Video Age International April 2016

8 World April 2016 V I D E O A G E I n the U.S., American football takes the lion’s share of sports TV ratings. In Europe and South America, association football (soccer) takes the cake, as is the case in China (even though the most widely played sport is Ping Pong). On the Indian subcontinent, cricket attracts the highest television ratings. In Australia, cricket is in second place behind Australian Rules Football, a sport similar to rugby that can be played on a modified cricket field. American football ratings are growing in spite of recent controversy surrounding the long-term impact of concussions on its players. National Football League (NFL) regular-season games attract as much viewership as National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff games, with the NFL’s Super Bowl knocking every other sport in the U.S. out of the ballpark. But with a 17-week season and rumblings about ratings hitting a viewership cap in a few years, which sports should networks in the U.S. Sports TV Ratings Across the World (as well as the rest of the world) invest in, keeping the next few years in mind? The NBA is a good bet. Unsurprisingly the NBA has the second highest ratings, but basketball also has the distinction of having the lowest average viewer age, something for networks to keep an eye on in the long term. In Europe, primetime basketball broadcasts (including games of the NBA, the various National Leagues, or the Europe-wide Euroleague) could be advisable counters to two problems free-to-air networks haven’t been able to deal with: abysmal numbers among young viewers, and pay-TV networks hogging the rights to lucrative football broadcasts. The U.S. National Hockey league (NHL), on the other hand, distinguishes itself by having the highest-earning viewers on average, according toNielsen. Although the Stanley Cup (NHL’s playoff) viewership numbers don’t come near that of baseball’s World Series (finals), the regular-season numbers are surprisingly close. Baseball is still solidly in third place, but ratings have been steadily declining over the years, increasing only in markets where the local team has performed well. Baseball also has the heaviest male- dominated viewership. The most consistent global sport is tennis, as it appears in the top seven of nearly every country measured. But viewership varies greatly based on the kind of tournament being played, with the Grand Slam (a combination of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open) getting the highest premium. Football (soccer) in the U.S. continues to be a conundrum. Although numbers are high in regards to international tournaments such as the World Cup and top-level leagues (especially the English Premier League) Major League Soccer can’t seem to gain traction. ( By Yuri Serafini ) For more on Sports TV, see this edition’s front cover story. (Continued from Page 6) READY FOR TAKE-OFF Studio 100 Media GmbH Sapporobogen 6-8 80637 Munich – Germany T: +49 (0)89 96 08 55-0 info@studio100media.com www.studio100media.com © 2016 Studio 100 Animation/ Studio 100 NV. All rights reserved. PREVIEW AT MIPTV 2016 R7.C1 160303_S100M_MipTv16_AZ_NilsCGI_VideoAge_185x230MM_RZ.indd 1 03.03.16 16:53