• by Wayne Friedman , January 18, 2022

Although more than three-quarters of mostly younger viewers watch sports on streaming platforms and spend time multitasking on other devices, the TV screen remains the leading viewing device.

A survey from Disney Ad Sales of the 13- to-54-year-old demo found that 46% of their time is spent watching sports on a TV set, with 24% using a mobile phone, 18% on a laptop/computer, and 12% on a tablet.

“TV continues to be the dominant platform for consuming sports content across demos. However, screens themselves are tipping digital,” says the report's authors.

In terms of total time -- among all respondents -- 54% of the time is collectively spent on devices other than TV (mobile phone, laptop/computer and tablet). Some 76% of sports streamers are on “one or more second-screen activities when they watch sports.”

Research says streaming TV viewers can be found checking social media (41%) and shopping online (26%). Seventy-one percent are multitasking and socializing “in real life.”

“Though it would make sense that the digitally native generation is driving this trend, that’s not necessarily the case,” says the report.

Young Gen Z viewers (ages 10 to 25, according to other research) spend the most time looking at screens other than TV while watching sports on streamers platforms: 61%. This breaks down as follows: 29% of the time on mobile phones; 19% on laptop/computer; and 12% on tablet. Millennials (ages 26-41) spend 53% of the time on non-TV devices, with older Gen X viewers (age 42-54) at 43%.

Disney Ad Sales surveyed 2,500 sports streamers ages 13 to 54 across the U.S. in June 2021. It characterizes "sports streamers” as those who self-identify as sports fans, use streamers to watch some or all sports, and have watched live/non-live sports events and/or content within the past three months.