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Multiple channels, widescreen, split-screen, Super Saturday, HD, 3D, surround sound, ref cam, Hawk-Eye, snicko, hotspot, mute, record, rewind, fast forward, pause, 24/7! Sports fans have more choice and power at the tips of their fingers than ever before.
Watching sport on TV is so easy, even more so when you add the comforts of home.
But has this smorgasbord of choice served up by a remote control diminished the experience of attending live sport?
Why bother enduring traffic, cold weather, limited food choices, expensive alcohol, a restricted view and the cost of admission when you can press a couple of buttons in your own time?
Shrinking crowds have been a particular issue in the Super Rugby and the NRL recently. In 2012 the average attendance at an NRL game was 17,346. That dropped to 16,643 in 2013.
The slump in attendance in Super Rugby has been even more drastic. In 2006, South Africa posted an average Super Rugby crowd of 34,000, Australia 24,000 and New Zealand 22,000. By 2012, those numbers had dropped across the board: South Africa was down to 28,000, Australia 20,000 and New Zealand 16,000.
However, figures released in 2012 by the New Zealand Herald showed New Zealand’s cumulative TV audience for Super Rugby increased 32per cent on 2011.
The AFL has bucked the trend, why?
In the United States 16,883,310 spectators attended a total of 256 games NFL games in 2002. In 2011, 16,562,706 fans attended the same number of games. Average attendance has since increased.
The NBA hasn’t been so lucky. Overall attendance is down and some franchises are so desperate to attract fans they have virtually thrown tickets away or artificially inflated official crowd figures.
In 2012, an ESPN investigation revealed the Detroit Pistons were averaging 13,272 tickets sold per home game, and they play in the 21,000-seat Palace arena. However, some of these ‘sold’ tickets were given away for free, and many more ticketholders simply didn’t show up.
The Charlotte Bobcats (admittedly one of the worst teams in the league) have sold entire season passes for $41 – that’s an average of $1 per game!
As technology continues to get better, is the uniqueness of a live atmosphere no longer enough to draw sports fans to the venue?
What can sports with tumbling attendances do to get the fans back?
Are local blackouts for games not sold-out an option in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa?
Do TV executives actually care about bums on seats in stadiums?
Video killed the radio star. Is TV killing the sports star?
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