• by Wayne Friedman , June 17, 2013

While TV remains the No. 1 platform for sports fans, the second-screen TVs of sports -- including connected and smart TV sets -- are still lagging behind.

Only 7% of fans say they use connected TV to consume sports, according to Sports News Media. And while second-screen consumption of sports is rising, only 4% of fans believe such sports access will have a major impact on the way sports are consumed in the next two years.

On a more positive note, 19% believe connected TVs will have the biggest impact on the way they consume sports in the next two years. Forty-four percent of those surveyed watch sports via HDTV sets.

Over a third of sports fans use smartphones to access sports content, and 36% access sports content through their mobile device at least once per day. About 25% of U.S. sports fans are now using social networking platforms to follow sports -- mostly on Facebook (77%), followed by YouTube (47%) and Twitter (33%).

Live streaming and video highlights are the most popular types of content watched online, followed by news and interviews. Around 33% of U.s. online fans watch sports video highlights through PC and mobile devices. A little less than half of those surveyed -- 42% -- have positive opinions about brands that sponsor or advertise in sports content.

The study surveyed over 1,000 American adults ages 18+ in February 2013 .