While most of the movers and shakers in the industry have their eyes on the latest hot new products being unveiled at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, one new report focuses on an old, reliable audience in consumer electronics: sports fans.
Sitting there with a beer in one hand and a clicker in the other, their eyes glued to the television screen, they can have a big impact on sales.
According to the second annual "Inside the Mind of the HD Sports Fan" survey, conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Sports Video Group (SVG), nearly 50% of sports fans purchased an HDTV for the purpose of watching a specific sporting event.
The Super Bowl was the leading event that spurred HDTV purchases, followed by the Daytona 500, the NBA finals and college bowl games.
"Sports fans have long been enthusiastic about HD content, but this report shows a direct correlation between sports enthusiasm and HDTV sales," said Tim Herbert of the CEA.
In the survey, 29% of sports fans said HD programming had been a factor in their decision to watch an event — and no wonder: 41% of sports fans said that watching sports programming in HD was almost as good as attending an event live.
While nearly 60% of HDTV owners are sports fans, the sets have other fans, too.
In 2006, more than 13.5 million HDTV sets were shipped in the US. The CEA predicts that nearly 16 million HDTV sets will be shipped in 2007. That is 57% of the total digital television unit sales predicted for 2007.
For more related information, read eMarketer's Internet Video Audience report.