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Compete's Latest Research Asks: Are You Ready for Some Fantasy Football?
Yahoo! dominates, women are joining and free sites satisfy
Boston – August 23, 2006 – Compete, Inc. today announced findings from its new study, “Latest Trends in the World of Fantasy Sports: Yahoo! dominates and women willing to win at all costs.” According to Compete, in September 2005 over 9.5M people in the U.S. were actively involved in a fantasy sports league through one of the three largest online fantasy sports services – ESPN, Sportsline (CBS) and Yahoo!. With an estimated $100M in annual revenue, fantasy sports has become big business – moving from the domain of the extreme sports fan to the mainstream populace.
Compete’s findings reveal that among the major web sites offering fantasy sports leagues, Yahoo!, Sportsline and ESPN, Yahoo! receives the lowest satisfaction marks, yet commands 68% market share. Additionally, the survey revealed insightful data regarding women’s participation in fantasy sports, including that women are more likely (59%) to root for a player on their fantasy team even against their favorite team than men (56%). Clearly, women are in it to win it.
In its research Compete evaluated which major online fantasy sports services are offering the best consumer experience, the profile of fantasy sports participants, at what level women participate in fantasy sports leagues and what drives people to pay for fantasy sports. Compete investigated the online fantasy sports activity of its 2 million member panel and conducted a behaviorally targeted survey of 300 people who exhibited both free and paid fantasy sports participation.
Other key findings in the research include:
- The Race for 2nd Place: Sportsline may be 2nd in the quest for online fantasy sports market share (18%), but it captures the highest user satisfaction marks (96%)
- Who’s on Third?: While ESPN comes in at third in market share (13%), they steal 2nd in satisfaction (92%)
- Co-ed Sports: The majority of fantasy sports players are males (70%), but female participation has seen a major upswing (77% of females began playing in the last 5 years)
- For the Love of the Game: The percentage of men and women participating in online fantasy football is about even (69% male, 65% female), but only males show an affection for baseball (65% male, 47% female)
- A Free Ticket In: In all cases, respondents who participate in free fantasy sports leagues are more satisfied than those that pay
“While Sportsline and ESPN are leaders in the niche online sports news market, Yahoo has the advantage of being the largest national internet property and one of the most recognized and trusted brands online, said TJ Mahony, Managing Director, Intelligent Reach Products, Compete. “Yahoo has an amazing opportunity to leverage those factors and turn their online sports fantasy offer into the hottest property in the game.”
About Compete
Compete, Inc. extends online market research to transform the way consumers and brands communicate. By combining permission marketing, predictive analytics and the industry’s largest consumer behavior database, Compete helps marketers identify and reach their target consumers. Compete delivers conversant marketing solutions that increase profitability and customer loyalty and result in measurable and effective marketing programs. Compete delivers these solutions to leading brands such as Carlson Hotels Worldwide, DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai Motor America, Teva Neuroscience, Toyota Financial Services and Upromise®, among others. Compete is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the US. For more information, please visit http://www.compete.com//.
Contact:
| Cynthia Stephens | Meghan Journey |
| Compete, Inc. | Racepoint Group, Inc. |
| 617.933.5651 | 781.487.4629 |
| cstephens@compete.com | mjourney@racepointgroup.com |