WARREN, NJ--(Marketwire - March 15, 2011) - The home PC will be the most watched device to check NCAA tournament scores, according to a survey by Lightspeed Research.
The survey of more than 1,000 Lightspeed Research panelists today revealed that the PC beat the TV, which 70 percent said they would consult for scores. Newspapers came in third at 29 percent. Surprisingly, smartphones were a distant fourth at 17 percent.
Half of Lightspeed Research's nationally representative sample said they will not watch any March Madness games this year. Of those who will or may watch the games, an overwhelming majority (92 percent) will be watching some or all of the games at home and nearly a quarter (23 percent) will watch at least one or more games at a restaurant/bar as well.
Social Media Sidelined
Less than a fifth of those who will watch said Facebook will have an impact on their March Madness experience and only 10 percent said Twitter will have an impact.
Twelve percent of those watching said they would use their smartphones during commercial breaks. Of those, most will text (71 percent), half will surf the web (55 percent), half will send email (46 percent) and one-third (33 percent) will Tweet. Of the 29 percent who said they'll use a computer during commercial breaks, 74 percent will search the web, 64 percent will use it to email, and 11 percent will Tweet.
However, when posting a bracket, Facebook (at 25 percent) nearly tied ESPN.com (27 percent) as the go-to channel. Only 18 percent of respondents said they would make selections through CBS Sports. Women were slightly more likely (26 percent) to choose Facebook than men (24 percent).
One in five respondents planning to watch will digitally record the games. Of those, 32 percent are aged 18 to 34. Half (51 percent) of those planning to record games will start watching the games within two hours after tipoff.
Brand vs. Ball
Unlike the Superbowl audience, it appears the overwhelming majority of March Madness fans are there purely for the game. More respondents say they'll "hit the restroom" (67 percent) or "grab something to eat" (59 percent) during commercials than "watch commercials" (36 percent).
The survey showed that 43 percent of respondents who said they may or will watch the tournament games said they did not know which, if any of the named brands were sponsors. Respondents were shown ten brands -- five actual sponsors and five non-sponsors - and asked to select the sponsors of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball championship. The top three brand responses, Coca-Cola Zero (42 percent), AT&T (35 percent) and Capital One (33 percent) were game sponsors. However, non-sponsors, including FedEx, Allstate and Ford were named as sponsors more often than actual event sponsors Buick and Unilever.
Respondents More Influenced by Facts Than Expert Opinions
Seventeen percent of those surveyed said they would definitely fill out a tournament bracket, while 20 percent answered "Maybe."
Forty percent of those who will or may fill out a bracket said their selections will be influenced by looking at teams' overall won/loss records, and 39 percent said the tournament seeding will affect their picks. One-third said the advice of college basketball experts will influence their choices, which outnumbered the advice of friends and family (24 percent).
Of the 26 percent that said regional alliance will affect their bracket selections, those in the West (33 percent) were more regionally influenced than the Midwest (26 percent), South (24 percent) and Northeast (23 percent).
For press inquiries please contact:
Naor Chazan, Marketing Director Americas - Lightspeed Research
nchazan@lightspeedresearch.com Tel: + 1 (908) 605-4480
Note to Editors
This survey was conducted March 8 to March 10, 2011 and is based on 1,005 respondents who are members of Lightspeed Research's US Online Panel.
About Lightspeed Research
Lightspeed Research (www.lightspeedresearch.com) is the market researcher's choice for digitally accessing and deriving insight from consumer opinions and behaviors whenever, wherever and in whatever segments needed. The industry's most thorough panelist pre-screening process and large global pool delivers business-ready results quickly and cost-effectively. From proprietary online access panels to specialty panels, custom panels and innovative mobile surveys, Lightspeed Research offers the industry's highest-quality and most complete combination of qualitative and quantitative online research. This is backed by an expert client operations team that provides a range of data collection services, from sample management and survey design to programming and reporting. Part of Kantar, a division of WPP, Lightspeed Research serves clients and cultivates online panelists across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Contact Information:
For press inquiries please contact:
Naor Chazan
Marketing Director Americas - Lightspeed Research
nchazan@lightspeedresearch.com
Tel: + 1 (908) 605-4480