Survey: Digital Sports Reader Survey 2006 - May 2006  

In early 2006, Sport and Technology carried out a survey among its readership in order to garner data and opinions on the digital sports marketplace. Over 300 readers responded and the headline findings were detailed in the March 2006 issue of the newsletter. Below, we include specific respondent comments in relation to the question: 'Do you believe in convergence. i.e. we will eventually watch all our sports programming, read news and results and interact with providers and other users via the same central machine?'

“Convergence is a key issue for rights holders currently and is set to increase in importance as new devices (like the Nokia 770, PSP, and others) evolve. While we may not watching and interacting on mobiles, small devices with larger screens (like those mentioned above) will certainly offer incredible opportunities in convergence.”

“Not in the near future, but in the long run, yes. The key word is ‘eventually’!!”

“I think there will be a lot of it, but that there will also be ‘different strokes for different folks’ who like TV, radio, the internet.”

“Yes and no - I think we will use the same machine to do many of these things with the same machine, but that machine may be different according to our location, lifestyle etc. I see an environment where we will have all content perhaps coming to our desktop in the office, our entertainment/communications centre in the home, and our wireless device on the move.”

“People are starting to get rather addicted to convergence. BBC World is shown in Doha on standard cable networks, but it's fed from an internet line so the quality is quite ropey. Yet, the majority haven't noticed - simply because it's a TV they see it on... which, again, begs my favourite question re technology: 'If most of the humans can't tell the difference, is there a difference?'”

“I think consumers will want to watch their choice of sports programming on a variety of different channels tailored to where they are at the time e.g., PC in the office, mobile on the move, TV at home i.e. It is the occasion that will drive the channel choice. What they will be looking for is confidence that they can watch the same core programming on any channel, with the opportunity for enhancements depending on the channel's capability/format (some things lend themselves to a big screen more than others).”

“All content we consume and interact with will be digital, therefore the delivery systems need not be disparate.”

“Whether one or several machines (i.e., TV, PC monitor or mobile phone) it seems inevitable all different options will be available and compatible within one only device. Customers will (should) have the right to choose what to see (TV, internet or e-mail) at any given time (home, office, beach) without spending too much money in three or more devices.”

“There will be convergence to the extent that we will do more things with each machine, but there will still be specialised appliances.”

“Convergence will happen but a TV live feed will be superseded by a pull for content mechanism between 9 - 5 (working hours). For night, leisure time it will be a push mechanism.”

“Not to that complete extent. There will still be the need for viewing current events on portable devices as opposed to larger and more powerful devices in the workplace and at home.”

“I expect that many devices will offer different ways to get to the same content, sometimes it will be a handheld device and sometimes it will be a more traditional ‘television’. An example is the PSP which can provide a gaming platform on the move but still reverts to the bigger screen when available.”

"I believe that the other forms of media as we know now will still be available. A central subscription of portal for content providers over different forms of communication technology will be a necessary asset for convergence."

“Maybe two machines (a handheld device and one other), but not one. There will be a central machine available, but not all people will use the converged media. The enjoyment associated with reading the paper etc will remain.”

“Yes, I believe in convergence, but I don't think we'll all be watching through ‘the same central machine’. We'll all be watching the things that interest us most in different places through various machines/devices that most suit us at the time.”

“I think that we will have a central place in our home to access sports (and other) news and information. That information will then be passed on to mobile and other devices.”

“Tough question. I believe in convergence but I don't believe it has to be defined as one ‘do it all’ machine or destination point. I believe complementary or cross-functional devices will exist. Print media will survive.”

“Yes, but not to the total exclusion of more traditional media. Television likely to remain important social/communal sports viewing, while print media holds an advantage over monitor screens for reading more wordy analysis and feature material.”

“No - unless one can guarantee no editorial and political bias and meet the standards, accuracy and interests for all regions. Monopolies tend to be more expensive for the user.”

“Recent developments have indicated that the future financial survival and progression of sports as a spectacle relies upon the diversity of mediums through which sport can be accessed.”

“Will probably converge on two areas: ‘Home’ and ‘On the Go’. There will be convergence, however I believe we will have an 'at home' machine (TV/PC) and an 'away from home' machine (mobile device) - but both will potentially be able to talk to each other. This may be some years off though.”

“Whilst the world of convergence continues to accelerate, sports fans enjoy being able to access the results in a variety of different methods.”

A summary of the survey results can be requested by e-mailing survey@arksports.com and listing 'Digital Sports Survey 2006' in the subject line.

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