gear, 10 million Americans are beginning to reorganize their real priorities—work, family, mental health—to make room for an altogether pointless one: fantasy football. They will have trouble falling asleep at night and they'll blame it on Terrell Owens, the Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver, whose big mouth might (or might not—who knows?) torpedo a big season. And they'll chip in, on average, $154 a head to an industry that, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, will top $3 billion in 2005. It barely existed just a decade ago. "The game has transitioned from a geek mentality to a cool mentality," says Steve Snyder of Sportsline.com, the leading Web site for fantasy players. "It's become like the NCAA Tournament brackets. You've gotta do it. Who doesn't?" Fantasy football is a game of statistics: you "draft" players, collect points based on how many yards and touchdowns they roll up in actual NFL games, and compete against other "fake" teams. It's a cousin of rotisserie baseball, with fewer stats to manage and only a day's worth of games per week. And it has emerged as the industry's juggernaut largely because the NFL has wholeheartedly embraced the game. Why? It turns football fans into bigger football fans. According to Chris Russo, the NFL's senior vice president of new media, fantasy participants watch nearly three hours more football per week than nonfantasy viewers. They even watch Arizona Cardinals games. Now the NFL and its partners are scrambling to turn those eyeballs into dollars. This season, for the first time, ESPN published its own fantasy guide. Later this month, Fox, CBS and ESPN will each air fantasy preview shows hosted by their "A" coverage teams—also a first. Executives at all three networks say they plan to devote more attention to fantasy during their Sunday kickoff shows and live-game broadcasts. The NFL, meanwhile, just unveiled a new series of fantasy commercial spots featuring consensus No. 1 fantasy stud LaDainian Tomlinson. "I'm sure LT knows he's the top dog in fantasy, and I'm sure he gets a kick out of it," says ESPN morning radio host Mike Golic, a former NFL tackle who retired in 1995. "And it's harmless. It's not like it's gonna change the way he plays."
Once they stop playing, more and more ex-NFLers start playing fantasy. Former star quarterback Warren Moon refused for years until he became host of Fox Sports Net's "Ultimate Fantasy Football." Now, he says, "I'm getting sucked in. I lost a lot of close games last year. This year I'm coming in prepared." Then there are the grizzled veterans, like CBS sportscaster Bill Macatee, who's been playing for 18 years and once squeezed in a draft between commercial breaks while calling a U.S. Open tennis match. "I dated this girl once, and one of her friends invited me to join their fantasy league," he says. "Well, the girl and I broke up—but I got custody of the league. And I'm still in it." See, relationships come and go. But fantasy football is for life. With Stephen Saito
April 15, 2007 CHEERING SECTION
In Fantasy Sports, It Helps Being a Rocket Scientist By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI One night last month, Clark Olson sat at his home computer and selected players in three different fantasy baseball drafts. “It took about three hours,” said Olson, a 38-year-old Seattle Mariners fan. “It was time-consuming, but I actually managed to cook dinner during the second draft.” Olson is one of the top fantasy sports players in the world. Last year, he nickel-and-dimed his way to the top of ESPN’s Über standings, which rank the online performance of everyone who plays fantasy games across multiple sports. “Clark is a bit of a legend on our message boards,” said Matthew Berry, the senior director for fantasy leagues at ESPN. “When you consider that 15 million people play fantasy sports, what he has done as a fantasy gamer has been unreal.” In a thinking-man’s universe where success and failure are mostly a reflection of time spent doing statistical analysis and research, Olson has a galactic edge. He is not only a knowledgeable sports fan, but also a rocket scientist. Olson worked for five years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., where he helped develop techniques for Mars rovers and other applications in which information is extracted from digital images. “The job required a lot of computational and algorithmic thinking,” said Olson, who lives with his wife, Rebecca, in Seattle. “That way of thinking and looking at numbers is a benefit when it comes to playing fantasy sports, which is heavily based on statistics.” In recent years, nearly every would-be general manager in cyberspace has had trouble staying in Olson’s orbit. They have long since come to grips with a sobering reality: They cannot formulate lineups with the same kind of deft drafting, shrewd trading and waiver-wire finds made by a man whose former day job was out of this world. “Clark is a very impressive, high-skilled player,” Berry said. “He is the Albert Pujols of fantasy sports, a player who consistently produces, a player who is money in the bank.” Olson is an associate professor of computing and software systems at the University of Washington at Bothell. He graduated from the University of Washington at Seattle, where he also received a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and he earned a doctorate in computer science from the University of California. He achieved his highest honors in fantasy land through years of studying statistical spreadsheets, newspaper and
magazine articles, box scores and rosters. He finished third in the 2002 Über rankings, second in 2003, third in 2004, third again in 2005 and first last year. Olson has been consistently in the top 10 this year, running 16 teams in ESPN leagues: seven in baseball, five in basketball and four in hockey. He is pondering a return to fantasy bass fishing. “The key to most of these sports is knowing where to get good information to help determine which players might do well,” said Olson, who lists the 2005 signing of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Derrick Turnbow as one of his greatest steals. “Sure, I’m good at problem solving and using analytical skills. But like any other fantasy player, I need to be smart in other areas, like picking up free agents, studying current sports news and trends, paying attention to who’s hot and who’s not, and knowing the rules of each league that I belong to.” In addition to his ESPN teams, Olson spends about 10 hours a week handling the budgets of fantasy teams in high-stakes events. He competes in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, which is made up of 375 teams. The entry fee is $1,300 and the top prize is $100,000. In the past three years, Olson has won two league titles in that event, collecting $5,000 for each. He and a partner also earned $5,000 for winning a league in the World Championship of Fantasy Football. Serious fantasy players are always eager to team with Olson. In fact, he joined forces with the singer Meat Loaf in the 2004 World Championship of Fantasy Baseball. “Meat Loaf is a huge fantasy sports fan,” Olson said. “We sat beside each other that year at the draft in Las Vegas. We finished third out of 15 teams in our league and won $1,000. But that didn’t even cover our entrance fee.” Olson said that real-life general managers had made moves on paper that he would have never made online. “I would not have brought José Vidro to Seattle to be our designated hitter because we could have better used that money,” he said. “We also traded Rafael Soriano, a great setup man, to Atlanta for Horacio Ramirez, a starting pitcher who is often injured, another move I definitely would not have made. “And Gil Meche going from Seattle to Kansas City for $55 million, that really shocked me. To me, those numbers just didn’t seem to add up.” E-mail: [email protected] Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy
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Fantasy football...real money Yahoo!, Disney and CBS should score financial touchdowns thanks to the increased popularity of fantasy football. By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com editor at large August 11 2006: 3:07 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Are you ready for some fantasy football? With the start of the NFL season just around the corner, many Americans are getting ready to cheer on their local football teams. But a growing number of pigskin junkies are also planning to root heavily for individual players...even if they play for their favorite team's most hated rival. Fantasy football, a "sport" that lets people draft teams of players and compete against other teams based on their players' real gridiron statistics, has become an increasingly popular pastime. According to figures from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association - yes, this is big enough of a market to warrant a real trade group - there are currently between 15 million and 18 million fantasy sports players in the U.S. The number of players has grown 7 percent to 10 percent a year for the past three years. About 85 percent of all fantasy sports participants play fantasy football, mainly online. And big consumer-oriented companies have taken notice. "Advertisers are really keeping an astute eye on fantasy football. It's a very loyal market," said Scott Linzer, director of media with iCrossing, a digital marketing agency. "Several of our large clients are doing direct advertising for the fantasy football market." Linzer said that marketing research has shown the average fantasy football player to be predominantly male, married, in a high income bracket and more likely to do research or make purchases online. Most fantasy addicts have leagues set up on Web sites run by big media companies like Yahoo! (Charts), CBS (Charts), Walt Disney's (Charts) ESPN and News Corp.'s (Charts) Fox, which runs its fantasy site in conjunction with Microsoft's (Charts) MSN. Fantasy fanatics are real ad targets So the increased popularity of fantasy sports could be a financial boon for these firms. There is real money to be made from people pretending to be NFL general managers and coaches. In most cases, people can set up a league and play for free. Some sites offer premium fantasy packages for a fee that offer more services such as news, draft strategies (Should you take Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander or LaDainian Tomlinson with the first pick? What a dilemma!) and scouting reports about individual players as well as real-time stat updates. But several media companies are recognizing that it is more lucrative to not charge fantasy players since free games draw more traffic...and hence, more advertising revenue. The biggest beneficiary by far should be Yahoo. Jeff Thomas, founder and CEO of fantasy sports site SportsBuff.com and president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, said Yahoo has become the fantasy football leader because it kept promoting a basic, free service even when competitors were charging fees to set up leagues. "The industry has gone back and forth between charging fees and being free. Yahoo was the one who primarily stayed free and that helped them gain a lot of market share," he said.
According to research from comScore Media Metrix, traffic at Yahoo's fantasy football site was more than twice that of ESPN's during last year's football season. Yahoo would not disclose how many registered fantasy football players it has. But David Katz, who is the head of Yahoo's sports and studios divisions, said the company has seen steady growth for its free product and strong growth in its premium game. Visa and General Motors' GMC unit have returned as the main marketing sponsors for Yahoo's fantasy football. "We're seeing significant growth in our ad revenue. Fantasy is driven by the fact that it is, was and continues to be one of the most engaged audiences on the Internet," Katz said. Yahoo also stands to gain more users through a marketing deal with the web site of Sports Illustrated. SI.com no longer hosts leagues on its site and instead sends people to Yahoo. (SI, like CNNMoney, is owned by Time Warner (Charts).) ESPN is looking to close the gap though. On their respective fantasy football pages, Yahoo held just a slim lead over ESPN last month, with 1.33 million unique visitors in July compared to 1.24 million for ESPN. John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager for new media for ESPN, said ESPN's decision last year to introduce a free fantasy football service led to a five-fold increase in its members in 2005 and that numbers were way up this year. He would not disclose how many total registered players it had though. The increase in players has also led to dramatic growth in advertising revenue. Kosner said that GMC, Samsung and DirecTV are sponsors for ESPN's fantasy football game this year while Coca-Cola's Coke Zero is the sponsor for fantasy football news and columns. "Fantasy football is being wildly embraced by our advertisers," Kosner said. And this year, ESPN is stepping up its efforts to increase its fantasy presence. It is launching a fantasy football TV show later this month that will air on ESPN2. ESPN also offers fantasy advice through its magazine, radio shows and podcasts. Kosner thinks that the breadth of ESPN's fantasy coverage gives it a leg up on Yahoo and other competitors. "The power is in being at all these different media, hitting the fan everywhere he or she is," Kosner said. CBS still believes in "premium" product Still, not all media companies think that free fantasy football is the way to go. Steve Snyder, general manager of CBS SportsLine, said that it has "well over a million" users playing in paid football leagues. And even though CBS doesn't have as many members as Yahoo or ESPN because of its paid subscription model, Snyder said its fantasy site is still attractive to advertisers. In fact, he said having people that are willing to pay for fantasy football has been a lure. "Since we have a high-end audience, we've always had success with advertisers. Ad inventory for fantasy football has been sold out for years," Snyder said, adding that GMC, McDonald's, Budweiser, Toyota and Coke are big advertisers this year. Nonetheless, free competition from Yahoo and ESPN has caused CBS SportsLine to begin offering its own free product as well. But the company also is trying to differentiate itself with new games. Snyder said CBS is launching a free offering called Heads Up Fantasy Football this season that will allow people to draft new players every Sunday and make changes after every quarter of those games. (Think fantasy football meets day-trading.) There appears to be plenty of room for small independents to thrive as well. SportsBuff.com's Thomas said his firm has worked in the past with the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Chicago Tribune to create fantasy games as promotional tools that were designed to help increase their circulation and newsstand sales. The fantasy sports industry also won an important legal battle earlier this week that should allow most leagues to remain free. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that fantasy baseball leagues do not have to get licensing agreements from Major League Baseball in order to use players' names and statistics. Some had feared that a court victory for Major League Baseball would have meant that smaller fantasy baseball league companies (and possibly fantasy leagues of other sports) would have to pay for stats, which would make it tough for them to compete unless they passed on costs to fantasy participants. "The recent litigation news is a great positive for fantasy companies that have been around for more than a decade and put a lot of sweat equity into the industry," Thomas said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fantasy's 'rights' and wrongs NFL sacks cable companies The NFL, post Tagliabue Disclosure: The reporter of this story owns shares of Time Warner through his company's 401(k) plan and is also a hopeless fantasy football addict. Go Brooklyn Brawlers!
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