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BRING THE NOISEUnderstanding the Impact of Fan Noise on Sponsors
and Advertisers
With reduced or no fans in the stands likely to continue into
the new year and seasons, Westwood One and Horizon Media teamed up
to evaluate fan responses to play-by-play sports video and audio
clips – with artificial fan-noise inserted and without – to assess
how broadcast and pro-duction impacts advertising partners.
…and were less likely to find the subsequent ad…
INFORMATIVE(video clip)
NOSTALGIC(video clip)
RELEVANT(video ad)
HELPFUL(audio ad)
Without artificial fan noise, fans found the sports clip to be
more…
BORING(video clip)
BLEAK(video clip)
Statistically significant at 95% CL Statistically significant at
90% CL
Fan Noise Boosts Perceptions of Broadcasts and Corresponding
AdsThose who watched/listened to the “fanless” clip were
significantly less likely to enjoy the following ad (vs. those who
watched and/or listened to the clips with piped in fan noise)
MOVING THE CHAINS
Quality of sports experience has a direct impact on advertiser
receptivity and engagement
Fans who liked the sports clip were…
Check out their social media
Talk to peers Buy from the brandVisit Their Website
1.5xAfter seeing video
MORELIKELY
After listening to audio
~1.6xMORELIKELY
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AND THE CROWD GOES… SILENT???Though excited about sports return,
uncertainty around the “fanless” experience raises some concern
Sponsors may have a chance to bring fans together via new
platforms and channels that could help cultivate engage-ment and
good will.
PUTTING THE FAN BACK INTO THE FANFARE
Artificial noise may scratch the itch but research shows fans
want to experience the cheering and celebrating with their fellow
fans, both in sight and sound.
52%supportamong fans
39%wouldparticipate
SOUND OFFAn app enabling fans to influence the sounds during the
game (e.g., boos, cheers, compete vs. rival fan bases)
53%supportamong fans
42%wouldparticipate
VIRTUAL FANSFans join as a virtual crowd member and actions of
that virtual crowd would be heard/seen in the broadcast
say that it’s importantfor sponsors to continue supporting
leagues through COVID-19
66%of fans
believe fans bring excitement to games, without them it wont
be as exciting.
~ 42%say a big part of the game experience is the fans – the
chants, songs, and reactions.
~ 40%
Fans were asked to evaluate two potential ideas for an
augmented/virtual sports viewing experience
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Study Shows Leagues and Broadcasters Can Only Hurt Themselves By
Not Including Fan Noise in Fanless GamesFan-noise creates a more
enjoyable viewing experience for fans, even if the artificial noise
doesn’t quite match up to the real thing. This elevated viewing
experience leads to added value and higher likelihood of engagement
for sponsors and advertisers.
Those exposed to fan noise show lower levels of negativity
towards sports clip, which subsequently results in lower negativity
towards ads that follow
Fan-noise helps sponsors and advertisers maximize the value of
their partnerships by maintaining positive sentiment and keeping
key brand perceptions elevated
Broadcasters should continue to pursue alternative viewing
options to maintain fan engagement while COVID keeps live
attendance on hold. Artificial fan noise keeps interest in these
alternative viewing options high, opening up new channels and
avenues of engagement for broadcasters that could be facilitated by
sponsoring brands
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Each participant was randomly exposed to a sports video clip and
a sports audio clip. To assess if fans would react di�erently to
ads in varied production environments, an ad was included within
each of the sports clips. MARU/Matchbox was retained to execute
this study of sports fans and was conducted between July 27, 2020
and August 10, 2020. A nationally representative sample of n=1060
sports fans were provided by MARU/Matchbox’s Springboard America
panel and Horizon Media’s Finger on the Pulse panel.
Supplemental data fielded via Horizon Media’s proprietary Finger
On The Pulse panel. Fieldwork con-ducted between October 13 – 19,
2020 among a nationally representative sample of n=578 sports
fans.
Notes & Methodology