Fans are set to watch the the biggest sporting event in the world through the Fox that will broadcast the NFL championship match-up between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at 6:30 pm ET. In a survey of respondents, they were asked regarding the content they would be eager to consume to enhance the Super Bowl experience.
Fans prefer to consume the content through an online stream over a traditional TV, according to a survey performed by communication and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. The firm also works with market research firm Penn Schoen Berland (PBS) as a partner who studied viewers' perceptions and attitudes toward professional football and Super Bowl.
The survey among 1,000 fans was performed online on January 18-21, 2017.
Fans prefer to stream game online over TV
Of those fans who intend to watch its event, the firm reported that 55 percent of viewers and 77 percent of millennials would be eager to stream the game online instead of TV. Furthermore, 29 percent of viewers and 43 percent of millennials said on the survey that they would cut the cable subscription if they were committed to streaming professional football games online.
"We found first and foremost that a lot of the Super Bowl audience said that they'd be interested in streaming the game online instead of watching on TV," Burson-Marsteller's chair of fan experience Jason Teitler said, according to Forbes.
"This is not surprising among millennials. What is surprising is that a lot of viewers said they would cancel their cable subscription if they could watch online."
The Big Game in virtual reality enhances fan experience
The survey showed that 48 percent of viewers and 71 percent of fantasy football players would like to use a virtual reality headset to watch Super Bowl.
43 percent of respondents and 60 percent of football players believe that consumers will experience the future by watching pro football with virtual reality.
Due to expensive ticket costs, the fans would not be able to attend the game to experience the Super Bowl. Teitler advocated that the Big Game experience could be gained through a virtual reality tour of the stadium led by a content distributor.
He also campaigned on the idea that, despite limited access to its stadium, the Big Game experience for fans could be gained through advanced technology.
As of January 31, 2017, CNNMoney reported that Fox in partnership with LiveLike VR offers fans to watch 20 game highlights through Fox Sports apps with a headset or straight from smartphones. It will be the first time for those partners to broadcast an NFL game in virtual reality. However, broadcasting the whole game in virtual reality would not be incorporated, though.
Super Bowl commercials bring consumers closer to the brands
Social media has impacted the way consumers think and feel about the advertisements. According to the firm, more than 70 percent of consumers use social media to bring them closer to the brands that advertise products during Super Bowl.
The firm also noted that, without Super Bowl commercials, 53 percent of spectators would not be contented.
"There is a great hunger by the fans for brands to go beyond the commercial to create content that surrounds the sports fan in a variety different ways to discuss with one another and even the brand on certain topics, whether entertaining or meaningful," Teitler told Forbes. "The call-to-action could be anything from engaging people in a contest or challenging them to create content of their own."
60 percent of consumers will participate in social media to interact with each other during Super Bowl LI.
